Identity - Gender - Jess T. Dugan

By David Kieckhefer

Jess T. Dugan is an artist whose work explores issues of gender, sexuality, identity, and community. In her series, Every breath we drew, Dugan’s photographs explore what it means to be masculine. When asked about her own identity, Dugan says, “I’m part of trans community; I’m not a lesbian and I’m not a gay man but I hang out in those spaces. I think I’m hyper aware of how my identity changes in different contexts.” Dugan’s work asks for her viewers to question the gender binary, as she believes these gender roles are failing the LGBTQ community. Dugan photographs people in their homes, usually in their bedrooms, using medium and large format cameras to create a very detailed and intimate portrait. Dugan holds an MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago, a Master of Liberal Arts in Museum Studies from Harvard University, and a BFA in Photography from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

http://www.jessdugan.com

Dugan’s website is extremely clean with no added color or flare to distract from her images. It is very user friendly and easy to navigate. I found myself very drawn to her work because of my own interest and personal experiences as a gay man in the LBGTQ community. Much of my own work is centered around gender identity and sexuality. I have been shooting portraits and would like to have more control over my lighting, and am currently learning new techniques in my Studio Lighting course.

Identity - Human Form - Antony Crossfield

Antony Crossfield      
By Ryan Cindric
 Antony Crossfield is a photographer living and working in London. he is well known on an international level,recognized on multiple occasions at the International Photography Awards.His website is very minimalist with only essential information. I found this very refreshing, also the site straightforward and easy to navigate. 

The more I explored, the more it became clear that Crossfield is focused on the relationship between body and identity. I am also fascinated with his interest in exposing the blind spot of the naked male in western art; as well as how he is challenging the tradition of objectifying the female form in western art. There are strong examples of this in  several of his series, Foreign bodies being the one that most clearly does this. There is a strong use of the several male nudes to show the relationship between body and identity. In these images it is hard to see where one body ends and one begins, both figures take up the same space corresponding with on being the physical body and the other being identity.

Identity - Family - Tina Barney

Identity - Family - Tina Barney

Family Tableaux Portraiture Photographer

By Rebeka Schmieder

Tina Barney is an American photographer based in New York. Her work presents dramatic tableaux family portraiture and snapshots. She explores the conventions society puts on families and then completely rejects them.  Barney’s work has been shown in prestigious art museums and galleries national and international. She had a solo exhibition at both the Whitney Biennial (1987) and MOMA (1991).  Barney was one of the first photographers to tackle  large scale color printing when she began working in the early 1970's. 

Barney’s work is confrontational and hypnotic. Her subjects engage with the viewer in a humanistic way. Their gestures and the scenery make the photographs relatable. In her series “Theatre of Manners” Barney projects the ideas of family in the simplest manner. It feels like the photos are capturing a split second of reality and intensifying the relationship between the camera and person or people. The emotions appear real and almost tangible. Although her work may be directed, the figures, personalities and self-expression show through the shot. I believe that photographing her family and friends make her work stronger, emphasizing the personal connection between the photographer and the one being photographed. 

Barney shoots mainly on 4 x 5 and 8 x 10 cameras. Over the past 5 years, she has also shot with a digital camera. Shooting on large format cameras allows her photographs to have the detail they need. To connect, with not only the subjects, but also the space. She said, “I want the prints to feel like a movie screenshot quality.”

Although I have not paid close attention to the human form in my photographs, Barney has inspired me to now consider the importance of the  relationship between two subjects in the frame. 

http://www.tinabarney.com