Nicholas Nixon

The work of Nicholas Nixon is raw; there is no hiding the similarities between the work of Nixon and that of Schutmaat and Adams. They capture the real, rural side of what it means to be human. I’ve noticed that there is a trend within these images: They’re all black and white. Not that this is a bad thing, but it almost takes the “color” out of the humans that we are. It makes everything feel bland. Both Schutmaat and Adams are the same way. As Schutmaat says, “One of the cool things about photography is its ability to create atmospheres that viewers can step into, explore, and analyze independently. Good photos rely on the power of suggestion, but if it’s too heavy-handed, it has a negative result. I guess I feel like my photos should be more about the world than my opinions” (Dirty Laundry Mag). It almost seems like it’s a mix of the two. These three photographers, specifically, convey the world in which they see it. At the same time, they see a certain tone through their photos which black and white fit perfectly. In Nixon’s case, there is no other way to spin it; the capture of these images shows the whites of these people’s eyes, without getting into too much context about who they are, what they stand for, and the hardships they are facing.