Child Prodigy - Autumn de Forest

For whatever reason, I have always found prodigies so interesting. I guess it's because they have these unique talents that come naturally to them when it could take years, maybe even a life time, for others to master.

Autumn de Forest is a child art prodigy. She is nearly thirteen years old and has sold enough work to earn $1 million. She is a painter whose style can be compared to that of many famous abstract painters such as Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, and Pablo Picasso.

I think that one of the most interesting things about Autumn de Forest (besides her young age) is that she is a part of many art associations and speaks about the importance of keeping art in education. Not only that, but she has donated a lot of her work (and some of the money she's earned) to charitable organizations such as Habitat for Humanity.

Painted at Age 5

 

These next few pieces are from when she was only 7 years old. These three pieces were all done separately but look like they could be shown together.

 

  

 

 

Painted at Age 10

 

Painted at Age 10

 

See her in her studio painting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcpiGCUgrsI&list=UUbbya21blLI_JoruCN3brrQ

 

 

See her in an interview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&list=UUbbya21blLI_JoruCN3brrQ&v=VNV-q445Mrc

From the city to the country

 

I've been doing photography on the side for quite some time now. I absolutely love doing senior sessions because it allows me to portray each individual's personality. So let me tell you all about my shoot from this past weekend!

 

Saturday was a perfect day for photos!

 

This girl is a HUGE Cardinals fan (who isn't?) so we met at Busch Stadium, of course. I'm clearly such a great driver and managed to take the scenic route over the bridge and into Illinois since I missed my exit off Hwy 40.... whoops! At least I was still on time!

 

After our time in the city, we stopped by this area I found recently that has multiple barns so we could show off her country side! Barns, hay, leaves, and cowgirl boots. Perfect!

 

   I am soooo glad she was willing to get a little dirty and throw around some hay because I love the shot above!!

 

 

Overall, it was a fun experience, and I am glad she and her mom liked her preview so far!!

 

Uncommon Places by Stephen Shore

Stephen Shore's book called "Uncommon Places" is filled with such spontaneous photos.







They are all so different and unique, but yet the same in the sense that they are of places and experiences that not every one may be seeing at that exact time or place, but that they have seen before at one point or another.

http://aperture.org/shop/uncommon-places

Robert Capa

We did our artist presentations today in class. Our group did Sally Mann while the other group did Robert Capa. I was not familiar with Robert Capa prior to this presentation, and it was really interesting to learn about this photographer that was new to me.

Robert Capa was a famous war photographer who shot in black and white film. He actually died while taking photos of a war in 1954.

This was one of the main photographs talked about in the presentation. Robert Capa captured this picture of a man falling after being shot in war. It's such a unique photograph because, unlike with other photos, you cannot redo this image. You either get it or you don't. 

This photo wasn't in the presentation, but I really liked it when I was researching Robert Capa myself. Everyone is dressed the same in such thick and heavy material while running through water which would be awful to do because everything would weigh you down. Robert Capa did a great job capturing this photograph of the soldiers. 

Sally Mann

Sally Mann is a very interesting photographer. A lot of her work done in the early years of her career seem to have been influenced by her father's work. Her father, a doctor, used to photograph her in the nude. Sally Mann also spent a lot of time photographing her own children.

In her book titled "Immediate Family," Sally writes that “many of these pictures are intimate, but most are of ordinary things every mother has seen. I take pictures when they are bloodied or sick or naked or angry.” This made me feel like she was photographing them in their most vulnerable moments. Kids are so pure and honest, and I think that her photographs of her own children in that specific book definitely portray their innocence.

National Geographic

For whatever reason, I have always loved the pictures National Geographic posts. Maybe it's because I love photography, or because I love traveling, or maybe it's because they are just down right amazing a lot of the time. I think it would be amazing to not only be able to see all of the unique places they go to but to be able to photograph and share those experiences with those who may not be able to do so themselves.

Here are just a few of the photos I've seen that were great!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View more incredible photos at: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/

 

 

Ferguson

The photos below feature some of the most unique signs I've seen across the media.

 

This kid should be in school not protesting on the streets.

Photo by Jimmy Bernhard, KSDK

 



There will never be any peace if we don't stop the violence.

Photo by Scott Olson, KSDK

 

What happens if we find out Mike was the guilty one?

Photo by Scott Olson, KSDK

 

The officer would have acted the same way regardless of skin color.

Photo by Scott Olson, KSDK

 

The attention Ferguson is getting on the media.

 

 

I think that these photos could all be arranged in a circle. Without people protesting, there would be nothing for the media to report on. Once the protestors see they are getting the attention they want, they will continue to protest with the hopes of being featured on TV, the Internet, and other forms of social media. It's a chain, and until someone breaks it by ending the violence, it's going to continue going.