lessons with kate - berenice abbott

 

face-off

"The world doesn't like independent women, why, I don't know, but I don't care."

Berenice Abbott ©

the photographer

Berenice was a polymath.

polymath

/ˈpɒlɪmaθ/

noun

a person of wide knowledge or learning.

"a Renaissance polymath"

Berenice shot fantastic photographs of famous artists associated with the surrealistic artist, Man Ray.

Berenice shot brilliant photographs of the developing skyline of New York in the 1930s.

Berenice shot fascinating photographs of abstract scientific principles.

Berenice was a woman.

Berenice was lesbian.

Get over it. She was genius.

the challenge

Shoot some photographs taking 'delight in simple things'.

I chose a chess set designed by Man Ray. Berenice worked for a time as an assistant at the Man Ray studio in Paris. He designed a fantastic chess set of which this is a copy.

what did I do?

I used a light-box and explored different exposures.

what did I learn?

Look beneath the surface.