Similarities and Differences of David Moore and Dorothea Lange as Artists
David Moore and Dorothea Lange are both very different artists from different periods of time. Even though they are from different periods of time it is clear that they have some similarities but also evident that there are quite a few differences. David Moore was an Australian photographer born on the 6th of April 1927 and died on the 23rd of January 2003. David was renowned for his travel photography. David has taken photos of many famous people like Nelson Mandela and his work has been featured in many magazines around the world. Along with David’s renowned photos he has also written over 10 books about photography.
Dorothea Lange was an American photographer born on the 26th of May 1895 and died on the 11th of October 1956. Dorothea is known for her filmmaking and photography skills. Dorothea’s pictures in the Depression era for the Farm Security Administration were her most recognised around the world. Dorothea photography influenced the development of documentary photography and humanised the realness and hardships of the Great Depression. Dorothea also wrote over 5 books about photography. Dorothea Lange and David Moore both tend to shoot in black and white and mainly put emphasis on tone, line, movement and shadow. They both focus on landscape and portrait film photography.
As seen in David Moore ‘On the Staten Island Ferry New york’, there is a great emphasis on the people and the city skyline. You can also see lots of tone, shadow and movement. This photo is in landscape which helps capture the whole skyline as well as the people. I think he chose to photograph this because it is very natural and is really just focusing on people doing normal things. In the background you can see different shapes of buildings, these buildings which make up the New York skyline. In the middle ground there are lots of people looking out at the view and as they are taking it in. Some people are facing the view and some people are facing the camera, this shows this picture wasn’t staged. This was shot in black and white which was very effective because it removes any distractions and draws you to the elements in the photos. For example it draws you to the line, movement, texture and shapes of this picture. This picture shows asymmetrical balance, which makes the image more dynamic and interesting. It also evokes feelings of movement and modernism. I can also see movement in the middle ground/foreground where one of the people is walking, and another when a lady combs her hair. Movement is very important because it communicates different moods. The lighting in this picture is naturally sourced from the sun so you can see some shadows of objects in the background. Much like his other picture David never uses any digital editing to his photos which I like because it makes the picture more natural and raw. From looking at Daivd’s picture you can clearly see that he enjoys incorporating lines and shadows into most of his pieces. This photography is composed in a way that you can notice line, shadows, shape, tone and texture. All these elements really take this piece to the next level and draw you to a different part of the art each time you look at it. I really like this photograph because it is very raw and pleasing to the eye. It isn’t too complicated, so it can just focus on the natural life of people. I think this picture is showing new people (tourists) coming to New York from a different country and are enjoying the view of the skyline.
Likewise in this picture taken by Dorothea Lange, there is great emphasis on tone, texture, line and shape. The orientation of this piece is landscape and was taken in the United States government’s Farm Security Administration. In the pictures you are instantly drawn to the different shapes, tone and the people. This automatically creates questions wondering what is going on. The choice of the black and white photography was very effective because it removed any distractions and drew you to other elements in the photos and the people. This is similar to David Moore’s On the Staten Island Ferry New York because they were both taken in black and white. Both David and Dorothea mainly focused on the tone, texture and line and this is very evident in both of these pieces. In the middle ground you can see four people and a baby looking very sad. They are sitting in a tent and have various objects around them. The lighting in this is very dark and glomming which I think helps to show that the people are sad and are struggling. The harsh/dark lighting helps to emphasise the texture on the people’s clothes, tent and other objects. The camera angle is pretty standard but might have been adjusted a little bit higher to help the viewer see the family as more vulnerable. This picture is an asymmetrical balance, which makes the image more dynamic and interesting. It also helps combine a variety of lines, shapes, texture and tone. Dorothea was most famous for shooting photographs during the Great Depression to raise awareness and to provide help to the farmers. I think that picture was to represent the hardship of the family working on a farm, it also shows how poor they were and were struggling to get money during this time. I really like this image because of how much detail and texture you can see. I also think that this image has a deep message behind it which was beautifully conveyed through this image.
Both David and Dorothea pieces are both beautifully composed and show many different elements. They are both very natural and raw and show normal people doing daily things in their everyday life. They both like to emphasise lines, texture, shape and tone in their pictures. Both of their pictures were shot in landscape which help capture a wider view of a picture. I really like how they are both shot in black and white, it looks more effective and removes any distractions and draws you to other elements in the photos. David Moore pieces are less dark and have more shapes. There is more movement in David’s and he also has more shadows. Dorothea’s is more dark and has more texture. Dorothea’s also has a slightly higher camera angle which gives depth to the image.
In conclusion both of these images by David Moore and Dorothea Lange show many different elements which helps enhance their images. They mainly focused on texture, lines, shape and tone which was very effective as their photos were very simplistic yet calming and pleasing to the eyes. I really enjoyed this task because it made me more aware of the effort that goes behind taking a picture. In the future when taking and looking at pictures I can focus on using elements like light and colour.
Bibliography
- Davidmoorephotography.com.au. 2020. David Moore Photography | David Moore Photography. [online] Available at: [Accessed 9 August 2020].
- Australia, n., 2020. The Spread Of Time: The Photography Of David Moore. [online] Nga.gov.au. Available at: [Accessed 9 August 2020].
- Moma.org. 2020. Moma | Dorothea Lange. Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California. 1936. [online] Available at:
