Response #2

The readings this week seemed to be about the artistic process and philosophy of two photographers documenting the same area. The two photographers, Bryan Shutmaat and Robert Adams take two divergent approaches to documenting the west through photography. Adams takes a more on the nose approach, explicitly using photography to display the exploitation of the west and the environmental degradation caused by the presence of humans. Schutmaat on the other hand explicitly avoids this type of photographic activism, focusing on making  a “really concise series that’s fragmentary and entirely subjective – a small window into a vast and complex region.” I personally find Shutmaat’s series more intriguing than Adams' work, not to take away from Adams' work, I just feel as if the more focused aspect of Schutmaat’s series. The west is such a large region with a large amount of history, Schutmaat chooses to portray a small part of the whole, focusing on a masculine view, exploring the dynamic and effect of the patriarchy on the west. I feel as if The more focused approach works for a smaller series of photos, I find it more appealing than the broad approach which succeeds at portraying a large subject at a surface level. Honestly I really appreciate Schutmaat’s approach to his series, he has intent, the series he creates feels more contained.I would really like to see more series like Schutmaats, the self contained yet connected nature is a style I like. And the methodology of building a series employed by Schutmaat is something I think I have learned from.