Abelardo Morell

April 18th, 2022

Abelardo Morell

By: Connor Albaugh

            It is crazy to think that we are only two weeks away from the end of the semester. In the time that we have been in this class, there have been so many poignant presentations and photographers that we were able to cover and analyze. These served as a good way not only to admire and think critically about an artists work, but as a way in which one was able to display their creativity through their own unique style of photography. As an aspiring photographer myself, I found these as opportunities to grow technically and visually on behalf of what I am able to capture through the lens of my camera. Over these two semester, there have been easy and hard assignments, both of which I handled well. I learned a lot through doing these assignments and I went to do as much as experiment with my camera and found out what it was capable of. For this last assignment, I decided to do it on "long exposure" which was both easy and hard. Being outside my comfort zone for the majority of the assignment, I found a good theme in my work and I am now working on finishing my photobook to later sell to the public. 

            Digital Photography II is slowly coming to an end and it is crazy how fast the semester flew by. As it comes to a close, this happens to be the final blog of the semester. It will go as far to analyze a quite unique photographer; one who creates a different perspective for the human eye to ascertain. The photographer in question goes by the name of Abelardo Morell. The birth of Abelardo came "in 1948 in Havana, Cuba" (Article 1). Trying to establish a better life for themselves, Abelardo and his family were able to make it New York City upon "their escape from Cuba in 1962" (Article 1). One thing that

Abelardo felt really invested in and "fascinated with was with optics and how images were constructed" (Article 1). Having a certain liking for photography would end up starting "his career as a photographer" (Article 1). He would "take pictures of everyday items like a glass bottle, a page of a book, a child's toy etc." (Article 1). This was a way for him to explore photography using simple everyday items and objects. It would later develop into a career that would become much more complex than his early work as a child. Abelardo would go on to "complete is Bachelor's degree in Art from a private liberal arts college in 1977" (Article 1). But, he wasn't finished yet. He also worked hard and received "his Master's degree in Fine Arts" from the university of Yale "in 1981" (Article 1). Even better than this accomplishment, Abelardo "was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degree from Bowdoin College in 1997" (Article). Having this much education is essential, especially if you are interested in perfecting your craft and gaining as much knowledge as you can to ensure your success in the long run. People took account of this, and the university of "the Massachusetts College of Art and Design" employed him "as a Professor of Photography" (Article 1). Not only did he educate himself on photography in the past, but he had enough experience and knowledge to teach students that were in the position Abelardo previously used to occupy as aspiring photography student. 

            Abelardo's interest in photography at a young age to his educational background is quite incredible. On behalf of his photography, he coined a specific style of photography for his work which is known as "camera obscura images" (Article 2). The process for this style is very intricate and requires multiple steps. "First, Abelardo completely darkens a room by applying black plastic to the windows and then cut a small aperture in the material to create the camera obscura" (Article 2). This reminds me of the dark room in the classroom which I was able to visit early on in Digital Photography I. Next, "as light from the outdoors passed through the hole, the outside view is projected, inverted, and reversed on the interior surfaces" (Article 2). Being present in a room where this process occurs is supposed to be the same as being within "the interior of a camera" (Article 2). Photographs that are eventually produced using this technique could come out in different capacities being that "exposure times could be lengthy in time" (Article 2). The final product can be quite extravagant and do as much as "challenging a viewer's perspective in the greatest sense by offering an imaginative new view of their expected surroundings" (Article 2). For example, lets take a look at the photo at the top of this blog (Article 3). This photo was taken in 1996, which pictures a "Manhattan View Looking South in a Large Room" (Article 3). This is what a camera obscura looks life. The room that was used in this case reminds me of the art gallery in downtown Williamsport as large and spacious as it is. The photo that Abelardo took here is in black and white. This is likely from the black plastic applied to the windows of this specific room. Manhattan in New York city looks quite different upside down. I am not used to seeing a photo like this at all because all of the photos I have viewed or taken are right side up. The part of Manhattan happens to be displayed on the ceiling and the wall. The wall portion displays many of the buildings in the city while the ceiling displays a few buildings as well as a road leading up to the large group of tall structures. This was an excellent way to lead the viewer into viewing the image because they most likely start at the ceiling and follow the road with their eyes as the photo goes deeper in the southern part of Manhattan. If this was taken the normal way, the ceiling would be on the wall in the background of the photo and the buildings would be displayed on the ceiling in the photo. But, taken as it was, it compositionally captivating. The buildings on the wall give off a "mural vibe" to it because of how continuous in detail it is and how deep this certain part of New York City extends in the background. One thing that I don't like about this image are the chairs and the table that are against the wall in the background of the photo. They prohibit a viewer from seeing certain aspects of specific buildings and it almost makes the outside view of Manhattan incomplete. On behalf of the technically and visual aspects of the photo, the framing of the image is very well done. This specific part of Manhattan captured in this image takes up the entire frame from the ceiling to the back wall in the background. There aren't any spots where parts of the city are missing except where the table and certain chairs are placed as well as in the area where there is an open door. Another part of this image that is done well is symmetry. The road that begins on the ceiling and leads the viewer to the wall in the background creates a good divide between two sides of the city. It shows how different one part of Manhattan is on one side of the road from the other side of the road in the sense of the height of buildings that occupy it as well as how busy and alive one side may be than the other. Lastly, the use of black and white on this part of Manhattan as opposed to color was an excellent choice. The use of black and white makes for a dramatic effect on being timeless and creates an nostalgic mood. It forces one to go back in time to a certain moment because black and white reminds me of the past and of what our world used to be like without the presence of color. Black and white not only reminds me of past time, but allows one to focus on different aspects of an image without potential distractions that color may create. With this being said, I really like the image. I resonate with how different it is and how my brain isn't automatically in sync with what happens to be displayed in the image. Being that this image of the southern part of Manhattan is shown upside down, it took me a longer time to look at, analyze for quality, and apply some sort of mean to. I like how continuous it is because you can look at the image and the different parts of this city for a long period of time and see something new. The presence of black and white forces me to focus on each detail of the city as I move my eyes from the ceiling to the wall in the background. Some of the buildings have a darker color while other have a lighter color which happens to be dependent on where the light is from the sky which is at the bottom of the wall in the background. The perspective that I was able to take from this image is truly not the same as one I may take from an image that is not upside down. I like that about this image and this is what Abelardo was trying to achieve in the different photos he was able to take in the same fashion with different environments. He didn't want his images to be normal which allows his images to be even more unique and visually entertaining to his viewers. 

            In the end of it all, Abelardo's camera obscura's like the photo at the top of this blog are truly remarkable images because of the focus they demand from the human eye. The human perspective in the viewing process of his photos can partake in individual imagination and self definition which allows each person to take away something different. Not only is this interesting, but goes to show his viewers how creative he was in making such images that make the perception and conceptualizing of details all that more entertaining. On behalf of Abelardo's work, "he mastered his obscura technique over the years and still continues to use what is fundamentally one of the oldest and most primitive ways to make an image" (Article 1). With the presence of technology, the process to create such an image became more accessible and easier to construct as opposed to the absence of technology that would take him "several hours" to create (Article 1). In the work he creates, "he is able to show specific times of the day by a single image, moments could be found or located instead of hours passing" (Article 1). He gives this power all to the viewer as they sort out an upside down image and try to make some peace with what they have the opportunity to see and can dissect on behalf of the photo's characteristics. His work has been displayed in several collections, museums, and institutions and has received many rewards that express his outstanding quality and quantity. On top of these accolades, he has several books and has traveled around the world to capture many of his famous images to date. I very much enjoyed analyzing the work and craft of Abelardo Morell. The photo I was able to view is very indicative of his photographic style and forced me to view his images with great diligence and patience to help me find important details as well as a worthwhile meaning for the reasoning of taking the photo. From a young age, he practiced photographs and later came to appreciate camera obscuras. One thing I have learned over this semester is that you have to continue to take photos and practice a certain strengths of yours until you can perfect it and see consistent results technically and visually in your images.  I would like to try taking some of the images Abelardo was able to take and see how they look. It is something I would not be used to, but learning something as visually interesting as Abelardo's work and the crowned style he adopted throughout his career could be useful for a possible project I may have in the future to come.  

Sources 

Article 1 - https://www.famousphotographers.net/abelardo-morell

Article 2 -  https://www.skinnerinc.com/news/blog/in-a-creative-light-the-photographs-of-abelardo-morell/

Article 4 - https://placesjournal.org/article/camera-in-camera-the-photography-of-abelardo-morell/