Photographer Research - Laura Letinsky

Laura Letinsky

I've chosen to research Laura Letinsky's photography because I like the simplicity of some of her work. Letinsky mostly uses white backgrounds with white tables or tables with a white sheet over them. This makes the objects laid out on the table stand out a lot more as their colours look much brighter. She also takes photos within a 'house' setting, for instance: in the kitchen. Some of Letinksy's work shows dirty plates, glasses, food, food thats been eaten etc. This makes the photos relatable because the photos are homely and within a setting which everyone can recognise. In some of Letinsky's photos, she only has one or two pieces of food or objects, so they look isolated. This makes them the focal point because everything else in the image is white. 

This is an image that i found of Letinsky's. Like i've said previously, she has used a white background and a table with a white sheet over it. This makes the colours of the balloons, drinks and food stand out. The simplicity of this image is what makes it so extraordinary and interesting to look at because the positioning and particular objects that are displayed begin the questioning of why she did this and why she chose those particular items. This relates to my work, because I plan to use the studio to shoot, with only white backgrounds. 

This is another piece from Letinsky's work, but this one has been taken in a kitchen. The angle of the image is positioned so that we cannot see the objects straight on, but from the side. This allows us to see the floor, drawers and tabletop. Letinsky has also arranged the objects so that they are in the furthest corner from the camera, this makes us look closer into the image, and for longer too. In this photo we can see regular objects that would be found in a kitchen, such as glasses, a tea fowl, food etc. 

I chose to feature this image in particular because unlike Letinksy's other photos, she hasn't arranged the objects precisely and aligned, instead she's either positioned them to look messy, or has taken them in their natural place. I like this image a lot because it's messy, and people can relate to it as it has been taken in a home setting. I also like that this photo isn't all white, as a wooden table has been used. This image displays evidence of human presence because it shows that people have used the glasses, napkins and have eaten the food. 

This image is quite similar because it shows dirty plates and dishes. However, Letinsky has taken this photo in low lighting, so the photo isn't as bright as her other images. We can still see the reflection of the sun shining through the windows and glasses. This photo looks slightly posed because the plates are on the edge of the table and the vase has been placed exactly in the centre of them. I like this photo because it has been taken in natural setting. 

Laura Letinsky's style of photography has influenced me to take photos within the studio, with a completely white background. Her work has also influenced my ideas of taking photos inside and location, of ordinary objects and 'house' possessions. I also like the idea of arranging objects to look messy as well as neat. Although Letinsky's photos look similar to one another, she has used different objects and placements each time. I think these sort of photos would look perfect in a multiple imagery. 

Letinsky's work influenced the concept of this image, as I didn't arrange the objects, and shot the image without any positioning. This allows the photo to show these objects in their natural placement, and also identifies personality traits of the person whose these possessions belong too. In this image, this person can be identified as messy as their desk isn't very organised. This is evidence of human presence as it shows that this desk and the possessions on it belong to someone, and they have obviously put them there. 

This is another "messy" image that I took in a Location shoot. This photograph was influenced by Letinsky's work because I attempted to capture ordinary, homely objects such as the mug, packet of crisps, carton of orange juice, pens, tablets etc. Again, I didn't manipulate this photo to look neat or tidy, as I took the photo without moving any of the objects. 

In summary, I plan to use the influence of Laura Letinsky's work by shooting in the studio a lot more, using a completely white background to emphasise the focal point in the image. I would also like to use Letinsky's style so that i can capture 'human presence' within possessions, and objects within the home.