Looking at Rocky Schenck's photographs is like waking up and trying to remember a dream that you can't quite remember all the details of or having a vision of a distant memory from another life. I love how all his photographs have the same feelings and moods when you look at them, but the content can vary so much, from grand and amazing images of nature to just as amazing images of modern buildings and features. What I am also drawn to is the human presence in many of his photographs. The bodies almost always appear as dark, silhouette figures that are tiny and almost insignificant compared to the landscape that they are surrounded by.
Schenck's images are mainly candid shots that he has come across in his day to day life and then developed in the darkroom with tracing paper and other such materials used to defuse the light and create the wonderful contrast and soft, grainy appearance of the image. I really enjoy the lack of detail in the deep blacks and the blown out whites of the images but somehow, the detail of the overall photograph is still remains quite distinct.
Schenck influenced my work a lot last year, without me even realising it until i happened upon some old notes where i had scribbled his name down with big stars and circles next to it. When i revisited his photographs i realised that the feelings and mood that i was looking for in my work was the same that i got when i looked at Schenck's photographs.
What i also appreciate about this work is that each photograph speaks for itself but also compliments and works just as well when presented with the rest of the images in the series.
I can only hope that my photographs could work on this same level as Rocky Scheneck's photographs do.
Rocky Scheneck, you truly are the man.
www.rockyschenck.com
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