Sunday Edition: Alice Kivlon, Ken Heyman, and Giles Revell
Sunday Edition: Alice Kivlon, Ken Heyman, and Giles Revell
PHOTOSNACK #254
Every Sunday, I reach out to photographers previously featured on PHOTOSNACK and ask them to send me their spontaneous thoughts, observations, reflections, or advice.
Today, I am sharing with you the messages I got from Alice Kivlon, Ken Heyman, and Giles Revell.
Alice Kivlon
My love of photography started when I was studying graphic design at the School of Visual Arts in NYC when I came upon Annie Leibovitz’s portrait of Bette Midler, The Rose. This was different from what I was accustomed to viewing.
Photography continued to influence my creativity - directing photographers as a Creative Director. It was my return to the School of Visual Arts for a Master's in Digital Photography that matured my creativity and moved me behind the camera to combine my photography, digital, and design skills for the visual narratives that I create.
Alice Kivlon was featured in PHOTOSNACK #203.
Ken Heyman
Of all of my most famous photographs, this is the most perfect.
The adorable child that you see peeking around the doorway is a nice surprise to the beautifully textured lines of composition. The one criticism might be made of it is that the child is too centered.
In photography and art, it is better to have the subject of the piece off-center or in one of the thirds.
Ken Heyman was featured in PHOTOSNACK #196.
Giles Revell
Twenty-five years ago, I read an article in one of the broadsheets that attempted to explain the criteria for great photographs.
I lost the article long ago but often refer back to its essence as a yardstick when judging my own work and evaluating new project ideas. I thought it would be interesting to share it as a talking point.
I am paraphrasing here, but the five pillars that engage us are:
1. Perfection: A flawless or beautiful image, regardless of message.
2. Taboo: A shocking or controversial image, exciting or uncomfortable.
3. Pathos: An image that provokes raw emotion, feeling, and empathy.
4. Informative: Imagery that tells us something we don’t know or shows us something we thought we understood but with a new perspective. This is where art and science collide.
4. Narrative: A photograph with an extraordinary story, history, or marking an event, object, time, people, or politics.
5. Technology: New ways of seeing the world, born through technological advancements.
The article made it clear that one of these pillars is necessary for a photograph of any note, but if you can link two or more of the five pillars, you are making something special.
In the 30 years that I’ve been photographing, I have made these links, but on very rare occasions.
I’ve included the Whirligig Beetle, which was part of the Fabulous Beasts Summer show at the Natural History Museum and is in the permanent collections of both the V&A and the Natural History Museum.
It was shot on a scanning electron microscope, composed of over 500 hundred montaged micrographs, and presented as an 8ft print. It still divides the audience between Art and Science, wonder and fear.
Giles Revell was featured in PHOTOSNACK #198.
Sunday Editions connect you with photographers whose work you previously explored through PHOTOSNACK.
I want to reveal some authentic parts of the people behind the cameras.
I don’t ask them any specific questions. I ask them to share whatever comes to mind when they think about YOU, the readers of this newsletter.
It makes their responses genuine and personal.
I hope you enjoyed today's Sunday Edition.
Until next time,
Tomasz