Week #6: Write-up

Mitch Dobrowner
Chromosphere 
Green Grass, 
South Dakota, 2012

Mitch Dobrowner

Veil, 
Buffalo 
South Dakota, 2012

Mitch Dobrowner

Stone Butterfly, 
Paria Plateau 
Arizona, 2008

Ansel Adams

Clouds, Kings River Canyon, California, 1936

This week I worked many hours in the Concordia darkroom, trying to develop the “perfect” black and white photo for my third ARTE 352 assignment. With that as my inspiration, I decided to focus on a black and white photographer for this write-up. I searched for interesting artists who work solely with 35mm film and develop and expose their own photos. I had trouble finding an artist that I could connect with, so I decided to choose a general black and white photographer in the end. I stumbled on Mitch Dobrowner, an American artist who lives and works in California. He focuses on landscape photography, and his series on storms really caught my attention.

After doing more research on the artist, I discovered that he chases storms all around America in order to capture the beauty of nature (even when it’s being destructive). His main inspiration is the work of Ansel Adams, who also used nature as a main theme in his photography. Adams shot a lot of national parks, and landmarks such as Yosemite National Park in California and The Grand Canyon, which traverses several U.S. states. I compared both photographers’ images, and found many similarities in layout and compositional choices.

If I were to teach documentary photography to a future class, I think that both of these artists would be a great inspiration to the students. I would compare both photographers, and discuss the differences between Adams’ work from the 20’s and 30’s to Dobrowner’s more current photographic practice. As stated in Gina Wenger’s article, it’s important to show today’s students inspirational artwork from the past. This may help them to broaden their opinions and views on the subject.

“The use of contemporary images is a vital and significant curricular need; however, the relevance of historical artworks can offer avenues for analyzing equally provoking issues. By approaching historical artworks that relate to contemporary topics, students may learn more about themselves, their world, and history.” (Wenger, 2007)

http://www.mitchdobrowner.com

Work Cited

Dobrowner, M. (2014) Mitch Dobrowner, Fine Art Photography. Retrieved from http://www.mitchdobrowner.com/pages/4/

Wenger, G. (2007). Documentary Photography: Three Photographers’ Standpoints on the Japanese-American Internment. Art Educ 60 no5.

Wikimedia Commons, (2013). Kings Canyon-Clouds - White Pass Aah16.jpg. Retrieved from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kings_Canyon-Clouds_-_White_Pass_Aah16.jpg