When I was searching the internet a while ago I came across a pretty interesting set of work by photographer Brandon Voges. I haven't heard really anything else about Voges' artwork, and even after searching for more information I've only found a little bit more of his photography. None of it really sticks out as much as his upside down portraits which I really think are pretty interesting.
The process that Voges uses for all of his subjects consists of flipping them upside down and hanging them up by their ankles. The detail in his images almost remind me of Jill Greenberg's "crying baby" photos, but these don't look as smooth as those. Regardless of that they are all very detailed shots, and when Voges presents them he shows the photos upside down, which in reality makes them right side up.
All of these shots give off of kind of creepy vibe. I think it's due to the fact that every time you look at them you just get that feeling that somethings not right even though you may not be able to put your finger on it. In the picture I've included in this post you can notice a somewhat odd facial expression on the subject and easily see some signs of the blood rushing to his head. These little clues are easy to pick up on in most of the shots. However, Voges tries to throw you off occasionally by having the subject wear a hat while they are upside down which really makes for a confusing image.
Anyways, I really like the detail in these images as well as the uniformity between them. All of the shots consist of somewhat of an off-white background with a close up on the subject who is placed in the center of the frame. The only real difference you occasionally come across is where the subject is looking. While the majority are looking off to the side there are a few people who are looking straight on at the camera, and this just furthers the creepiness of the images.
You can check out some more photos from Voges' project here and check out this video showing his process.
I agree with Evan, these photos are very interesting to look at. Before I even read the blog I was attracted to the detail in the vein’s on the side of the man’s head and didn’t realize that he was upset down until I further read the blog. At first it almost seems as if they are not real or they have excess make-up but once you find the direction Voges is going in and you realize that they are upside down they picture becomes even more interesting than before. I love the detail he is catching when blood is rushing to one part of the body, in this case the head. You are able to see how the face can contort in the different positions it is faced and I really love how it is a simple portrait but at the same time it is like a distorted reality. At first it seems as if they are jumping but it still for some reason doesn’t make sense. I like how Voge questions the viewer and makes them think about the photo before further seeing what he is accomplishing. I do think the images with the darker background create a stronger effect for the figures in the portrait rather than the light gray backdrop. I would love to see a black and white series, and maybe even different events to further push for a contorted reality scene. I would definitely love to see the artwork in person; I think it’s a great way of having the viewer interact with the photo and artists ideas.
ReplyDeleteI checked out the link to his website that showed more of these pictures as well as the video that was on the website. Before finding out the artists process of taking the pictures, I wasn't very impressed by the picture, except maybe noticing that the guys veins were abnormally huge. After finding out that this artist, Voges has his models hanging upside down I can't help but be impressed by his way of thinking and trying to trick his viewer into seeing at a quick glance a regular portrait of someone. It can also be interpreted as slightly sadistic in a way, because hanging people upside is a form of torture, so the viewer could also wonder about what the artist is trying to say using a form of torture in contrast with a very commercial and idealized looking photograph. Of course I know these people weren't actually tortured and were probably not hanging upside for that long, but the questions that are raised by this distorted portrait are interesting. Also it makes me wonder that if the artist chose not to tell the viewer his method, would these images still be interesting?
ReplyDeleteEvan is dead on likening Brandon Voges’ work to the visual clarity of Jill Greenberg. Many of his set-ups even resemble Greenberg’s signature posterior accent lights and unobtrusive gradient-like backdrops. Although many of his shots are interesting, I would have to agree that Voges’ series, “Upside Downey Face” is the most original of Voges’ work and definitely the most novel approach I have seen of the traditional portrait.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the most disturbing attribute to the images stems from our understanding of the human face under normal gravity. Every photograph in the series not only seems odd because of the muted clothing in whites and yellows and the intentional skewing of the white balance, but the subjects all appear lifeless. With gravity’s reversal, it almost seems as if some eccentric mortician had taken the recently deceased, opened their eyes, posed them, and then photographed them. Veins popping from obscure locations, blood-shot eyes, and eyes glazed with an unknown pain all contribute to this set’s sincere creepiness.
In addition to his upside down portraits, Voges also has another set of interest in which faces are captured in the most unattractive of positions. It appears as though the subjects were instructed to shake their heads (perhaps frantically like dogs) while Voges snapped his high-speed shutter at unusual times. In a society that favors capturing the perfect smile or image that best represents the person, Brandon Voges makes a firm cut against the grain with these plays on the traditional and our perceptions.
I'm really glad that Evan posted about this artist because I never would have heard about him if not. I looked at his website and his shots are amazing for both the technique used in shooting (combination lighting, posing and possibly some editing?) that produce such a clean crisp image. Many of them seem to be out of this world just because of the expression on the model’s face or because their hair is seemingly floating off of their head without a any wind (finding out after the fact it is because they were shot upside down). On each of the models faces there seems to be something a miss but nothing you can quite put your finger on, much like Evan said, and this is definitely what gives his work this kind of shock and awe quality about it. The manner in which each picture is take gives the models these characteristics and traits in their faces that cannot be duplicated again upside let alone when they are right side up again. I think that this technique of shooting portraits is really interesting because of how much it breaks with traditional methods of portrait taking and it is something I myself never would have thought to do in a million years.
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