Thesis & Background
This image stood out the most to me. The opening to the seemingly boundless sea and beach grants an almost serene feeling to the viewer.
This photo I love this for the lighting he was able to capture, which even makes me question how he was able to capture such a fast occurrence. The warm orange hues and the bottom half of the dutch door being open gives a welcoming feeling, staring off into the sea.
This next photo is very close to me, as when I felt the most lost, I found comfort in the night waves and night sky. Here, I like how he makes the lampost slightly off center, it is something I find unique.
Meyerowitz’s work is truly eye-catching in the sense that every photo is so serene, day or night, people or not, there is something to pick up on. May it be the boats in the sea, people on the beach, or stores, Meyerowitz displays these coastal cities beautifully.
Meyerowitz seems to depict houses and the properties they own, which might just be fascinating to him due to the compactness of New York City, along with how empty and unoccupied a lot of the scenes he pictures are, showing how different Cape Cod is to New York City.
Methodology
Looking through Meyerowitz’s photo book, you can begin to catch what and how he pictures the images in the book. Firstly, there are very few photos that actually involve people up close, and if my counting is correct, I counted maybe 5 photos. A lot of the photos include people from a distance, or no people at all, just what is in front of him. Compared to his earlier photos in New York City, the capturing of a minuscule amount of people is very different than what he found here, so the photos of people found in Cape Light are very much contrary to the photos he took of people in New York City. When it comes to people, as I stated above, he either took photos of people from far distances, or very up close, and to what I could tell, they were likely almost never staged. Below are some photos that go to show how he pictured people in the Cape Cod area.
It seems many of Meyerowitz’s photos are candid, capturing the motion as it was at that very moment in the photo and not really waiting for anything to happen. A vast majority of his photos also include houses and the amount of space they and property they have, including how they overlook the ever-expanding ocean. To me, it almost seems he is also capturing the difference between New York City and Cape Cod
I feel as if I can relate to this in a way that I have grown around Detroit my entire life, and being in Ann Arbor and so close to rural parts of Washtenaw County, I find myself taking pictures of landscapes I have never seen before. I wish to portray the same style in my photography.
Photo Analysis
Gallery
When I pondered how I would take my photos, inspired by Meyerowitz, I did not know where to start. How could I compete, or even mimic a professional? I found the answer to be simple, being to capture what I thought was amazing, and what I thought needed to be captured. I learned that it was not about waiting for something to happen to capture the moment, it was purely, and simply, capturing the moment as it was happening.
Photographing nature is not new to me, however, looking through Meyerowitz’s Cape Light opened my eyes, and improved how I take my photos. It opened my eyes to the importance of taking photos at different times of the day, lighting, and other photography techniques such as using objects as center points of the photo. While it doesn’t occur all the time, when I looked at Meyerowitz’s photos, I saw that he at times focuses on objects, or specifically will incorporate objects into his photo to add to whatever scene he was picturing. I also noticed that Meyerowitz would go into town to take photos of the town, rather than just taking photos of nature and landscape. I figured this was him comparing the traffic-jammed New York City to this quiet Provincetown. I decided to do the same, including a few photos of the city. I am glad I was able to analyze the photos of a professional in a field of photography I find interesting and give my attempts at it.
In the photographs I chose to display (which I intend to add more along the way), I only intended and waited to take one photo, which is the photo of the lightning, as there was no way I was going to randomly capture it. Being in Washtenaw County, I wanted to picture as many different types of themes as possible, the countryside, along with the city, with a mix of my own photos I captured around the state to show equally as unpopulated parts of the state in comparison to Ann Arbor. I tried to capture both the day, as well as the night, the trees and the water, and the city, and its events.
Looking more into my pictures, there is a bunch I did not notice before. Such as the photos with the three birds and the sunset, which I did not notice until I looked into it, is how the path almost leads to the sunset, a symbol I find happiness in, and to me, it’s almost like a path to happiness. There is also a large difference between some of these photos that is very noticeable. Some are taken with my old phone, only coming in at 12MP, while some were taken with my new phone, coming in at 48MP, a 4x difference. It truly shows as well with how the photos come out when other factors such as light and darkness and bright objects are included. Such as the photo of the streetlights and graveyard at night while it was foggy. I really like how my camera was able to pick up on the fog as well as the light and how it came out crystal clear. Through my pictures, I tried to recreate the excitement and almost “woah” feeling I felt when I came across each scene. Adventuring out on my own was something I picked up during 2020 to cope with the emotions I felt during the lockdown (primarily the summer before my first year of undergrad). I would travel all over the state and sleep in my car. One of these photos is the 10th photo (counting down, left to right). This was at Pictured Rocks in the Northern Peninsula. The hike was amazing, littered with the sounds of birds, kayakers below, and boats in the distance. With the forest to my right and the seemingly boundless and blue Lake Superior to my left, I felt calm.
Selected Images
This photo was taken at Tawas State Park, at a little part of a beach I found going off-path, and it was taken on the same path I took when I went to the Upper Peninsula. The suns reflection almost looks like it creates a path along the water that grows larger and larger, a scene that looked unique to me. As it sits right above the clouds, it also allowed for visible beams of light to extend out of the clouds.
This photo was taken this year in September. It was entirely staged in the sense that I stood outside with my camera pointed toward the sky waiting for something to happen. What I saw in this picture when I began to look at it is how it almost looks like the lightning mimics the roofs of the houses below it. Other than that, this is one of my favorite images as the time it took to take it, and after that, how amazing it was to look at. Seeing the main arc break into two, and then those two breaking into many other arcs truly was fascinating, especially near the bottom where it splinters into many different arcs.
This photo was taken over Thanksgiving break during a day trip I took to Grand Haven, Michigan. It was taken from outside my car in a parking lot just a few hundred feet from Lake Michigan. I went for the sunset, and what I received is now to me my favorite photo I have ever taken. The pure pitch blackness of the ground, the silhouettes of the fence posts and trees, the blazing red hues, and the moon, I feel as if this image is my best.
Slideshow 1
(for the above slideshow and below slideshow, you have to hold left click and drag either to the left or right to go to the next slide)
I chose these photos for my slideshow as it follows a certain theme, being that they all primarily share two colors, green and blue. I wanted this slideshow to highlight the beautiful colors we find here in the northern United States, being that we are known to have an abundant amount of trees and beautiful blue, fresh water. The first photo of the hills and almost barn building at the right was actually not too far out of town from Ann Arbor, being just outside Chelsea. I was amazed by this landscape as after leaving the city and seeing these hills and open land, it felt refreshing. The other 4 photos are a mix of Mackinac Island and the Upper Peninsula. The last picture is one of my favorites as the perfectly calm water provides an almost mirror effect for the trees and sky, showing truly how beautiful this state is.
Slideshow 2
Here in this slideshow of Meyerowitz’s photos, I primarily chose them as they are photos in which there are techniques and styles I wish to also pick up on. In the first and third ones, they are the same photo however taken at different times of the day, which I found unique, and then the middle photo of the upper row is what I found similar to my own photo of lightning, be it Meyerowitz’s photo has many other features such at the orange, warm lighting from the left and the bottom of the dutch door open. The bottom two include centering the photo on an object, another technique I find interesting and hope to incorporate in my own photos eventually.
Personally, I did not find much difficulty taking photos like Meyerowitz, as I already love taking such landscape and nature-filled photos. However, I will say that I did find difficulty in creating photos that tell stories as well as have meaning. This project is liberating in its nature. This semester has definitely been tough, but being able to go out into the world and picture it was very relaxing, and productive at the same time. I have never done something like this before in my life, so it was pleasant in that sense too. Having a car helped out a ton and being able to visit nearby areas and drive to places such as nature trails where I could take photos, however as of late the weather has been uncooperative which did deter some days that I wished to take photos, however, I do look forward to the snow falling during the upcoming break to take more photos and continue to add them to this page.
Conclusion
Joel Meyerowitz’s, Cape Light, is a classic and legendary piece of color photography, being released at almost the beginning of the popularity of color photography, helping it sell easily. When he takes pictures of the water, I would like to think that it’s almost like he is picturing the exact water that carried his ancestors to the United States, which is very moving and inspiring. After taking my photos, I came to understand what it means and how it feels to take pictures. At first, I would take photos just because I thought they looked pretty, but this assignment opened my eyes and made me realize the importance of taking an image without thinking and then returning later to reflect, and I can imagine Meyerowitz did this plenty of times. Taking this into consideration, it taught me about my thesis as well. It taught me the hidden messages, beauty, and emotions that nature brings out of us, especially when we aren’t used to it or grew up around it. When I went to Grand Haven over break, it was a region, and a city I was unfamiliar with. But the tightness of the town mixed in with its natural beauty has me missing it, as I do not find such an environment I found there here in Southeast Michigan, not causing my thesis to change, but making me feel more strongly about it.
It is also important to keep in mind that these photos are from the 20th century, a time much different from ours. My favorite photo that captures this feeling is surprisingly not one solely about nature but is a party.
This looks nothing like a party today. There are no phones or flashy, branded clothing. It is simply people having a good time, a fire, in the woods. Everything encapsulated in this photo seems so much more real and encapsulating. How everyone is dressed, the trees, the smoke the reflection in the window, and of course the ladies looking at the camera. The party seems more engaging without technology, a simpler time.
Sources
Joel Meyerowitz. International Center of Photography. (2022, September 12). Retrieved December 2, 2022, from https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/constituents/joel-meyerowitz?all%2Fall%2Fall%2Fall%2F0
Sullivan, C. (2020, May 2). An interview with Joel Meyerowitz – creating a sense of place. AMERICAN SUBURB X. Retrieved December 2, 2022, from https://americansuburbx.com/2010/03/interview-interview-with-joel.html
Nicholas,
This is a fine opening statement about Meyerowitz and about his discovery of nature on Cape Cod. Certainly, the contrast with the Bronx, where he grew up, was dramatic and the use of color film accentuated that. I think that your point about the emptiness of the houses is a good one, again a contrast to the world of city streets and crowded apartments.
I like your personal comments on the photographs you have chosen. Do these photographs have titles? If so, you should include them along with the name of the photographer and a copyright sign.
It’s good that you found some interviews to consult. Please put links into the quotes so that someone can go and potentially read more.
You might want to note the extraordinary popularity of the book and discuss why it sold so well (it really was a best seller).
Finally, please pay attention to Meyerowitz as a Jewish photographer. What makes him Jewish and how does it relate to his photographs?
DDM
Nicholas,
Yes, you’re absolutely right about the absence of people and the contrast with his street photography. I think that your plan for your own photographs is good, even as you pay attention to his use of color (often the photographs tend to be almost monochromatic—in blues, or purples, or browns).
Do plan to go to places that are unfamiliar to you. That’s important.
DDM
Thank you for this comment, over Thanksgiving break I actually took a day trip across the state to Grand Haven where I was able to capture some amazing scenes, and one I plan to talk extensively about!
Nicholas,
Your initial reflections are good on what is different for you as someone who has regularly taken photographs now trying to learn from Meyerowitz and take photographs as he does. One of the things that you subsequently write about is how Meyerowitz takes photos of the same scene albeit at different times of day. That does not seem to be something you have tried. It requires a measure of persistence.
I like the photo of the sun setting over the water in terms of its tonalities and composition. You have a couple of reeds in the foreground, similar to what Meyerowitz would do and the color palette is subdued and subtle. The other featured photograph of the lightening is excellent and dramatic and your discussion of it is illuminating.
The slide show photographs need to be placed in an actual slide show so that they are basically the same size and move from one to another. If you need help, ask Elizabeth for guidance.
DDM
Nicholas,
I appreciate what you learned from this project as well as from Meyerowitz and his photobook. I think that your final slide show would have been stronger had you included photographs that you took after you read Meyerowitz and not the ones that you had been taking before you read him. It’s really hard to gauge the impact of looking closely at a photographer’s work and then trying to use what you see in it to do your own photographs when you mix in older photographs. Had you taken some photographs of a house, and a landscape viewed through a house–that is, the relationship of manmade to nature as in your excellent lightening photograph–I think that you would have learned a bit more from the project.
DDM