Luke Johnson

My favorite word growing up was "Horsha" or horse. I loved horses. I cannot explain my primordial disposition towards the equine beast, but I find their portraits incredibly interest because the time and craft used to depict an animal.

What is perhaps more interesting, however, are the reasons why. Case in point. Barbaro, winner of the Kentucky Derby, sustained a injury during his quest for the Triple Crown. His impending euthanization caused an outpouring of grief- mainly from middle aged woman. Why this much attention to a race horse? Looking through a historic lens we can see this occurred during a spike in deaths from the Iraq war. Coincidence? Not bloody likely.

From front left to right

A few years ago, I took a workshop with HIllman Curtis who was beginning to explore video content on the web. With a special interest in portraiture, Hillman guided us through the process of shooting, editing and uploading our footage the web. This weekend workshop was highly influential in understanding of portraiture and its potential in new media.

Hillman has always been one of my design heros. Before switching careers to media design, I purchased his first book: Process, Inspiration, and Practice for the New Media Designer. His enthusiasm for the craft, along with a historical understanding of the moment, was inspirational.

Click here to check out Hillman's work

Lighting varies from portrait to portrait. In our workshop we used natural lighting. The picture displayed shows lighting from left to right.

Yes, the dog is dead. I had the opportunity to meet the dutch artist Tinkebell while participating in the Next Nature Conference. Tinkebell invited me to join her while dragging her dead dog down Rodeo Drive. This picture was taken with my cell phone after the walk.

Click here for a video

Natural light shot during the day.

There are many things I admire about this work. As a concept, it is intriguing because I think as humans we have a natural curiosity about death. I believe that Schels handles the subjects with dignity. For example, the supporting text tells us about life of the person. The poses focus on the face and beauty. Care has been taken in framing and lighting the subject. The feel of the picture does not feel exploitive.

I also think there is something in interesting in viewing the work on the web. As a Life/Death series you see the person alive first knowing the the next click will reveal there death.

Click to see the work.

Varies from portrait to portrait. What I find interesting, and what heightens the photographs, are the contrasts: the super black backgrounds with the blowout whites is angelic in tone.

What draws me to these images are the familiarity of the aesthetic: the muted color palette, the varying degrees of concern on the participant's faces, the exaggerated gesture. It boards on comical, yet the subjects matter is often so serious. And yet, all the images look the same. Is there just one court room artist or do they all train at the same school for court room art?

Varies from portrait to portrait. What I find interesting, and what heightens the photographs, are the contrasts: the super black backgrounds with the blowout whites is angelic in tone.