Arno Rafael Minkkinen

Arno Rafael Minkkinen is a Finnish-American photographer that came to the United States in 1951. He graduated with a bachelors degree in English and started his photography portfolio in the 70s. His early work focused on portraits that involved artistic interpretations of the human body. His work grew from there into a lot of the nude figure in nature at its purest. The works I want to focus on for this project is from his portfolio "Hands and Feet" and especially on the theme from using the body to frame nature.

I chose this topic because I have a lot of interest in image composition. And using the body to frame nature in similar but alternating ways create different interpretations of the image. And especially focusing on color contrast, none of the image look "empty" in each portion and it portrays a dynamic interaction between human and nature.

The first picture is a great composition that shows the amazing contrast between the hands and field. Arno uses the reflection from the sun on his right hand, and the shadow on his left to frame the earth, to contrast the bright cloud and dark grass. 

Sharing the same theme as the previous picture, contrast and framing is the main aspect of this photo. Arno uses the arms to direct the perspective in the viewers' eyes. and have the buildings contrast the sky, almost having a surreal effect.

The last of Arno's work I have presenting is probably what I think is the most amazing piece he has done in this portfolio. Again with the hand framing and contrast in mind, this one seems to interact with the background, as if he is pulling the dark buildings aside and letting in light. The shadows both on the buildings and below his hand makes this an incredibly dynamic piece.

My photographs:

Sculpting the circular shape of the round area between Westwing and Resnik

Creating a roof for Morewood

Claw machine for Cathedral of Learning, sightly shorter exposure and higher iso.

Mirroring the my fingers for the fence railings, with focus on background.

Pulling the block of wean out. Very low aperture.

Just trying out some editting with Cathedral of Learning

Through my experience photographing and editing, first I have to say it is incredibly difficult emulating Arno's work without all the proper equipment. I find it especially difficult getting the contrast between the body and land without a lot of research and planning regarding landscape and time of the day. Having tools like light umbrellas and access to higher ground buildings would definitely help. And though you might not expect it, capturing both hands in along with a proper perspective was difficult as well without the aid of a tripod or stool.

Overall this was an interesting experience as it was my first time doing real photography taking in account of lights/angles etc. I learned for my next time I should take in account of daylight more and plan for accordingly. It would probably be more helpful to rent a bit more equipment and maybe explore more sites.