AnhStudio Photo Blog

From the first look at Mask of the World, I fell into a rabbit hole of this unique universe. The more I observe these incredible faces, I start to notice a piece of culture in each one. Answering Vaughn's question, I believe that some, not all, mask were created to be worn. Each mask has a purpose such as for hunting, performance, a cultural significant history and also these mask could also be a contemporary art piece. I love the idea of expanding beyond the mask by adding the torso to these faces. It becomes more than facial features. I would love to see the weapons or accessories that each culture uses along with these mask and how they compare with one another.

  Shot with Leica M6 + 35mm 1.4 Kodak Portra 400: Rated at 200

In the past year, my passion for photography has changed quite a bit from the years before. I am blessed with the chance to travel often because of my freelance work as a wedding photographer. Lately, when I travel to a city, I find myself getting drawn in to the soul and the life of where that is. I found out about Phil Penman from ISO320, a podcast that features numerous of different photographers all over the world (links below). Phil has an very unique way of photographing the city that he lives and loves dearly. Ever since I first picked up a camera as a teenager, I was always fascinated by capturing that moment, the decisive moment. As a street photographer, Henri Cartier-Bresson is the grandfather and his work speaks for itself. Henri's book 'The Decisive Moment' is a photobook every artist should have. I might get some backlash for this next comment, but I think Phil Penman is something of a modern day Henri Cartier-Bresson. https://open.spotify.com/episode/2oWc5RVg

For this topic, I will have to be completely honest, I am not much of a reader. When I am a reader, at most it will be a photobook from a photographer that inspires me. Below are some recent books I have recently ordered. https://www.mattdayphoto.com/friendofmine/friend-of-mine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41rgrbeStHw

  After looking at Vaughn's post, I picked out a handful of artwork from Lee Bontecou to research a little more. Upon reading about Bontecou, the first thing that stood out to me was how she used the darkest part of her work to create a different dimension. Lee refers to her "black hole or voids" as a way to bring you into her world of science fiction. The art work below main focus, for me, is the center circular object. I am torn between a part of a spacecraft and the center of a universe that she has created. In my last post, Sean Tucker talked about embracing the shadows and I feel that Bontecou pieces speaks to me in the same way.

Sean Tucker is a London based photographer who time and again continues to enlighten and inspire me not only as a photographer, but at it's core, as a person. From his artistic vision to his views on life, Sean is somehow capable of weaving the two together seamlessly as he incorporates elements of appreciating life into his photography. "The only time we're changing as human beings is in the shadows, the dark times" -Sean Tucker