Photographer Research - Richard Misrach

Richard Misrach

I have chosen to study Richard Misrach because his photography interested me straight away. This is because I liked his work, but also, I liked the variety that he explored throughout. Each of his photographs are landscapes of different places, and have been taken at different angles. As I continued to research his work, I noticed that he displayed a lot of texture within his photographs. Each image of Misrach's, portrays a different type of texture in a different light, setting, place etc. Misrach's work surveys different types of environments such as deserts and lakes, and I like that he doesn't use only one subject matter, but explores the resources and variety that is available already, (i.e. by taking photos of environments and places). 

I chose to use this image to represent Richard Misrach's photography because it clearly displays texture and what I like about his entire body of work. This photo was obviously take from a high viewpoint, and therefore we are able to see the beach, the people and the slight bit of sea. I like that this photo was taken from above because it makes the people on the beach look tiny in comparison to the size that they are in real life. The texture aspect of the photo is that we are able to see the dips and footsteps in both the dry and wet sand. 

As I said previously, Misrach explores different types of texture in different places and environments. Here, we can see that this was taken in a desert. However, instead of seeing the sand, we can see lots of different plants. And so, we can see the various textures from each of these plants. The photo isn't in colour, which therefore defines the details of the plants. 

This photo is very much like the first image that I have included in this post, but there are differences. Firstly, even though this photo has also been taken from above, we aren't able to see as much of the beach and sea as the first photo. Instead, we are able to see a lot more people on the beach, which explains the footsteps and dips in the sand, as they are the ones changing and developing the texture of the sand, and therefore makes the photo more interesting. I like that this photo is busy, but not so busy that all our attention is distracted away from the sand. I also like that it represents a typical, ordinary day out at the beach, and therefore tells a story. 

Although it is difficult to see as the photo has been taken from a long distance, and at a height, but this image is of a man swimming in the sea or a lake. I like that the man is centered as then our attention is fully focused on the middle of the photo, as it is the first part of the image that we see. As the man swims, he creates ripples in the water and creates a trail. Misrach has captured this in the photo, and therefore shows that water does have texture, from where waves and ripples are created. 

Misrach has influenced me because I like that he captures some of his photos from a high perspective, as well as using a wide lens, so we are able to see much more in the image than normal. Misrach uses a wide variety of different formats, angles and subject matters for his photographs which also inspires me to explore what is available in everyday life, even with the most simplistic and ordinary aspects. Misrach focuses a lot on texture, and this has really influenced me to focus on texture within my own photography. I think showing texture within my images would make them a lot more interesting and appealing. For instance:

This photo is showing the contrast between the grass and the paving. However, Misrach's work influenced me to think carefully about the subjects that I use within my images, and attempt to show different formats within my work. This influence was evident in my 'Location Contrast' shoot as I tried to portray the contrast of lots of different formats and subjects.

Misrach takes a lot of his photos from a distance, usually from up high. However, this photo that I shot was taken from below, and from a distance. This was because of Misrach's influence, which meant that i could show the colour and detail of the leaves without always using a close-up shot, but instead taking it from a distance to achieve the same effect. 

In summary, Richard Misrach has influenced me to focus on filling the frame of my images, so that i am able to show much more detail within my images, like he does. I also like that he doesn't focus on one particular subject, but has a wide range of different photos with so much variety, from nature to people, to water. Misrach shows texture without his images and i want to be able to show texture from a distance, like he does, as well as close-up.