Week 1

I enjoyed viewing the works of artist Jeff Alu. Jeff is a photographer that is best known for creating images that exhibit texture, strong graphic lines, and contrast. Alu focuses mainly on photographing the landscapes and deserts of Southern California, and has written that his work depicts how he is “constantly searching for his real home by journeying out into the desert.” The photo that I found most interesting is “Shack 2” which was taken at Southern Salton Sea in Southern California. Alu’s technique includes utilizing a Kodak DC-280 digital camera, in which he then converts the images to black and white using Photoshop. The most important process in the creation of his art is adding contrast by making the dark areas darker, and the light areas lighter with burn and dodge brushes. Alu then adds unsharp mask to help emphasize specific features in the image and intensify the overall impact of the photograph. Alu’s use of these particular methods of enhancement provides dramatic effects to many of his works.