Photography: Shooting the Truth: Rizzello & Kertész

The photographer that I chose to spotlight is a little known photographer. Her keen eye for a good photograph makes it hard to believe that photography is simply a hobby. I am proud to call this photographer one of my best friends. Her name is Carmela Rizzello. Carmela and I met in 2005. We both worked for the same company and were on the same team. As we chatted and got to know each other, we realized that we both had a lot in common.

Taking this course has enabled me to be exposed to a number of different photos by a number of different photographers. As I viewed the photos of all of these photographers, I realized that Carmela’s style of photography is similar to quite a few photographers whose work has been studied this semester. The main comparison that stuck out to me was the similarities between Rizzello’s photos and those of André Kertész. I will now explore some of the photographs taken by Rizzello and some of the photos taken by Kertész.

This photo was taken by Rizzello during a recent trip to Paris. This photo is completely organic and the subjects are not people that Rizzello actually knows. To me, this photo depicts two people who are in Paris, at one of the most popular and romantic spots in the city, sharing an intimate moment that Rizzello was able to discreetly capture.

Carmela Rizzello
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pretentious/4746211625/

Much like Kertész, Rizzello believes that some of the most beautiful photos are those that are unexpected and unstaged, much like this one. Kertész’s photo also depicts two people who are in love. They are also sharing an intimate, organic moment which, coincidentally is also in Paris at the Eifel tower.

André Kertész
http://www.kensjournal.com/book-reviews/paris-mon-amour-book-review/

Rizzello also enjoys taking surprise pictures of people from behind. Before Rizzello moved from Toronto to The Netherlands, I had asked her if she would be so kind as to photograph a Sickle Cell Walk-A-Thon that was being hosted by Toronto Police’s 13 Division, the division that my father is stationed out of. She was kind enough to agree and not charge a dime as it was her first real event shoot. While it did rain the day of the Walk-A-Thon, I came equipped with my umbrella. Days later when Rizzelo posted some of the photos online for everyone to see, I smiled when I saw this photo of me, leaning on the pole of a tent that I was under, shielding myself from the rain until the Walk-A-Thon started. I had no idea that she had taken the photo until I had seen it online.

Carmela Rizzello
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pretentious/3645164414/

The photo by Kertész also depicts a group of people from behind. It depicts a group who perhaps did not even know that the photo had been taken, and perhaps never found out. It depicts people who appear to be admiring a piece of art that is sitting on the floor on the side of the road. To me, this photo is art within art, as it is a beautiful, artistic photo of people who are also admiring a piece of art.

André Kertész
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/photography/5886226/Andre-Kertesz-at-the-Photographers-Gallery-review.html

I find it interesting how sometimes, an inanimate object that one usually does not think twice about, can be so interesting. Rizzello’s photo is simply 3 bottles of nail polish sitting on a table. There is nothing particularly mind blowing about this photo. The photo by Kertész is simply a photo of a fork that is on a plate. Nothing particularly interesting about this photo either…or is there? The so-called “lack of interest” is, to me, what actually makes the photo interesting. I like the way the bottles of nail polish are producing an almost shadowy mirror image on the table that they sit on. I also like the way the fork and the plate produce such a pronounced shadow in Kertész’s photo. While this may look simple, it actually does take skill and a good eye to produce an image that can take advantage of angles and light in order to produce such a beautifully simplistic photograph.

Carmela Rizzello
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pretentious/4191083191/

André Kertész
http://mlanglang.wordpress.com/2010/01/26/29/

Photographing children is another thing Rizzello liked to do. Their innocence and honesty always attracted her. Rizzello’s photo was taken at a retirement party for my father’s partner. He had been retired for a few months and my father had decided to invite as many people as he could to come out and celebrate his partner’s contribution to the police force and to the community. While there, the retired officer was presented with a certificate of appreciation. Upon returning to his seat after accepting the certificate, the retired officer’s granddaughters, full of intrigue, took the certificate and studied it intently. Rizzello, who was discreetly capturing all of the beautifully unexpected moments of the retirement party that night, managed to capture this photo as the girls looked at the certificate.

Carmela Rizzello
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pretentious/3580078805/

Kertész’s photo also depicts a child, full of innocence. This photo is of a child holding a small puppy. The way in which this child is holding the puppy almost looks like he is happy to show off his small puppy, or “prize”, but he is also guarding it and protecting it from anything that may potentially cause the puppy harm. The way in which Rizzello’s photo shows children studying an award is similar to the way Kertész’s photo shows a child displaying his.

André Kertész
http://www.turkishairlines.com/en-INT/skylife/2006/december/cityscope/what-andre-kertesz-saw-and-felt.aspx

Rizzello also enjoys taking portraits and has taken many of me. She also enjoys experimenting with her portraits and doing things that seem out of the ordinary and perhaps even help redefine what beauty is supposed to look like. This is evident in the photo she took of me over a year ago when my normally camouflaged fistula in my arm was the pictures main focus. In this photo, Rizzello had asked two of her friends if they would be the subjects of her photos. They agreed. Rizzello’s idea was to have her friends wear heavy, black eye makeup. After applying the makeup, they were both instructed to completely cover/slather their faces with a thick layer of Vaseline. The outcome was like nothing I had ever seen before. It was beautiful…but beautiful in a different way. It simply wasn’t the usual definition of what we are all used to when it comes to “typical beauty. The Vaseline on the ladies' faces almost gave them a mannequin-like look.

Carmela Rizzello
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pretentious/4218370398/

Kertész’s photo is a photo of a Hungarian dancer in 1926. Had anyone else been invited to take this picture, I don’t believe that they would have had the dancer pose in such a way. The disjointed way in which the dancer is lying down in the chair shows the beauty of her body in a way that would definitely not be considered a typical display of beauty. I feel that the way that she is posing beautifully displays the dancer’s body. It is an amazing photograph that, again, is an out of the ordinary way to display the beauty of another.