Much of what I found was small little blurbs about the artists work, where they started, and what influenced them. I pulled three different photographers work that I thought was cool and assessed their statements for why they do what they do.
The first artist I chose was James Hickey. He had some very interesting images of people that I found pretty cool. His artist statement went somewhere along the lines of -- "Professional Los Angeles photographer, creating artistic fashion and lifestyle images with unique style. These are often identified with vivid color, and expression. The images tell stories and ideas of people who are full of beauty and life. With a solid technical workflow, state of the art studio, and a love for the craft James Hickey brings a consistently contemporary style to his images." To me this says James Hickey is a fashion and lifestyle photographer that has a certain style to his images that tell a story and draw your attention as well. I think it is safe to say that his genre of photography is shooting people or fashion. The way he worded his artist statement was in a way to let people know what he does while maintaining simplicity. It is not super wordy or informal. This tells us something about the audience the artist is trying to appeal to. He's not directing this statement towards his friends or someone like that. This is potential clients he is appealing to! It goes to show how the rhetoric plays a big role in the genre and how he presents his personal genre.
The next artist that I looked at was Kiko Ricote who shoots lots of lifestyle type photography, some documentary-type photography, and some travel photography. His artist statement went something like, "Native of Venezuela Kiko started working as a model at the age of seventeen, for the next six years he was working in Europe where at 23 started to test for the best modeling agencies in Milan, Munich and Zurich, at 28 he left to Sidney were he lived for a year still working as a model and a photographer, next stop Los Angeles were he opened his first studio and spend there the next 7 years working in commercial photography . Mexico City was next in his agenda were he spend the next three years working with the best agencies like Mc Cann, Erickson, Walter Thomsom, BBDO, etc. For the past 10 years he had been in Miami where he opened one of the best studios in town, working exclusively with advertising agencies. Today after 27 years dedicated to the field he is confident to do a great job no matter how complicated the assignment is." As you can see from this artist statement, he goes more of the "history" route. This way, you can see his experience and where he has been across the world and who he has worked with. He is currently at a very prestigious studio shooting photography for advertising agencies. His genre is kind of all over the board, but I would pinpoint him as more of a commercial, people, lifestyle oriented photographer. His style of photography really makes the viewer feel that they are present in the photograph in my opinion. I think he has worded his artist statement in a way that attracts more customers. It is more oriented in a way to list his previous work and how far he has come rather than explaining specifically the different types of photography he shoots. This differs from the style of James Hickey's artist statement in a sense that he is talking himself up in a way where Hickey was just explaining what he shoots and what kind of look he is representing in his photography.
The final photographer I pulled for their artist statement was Setia Nugraha. Nugraha's artist statement was much different from the previous as well. He states, "Street photography has a great influence to my work. I believe that when we are standing on the street we can explore our imagination, social responsibility, and of course sharpen our eyes and heart.
As long as the wheel of life spinning around, we will not run out of idea. As time goes by, and I realize, things we have been through, things we have done, in fact can result a piece of work. Creating work can be carried out everywhere, anytime. It does not depend on time and place." This artist statement falls in the genre of imaginative, fine art style photography in my opinion. His work is more based off the idea that there is beauty in every aspect of the world whether it's a sidewalk or a gorgeous valley. I think that his artist statement is worded in a way to appeal to other artists who can become inspired by him and what he is trying to do with photography. To make the unseen seen, to find beauty in all, to help the viewer see the world through his own eyes. This is different from the previous because it's not saying what he shoots exactly or who he has worked for. It is more oriented around his influence and belief in the world of photography.
Artist's statements have a huge impact on what viewers or customers they are after. You can clearly tell an artist is a commercial photographer and shoots for business and to get paid by the way he/she presents their artist statement. If it is in a way such as Kiko Ricote where it states the history of the artist and what prestigious work they have done that is going to be shooting for more of the business of photography crowd, opposed to Setia Nugraha who is shooting for the ambiguous and creative realm of photography.
