Ruth Olivares submits Dan Saelinger

    Award winning Dan Saelinger creates photography that incorporates sculpture, object and instillation. His work stretches the idea of photography into fine art. A graduate from Savannah College of Fine Art and Design lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. with his family and may explain why his photos have a domestic flair to them.

Although I was unable to find the name of this photo, I can't help but want to call it
"CONTRAPTIONS To Be TRAPPED In." Hamsters on a wheel, Lemons falling in a basket, a woman being girted up..ouch! All these combinations of gadgets found in your kitchen and in your closet make me think of how captured and imprisoned we really are. I believe that Dan is trying to create a flow with the placement of the objects but I'm not feeling it. It does have one in an oblong circular motion that runs form left to right but it's so cluttered that I am distracted.




These antlers form a space breaking image. I'm more drawn to the negative space actually. Its organic subject has great values to construct a rich subject matter. Balance is achieved as well as texture and unity. I find that aesthetically the black negative space is quite beautiful to explore between the antlers violent points.

So,water and electricity don't mix. This creates a bit of tension but I have to say that the actual motion of the image is what grabs me the most. I'm pleased to see the water and how it reaches out to the top and right to left but what brings my eye back is the larger piece of flying glass on the upper left.  Conceptually it works and being a black and white photo, it creates great ranges in value which then activates the entire subject matter. I don't believe the photo would be as powerful if it had been shot in black and white. The space is broken up dynamically.  Again, Saelinger chooses something dimestic as a light bulb but shatters it with an explosion of water! Nice.