How this Lattice User is Challenging Photographers to Think Differently

How this Lattice User is Challenging Photographers to Think Differently

This post is part of a series featuring users who are taking advantage of Lattice, PhotoShelter’s new community where you can discover, share and connect with some of the most amazing photography around. 

Tina Granzo began using Lattice when curation opened to the public, and she started off by making the board Point and Line to Plane, which has since become one of the most tightly curated and considered boards on Lattice. Although she isn’t a photographer, Tina evidently has a careful eye for strong imagery, and uses it to curate innovative boards on developed concepts.

We talked to Tina about her process in creating Point and Line to Plane, and her overall experience using Lattice. Given the particular aesthetic she aims for with her boards, Tina presents the challenge to photographers to submit photos that aren’t only literal representations of the board idea, but photos that are nuanced and not so obvious. This method has allowed Tina to curate beautiful boards on a variety of topics, from Paths, to Pattern and Texture, and several others.

PointLinePlane_Screenshot

 

PS: You’ve used Lattice to curate a beautiful board on Point and Line to Plane. What made you decide to do a board on it?

TG:  While I’m not a photographer myself, I have taken some basic classes. I find that I am drawn to geometry in photos — my teacher always referred to my compositions as having a “graphic design” quality to them. The sharp lines and solid forms of constructivist art have always appealed to me. I created the board, Point and Line to Plane, because I wanted to showcase images that made use of lines and shapes found in (mostly) architecture to create a different sense of space than the subjects alone create to the casual viewer. The underside of a roof may become a triangular plane dividing the canvas; slivers of light become rectangles that push or pull against the rest of the image; a series of repeating holes may become a stack of round shapes. I look for images with the plasticity of abstract expressionism and the rigidity of graphic design. “Point and Line to Plane” is the name of a book by the painter Wassily Kandinsky. I’m not sure that he’d appreciate my use of it, but it is meant as an homage.

 

Photo by Skarpi Thrainsson

Photo by Skarpi Thrainsson

When searching for images via the Lattice search, did you typically find what you were looking for?

I don’t think it would be possible to really search for the images I like to add to my boards. If I search for “geometry,” for instance, I’m going to find a bunch of images that others felt were geometric. One of my goals is to find themes/motifs/patterns/ideas where others may not — to help people look at images in a different way. One of my boards is called “Paths.” I get quite a few recommendations for that board.  The recommended photos are usually very nice — but they are very obvious paths…trails, footprints, streets.  “Paths” contains a few of those types of paths, but I’m more interested in compositional lines that create a path. I often search on random words or phrases that pop into my head. If an image in the results speaks to me, I add it to a board.

Photo by Mabry Campbell

Photo by Mabry Campbell

When you originally created the board and were choosing images, were you looking to convey a specific aesthetic or did you want to showcase a range of photography?

I was looking for something very specific.  There are a couple of images that I meant to add to a different board. At the time they were added, images couldn’t yet be removed or moved from boards, so they stayed. I’ve gotten used to them and am okay with it.

Photo by Steve Hopson

Photo by Steve Hopson

Do you have a favorite image on your board? What is it and why?

That’s a hard question. I would probably give a different answer if you asked me again tomorrow.  Today, the answer is the image of the Jewish Holocaust Memorial by Franck Camhi. I really love how this image transforms as you look at it.  It reminds me of the lectures of the painter, Hans Hofmann.  The lighting creates shapes that are completely different from the structure being photographed. The shadowed sides of the blocks become flat rectangles that pop or recede depending on their relationship to the other shapes around them.  It’s really quite lovely.

Photo by Sérgio Nogueira

Photo by Sérgio Nogueira

 What do you like about Lattice?

I like the wide variety of photographers and images that are available. I like the simplicity of the board designs. I like that users don’t have a bunch of options regarding the layout. It is very easy for the livery of a website to overwhelm the content. The simplicity of the Lattice board design allows the images to get all of the viewer’s attention. I like that I can see how many times an image has been posted or liked.  I like to share images that haven’t gotten a lot of attention. I like how quickly (and transparently) improvements are made.

 

check-out-lattice-cta

 

Next Post:
Previous Post:
This article was written by

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *