For my final week of research on www.lensculture.com , I wanted to continue pursuing the route of typology and in doing so found a fascinating man who goes by the name of JJ Sulin.

Sulin is a Chicago-born artist whose passion lies on set, as both a photographer and director; he has previously worked for a long list of clients, spanning from Nickelodeon to Google. He finds his best moments to be photographing aspects of a large culture, such as the famous New York sidewalks, or sports games. There is very little information on Sulin, which makes this all the more interesting, however the most intriguing of all is to be his project ‘Gary’s Basement’. ‘Gary’s Basement’ bides well with Sense of Place, and consists of a series of images that display Sulin’s landlord’s belongings – of which he secretly took photographs of in a basement at his apartment, and then returned as if nothing happened.

Link to JJ Sulin’s work: www.lensculture.com/projects/7650-gary-s-basement

At the beginning of this module, I learnt of a new photography technique; typology. Typology is a method in which the photographer collates the images as a collection, as opposed to a series of individual photographs – these images can vary in subject matter, though often have a common theme that can be seen amongst all of them. This technique intrigued me, and so I decided to incorporate this into my www.lensculture.com research, which led me to stumble upon Manuel Cosentino.

Cosentino, born in 1980, is an Italian artist whose work focuses on ‘individuality’ and the role that it plays in photography, as well as using art as an agent for change in our society. His list of awards, nominations and exhibitions are almost endless, even though his passion for photography only took hold following his move back to Italy after working as a visual effects artist. The project that drew me to Cosentino initially is called ‘Behind a Little House’; it is a typology, worked upon over the course of 2 years, that tries to draw to the audience’s attention that we all live under a shared sky – a unifying force of nature.

Link to Manuel Cosentino’s work: www.lensculture.com/manuel-cosentino

As the research aspect of my project draws to a close, finding photographers whose subject matter directly relates to my current ideas is really important. For instance, this week I have discovered Alejandra Carles-Tolra, who uses photography as a tool to grasp a sense of community.

Carles-Tolra relocated to a predominantly Puerto-Rican community in Boston, after spending the majority of her life with her family in Barcelona, Spain. In doing so, she learnt a lot more about the Puerto-Rican families and their vibrant culture, and utilised this knowledge to form the basis for her www.lensculture.com project, ‘A Place Like Home’.

Link to Alejandra Carles-Tolra’s work:  www.lensculture.com/alejandracarlestolra

With a focus on the brief, and the desire to relate it to my sense of place in Brighton, I took it upon myself to look for photographers whose work incorporates keywords such as ‘belonging’ and ‘seaside’. I very quickly stumbled upon Salvo Toscano, from Italy.

Toscano grew up, and lived in, Italy for the most part of his life and moved to the UK 20 years ago to further his photographic career. His aim in his work is to observe and document life in all of its forms and connect it to the sense of belonging somewhere – which again relates directly to the brief, a Sense of Place. My favourite project of Toscano’s, ‘Maremare: Which Way is the Sea From Here’ , explores the comfort that being close to the water brings to him; for his upbringing in Sicily, and his adult life in the UK, have both taken place in beautiful coastal towns.

Link to Salvo Toscano’s work: www.lensculture.com/salvo-toscano-2

Branching out from my usual inspiration over at www.magnumphotos.com, I decided to turn my sights towards www.lensculture.com in order to find further artistic guide; In doing so, I uncovered a photographer whose work resonates with me in his style, and in the themes he covers.

R Scott Elgram is a Californian photographer, with a deep rooted love for landscapes and nature. His aim is to connect with the audiences through portraying the beauty in nature and making them want to get out and experience it. Unlike most artists, Elgram didn’t take an interest in photography until much later in his adulthood – despite his parents having a photographic lab themselves. This passion for nature extends further, however; and his project ‘The Wrong Way’ (2017) demonstrates this perfectly. Inspired by Edward Weston’s piece, Pepper 30, Elgram wanted to get under the skin of people who have a particular routine for preparing food. This can be viewed as a typical trait of OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), which is currently an option for my final brief.

Link to R Scott Elgram’s work: www.lensculture.com/r-scott-elgram-photography

Over the previous weeks, I have developed a preference for Magnum Photos (www.magnumphotos.com) and this week, it has led me to a talented photographer whose name is Jonas Bendiksen.

Bendiksen, 42, of Norway, started in the Magnum Photos (London) office, circa 1996, where he developed his taste for photography and passion for the area. Once he consolidated ideas and chose the photographic path he planned to go down, Bendiksen left for Russia. During his travels to Russia, he captured the life of those living among borders of former Soviet countries, and as his second great achievement, go to exhibit his project going solo, and as part of the book Satellites (2006). His editorial clients expand internationally, with him working for the likes of National Geographic, TIME and Sunday Times. The project that originally drew me to Bendiksen and his work, however, is ‘The Places We Live’ (2005). He shoots from slums around the globe while covering very important topics such as poverty, sense of community, and urbanisation.

Link to Jonas Bendiksen’s work: www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/jonas-bendiksen/

In continuation from my previous research, I took to Magnum Photos (www.magnumphotos.com) and came across a photographer with projects that have particularly strong links to the concept of ‘A Sense of Place’, among other themes such as pop culture and city life.

Gueorgui Pinkhassov, 67, originally from Russia, had an interest in the field that leads back to when he was in school. He studied cinematography at VGIK (The Moscow Institute of Cinematography) and then went on to obtain ‘independent artist’ status at the Moscow Union of Graphic Arts aged just 26. Pinkhassov’s work has a significant focus on realism and strong visual language – specifically the use of light and reflection. One example of this, is his project ‘The Home in My Mind’s Eye’ (2017), in which he captures the memories that make up his childhood home. He says that he believes this project ‘tells the story of an era’, and that his home should be ‘treated as if a museum, and with care’.

Link to Guerogui Pinkhassov’s work: www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/gueorgui-pinkhassov/

This week, I discovered a photographer on Magnum Photos (www.magnumphotos.com) called Matt Black.

Black, 49, from California, focuses on the interrelations between migration, poverty and agriculture across Mexico and the USA. His photography is documentary, using the black and white journalistic style he acquired whilst in employment at the Visalia Times-Delta. His project that I found the most striking, The Black Okies, delves into the untold history of black cotton migrants in Central Valley, California. It was for this project that he was named a finalist for the Pullitzer Prize in 2003. Black also travelled a total of 100,000 miles for his project ‘The Geography of Poverty’, a four-part series that challenges the myth of America being the land of opportunity and freedom.

Link to Matt Black’s work: www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/matt-black/

I have decided to take to Lens Culture (www.lensculture.com) for additional inspiration towards my brief of ‘Sense of Place’. Upon doing so, I’ve discovered a photographer specialising in multi-camera work – an area I’ve been considering branching into for my final piece.

Barbara Probst, 55, of Germany, uses an intricate radio-controlled system across numerous cameras to encapsulate a scene. She combines black and white film and colour images, to capture a tableaux of both temporality and diverse perspectives. Probst’s most recent project, ‘The Moment in Space’, interrogates the concept of only having one defining photograph of a specific scene, by instead having many photographs at contrasting (and sometimes obscure) angles. In addition to this, she includes a multitude of models and diagrams to further elaborate on the sensory and technical depth behind her work.

Link to Barbara Probst’s work: www.lensculture.com/barbara-probst