Chase Martin 
Hannah Jones 
Emily McCommas 
Michael McCarty 
Ryan Smith 
Altheron Payne 
Lee Anna McGee Greg Crewdson
On Main Street, Pittsfield Massachusetts lights are being rigged, props are being positioned and actors are taking their places. It looks like a movie, sounds like a movie and smells like a movie, but it isn’t. All of this activity is to make a single photograph, by Gregory Crewdson.
“I work with a production crew that all come out of film. We work with cinematic lighting but we are only after creating one single perfect moment.” (Gregory Crewdson, photographer)
Over an 11-day shoot in a variety of locations Crewdson’s team will make a series of multiple exposures which will be digitally combined to make six final images. He’ll produce an edition of six prints of each image priced at approximately $60,000. There’s already a list of prospective buyers.
With his striking tableaux which combine Hollywood’s production values with suburbia’s bad dreams Crewdson has become hot property, confident that he has an audience who will appreciate, and if they can afford it, buy his work. For Crewdson the business and benefits of being a photographer feel very different from the experience of earlier generations.
Extract from ‘Snap Judgements’, Genius of Photography (Wall to Wall)
http://www.aperture.org/crewdson/
From the link above, click on the image (left or right) to read interview, or ‘additional images’ to see more of his photographs
Kimmy McNiece
9:03 am, 03.05.12
I absolutely LOVE Gregory Crewdson’s use of lighting and composition. It’s fascinating to think that he spends so much time creating the perfect setting for the image he has invisioned – and that he has an entire team to help him accomplish it. One thing that I really appreciate about him as an artist is that he inspires other artists to value their work. Granted, he has an check for $60,000 a piece to prove his work is valuable….but I think he initially had to step out in belief that all of his efforts were worth it for a single shot.
Chase Martin
8:57 am, 03.27.12
I agree with Kimmy, the lighting is so thought out and it must have took along time to set up. This lighting really makes the piece unique. Also the single shot tells a story, we see a man in trouble standing in the rain but it is captured. He is a great photographer and all of his work is pretty great when you look at the website, he takes a lot of time setting up the shots to make a great composition.
Sara Beth Almquist
9:31 am, 03.22.12
We took a brief look at Gregory Crewdson’s work last semester in intro to photography, and I couldn’t help but love each image. The lighting and subject are both extremely dramatic, and it amazes me that he and his crew spend hours setting up each scene to his exact specifications. I think I heard that he only takes one photo too, so it’s amazing that he achieves a cinematic quality with just one image.
Lee Anna McGee
9:01 am, 03.27.12
Gregory Crewdson definitely has the discipline down for photography. The amount of time, energy, and effort that goes into each shot proves that. Even if the drama impacted shot isn’t for you, someone still has to appreciate the skill Crewdson has mastered. I love examining his images and discovering something new that I missed each time.
Altheron Payne
10:53 pm, 04.23.12
For some odd reason my eyes were focused on that fog to the left of the man. I found this very strange in the fact that the male should be my focus. Then I remembered the rule of thirds and the fog lays on the lines of where it would be placed.
Hannah Jones
9:58 am, 04.24.12
these pictures fascinate me! i love the clarity they give of the situation and how they really look like a movie still! its very fascinating to me, because i am very interested in film and how it is portrayed. I also think its interesting how so much can be conveyed with just one photo