Jay Maisel
Jay Maisel is an American photographer, who studied painting and graphic design before officially becoming a photographer in 1954. He is well know for capturing light, colour and gestures found in everyday like. Maisel has worked with famous individuals such as Marilyn Monroe and Miles Davis. He has also done commercial but decided to stop in order to focus more on his personal work in the late 90s. Most of his pictures portray colour and highlight the different tones which are found in the pictures. Other elements such as form or depth can sometimes be shown in his pictures. After looking into more of his work, I found that most were similar and although the scenes in each picture were different, they still had a few similarities. I find that he uses the same techniques for almost all of his photographs - never failing to capture colour and show the difference between the different shades.
In this picture, the elements of colour an contrast are shown on a rather dramatic scale. The different shades of the colours pink and purple contrast with each other as well as the plane. Another way contrast is shown is through the size of the plane compared to the size of the sky.
The bright yellow field of flowers contrast massively with the dark blue, gloomy sky. They contrast in colour but also in the atmosphere they give off. For example, the field gives off a jolly, summery atmosphere whereas the sky gives off a cold, winter night atmosphere.
A sense of journey is being portrayed in this photograph. Maisel has deliberately captured a dark corridor with light towards the end to show mystery and bring out curiosity from the viewer. The woman is looking directly at the camera, this creates a connection between her and the viewer, almost as if she's inviting the viewer to join her on her 'journey'.
In this photograph, contrast is shown between the buildings as it shows one under construction and one after it has been finished. The element of form is also added as the Sun creates shadows on one of the building's face, showing the 3-Dimensional element of the building.
As I looked at more of Maisel's work, I started to recognise the techniques he uses and I started seeing how he uses the Sun or the sky to make his pictures exciting. Although his work shows great talent, after a while, his photographs became a bit dull - mostly because most of them only show colour, contrast or form. Other elements are portrayed very rarely and even when they are, they aren't emphasised enough. Despite all this, I still think he is a talented photographer and I like the techniques he uses in his work.
I was slightly influenced by his work as I found that the fact he took his pictures on a big scale was fascinating. I really like how he captures contrasts between buildings and in the sky. This is exciting and I would very much like to try this at some point. It would be fun to experiment with the different buildings, differing in sizes, colour, height, etc. I think this brings excitement and thrill to his work, grabbing the viewer's attention and keeping it.
Similarly to Maisel's work, I have used depth to show a sense of journey. I have also captured a scene with light at the end just like Maisel has; this has influenced me and has helped me take an interesting picture as it looks adventurous and shows the theme of journey very clearly. This is exactly what I was trying to achieve and by looking at Maisel's work, I was able to do this.
Overall, Maisel's work is amazing and the techniques he uses to show formal elements are interesting. He has an unusual way of taking photographs but this makes his work unique and exciting to look at. The way colour is expressed is extremely appealing and they have been captured in such a way that it catches the viewer's eye and forces them to look at his work.
As I looked at more of Maisel's work, I started to recognise the techniques he uses and I started seeing how he uses the Sun or the sky to make his pictures exciting. Although his work shows great talent, after a while, his photographs became a bit dull - mostly because most of them only show colour, contrast or form. Other elements are portrayed very rarely and even when they are, they aren't emphasised enough. Despite all this, I still think he is a talented photographer and I like the techniques he uses in his work.
I was slightly influenced by his work as I found that the fact he took his pictures on a big scale was fascinating. I really like how he captures contrasts between buildings and in the sky. This is exciting and I would very much like to try this at some point. It would be fun to experiment with the different buildings, differing in sizes, colour, height, etc. I think this brings excitement and thrill to his work, grabbing the viewer's attention and keeping it.
Similarly to Maisel's work, I have used depth to show a sense of journey. I have also captured a scene with light at the end just like Maisel has; this has influenced me and has helped me take an interesting picture as it looks adventurous and shows the theme of journey very clearly. This is exactly what I was trying to achieve and by looking at Maisel's work, I was able to do this.
Overall, Maisel's work is amazing and the techniques he uses to show formal elements are interesting. He has an unusual way of taking photographs but this makes his work unique and exciting to look at. The way colour is expressed is extremely appealing and they have been captured in such a way that it catches the viewer's eye and forces them to look at his work.
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