Sources for the report: https://www.digitalphotopro.com/profiles/sam-kaplan-the-problem-solver/, https://www.pdns30.com/gallery/2012/bio/kaplan.shtml, https://www.americanphotomag.com/sam-kaplans-mesmerizing-patterns#page-5, http://www.thisisthewhat.com/2013/05/10-minutes-with-sam-kaplan/
Personal Background:
Sam Kaplan was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He majored in Studio Arts at Wesleyan University. He moved to New York in 2007 and assisted many photographers which he said taught him all the technical knowledge he has. To start building his portfolio, he just started sending a lot of emails to his clients. After six months he got his first big break shooting for Fortune. That shoot turned out to be successful which sparked his career greatly.
Style:
Sam Kaplan’s style of photography is mainly still life, but a lot of his photos are for commercial use. His photos are very well planned out and arranged. They are also very clean images and contain bright, vibrant colors. His photographs usually capture everyday items including tools, food and beauty products and arranges them in interesting designs. Kaplan’s photographs can be very complex and take awhile to set up but never look complicated, for example, he has made a pyramid out of dozens of cookies but still has a simplistic look. In an interview Kaplan said that he learned a lot about his creative process from sculpting classes he took as Wesleyan University.
Philosophy:
Kaplan believes in a one word philosophy: simplify. He uses a reductive process to get the message in his photos across to viewers. He says, “I think when you start adding a lot of elements to the picture, you’re often detracting from whatever the picture is trying to say.” He is a photographer in New York which he says is a hard market to break into. To be able to do that he tries to differentiate himself from other photographers by making his photographs simple but thoroughly thought out. He also has said he tries to address the problems in the world in his photographs and tried to find a solution for it, “Photography can certainly comment on what’s happening in the world around us. For me, a lot of it is trying to frame a problem, then figure out solutions with it.”
Influences
Kaplan attended Wesleyan University were he took photography along with conceptual sculpture. Sam Kaplan talks about the impact the sculpture classes had on his style of photography, “that ended up having the most lasting impact in shaping what I do, particularly the conceptual side—visualizing a form, thinking about the ways materials function, how they can be pushed.” He was highly influenced by his college experience but also the photographers that he assisted before going off on his own. He learned a lot of technical work and lighting from them. He is influenced by the idea of simplicity and tries to stay true to that in all his images.
Source for the photos: http://www.sarahlaird.com/artists/samkaplan
Compare and Contrast:
Photo 1: The main difference between my photo and his, is the lighting. I wasn't able to catch the bright, white light because I was using natural light. The mustard on the hot dogs was difficult to do so that is another obvious difference. They are both set up the same and used the same objects. The angle is also a little different because my photo isn't exactly directly above it.
Photo 2: The spirals on the cupcakes are a big difference in these two photos. They are a lot smaller than the ones in my photo. The way I cut the cupcake is similar to his photo which I am proud because it was difficult. The lighting is also pretty similar because I adjusted it after seeing the first photo. Although, his photo in more focused and clear.
Photo 3: The toothpaste was hardest part to do. That was the hardest part of taking this picture, because I couldn't get it exact. The shadows are also slightly at the wrong angle but not far off. The lighting is similar along the the crinkling of the bottles. It was difficult because they wouldn't stay folded but I think overall they look pretty similar.
Personal Artist Statement:
All of these photos are something you could find in any grocery store. When you're walking down the aisle thinking of what to eat. That is the purpose of these photos, to relate to other people's lives. And also to show that everyday items can tell a story when you are creative. The carrot in the hotdog bun aligned with other hot dogs could show a healthy option or any other interpretation of it. The toothpaste could show the true natural part of what you would be putting in your mouth. When you look at these images and think deeply about it they are able to tell you a story.