Monika Brand Photography

Your folder portraits is very beautiful. I love your work

Your portfolio is very versatile and all your folders exhibit very strong quality and wonderful composition. However, I feel your portrait work is outstanding, natural and very well executed. Congratulations on having your portfolio featured and best of luck to you in your future endeavors.

I loved this show. The images are emotionally genuine. They're lovely examples of how simple lighting and composition, well executed, can bring out something of the subject. Kids are great - as your pictures reveal. Congratulations, Monika.

Congratulations! Your work is amzing!

I must say, Your portraits are among the best I've seen I really admire your talent. Awesome job!!

It's noticable that most of your featured portfolio includes children, which imiplies that you not only like them but enjoy their company. Anyone who's had contact with children can't fail to notice the fine details - they sound different when they breathe, even. Tell me if I'm off target but it seems that your appreciation of these details might figure in your approach to photographing them.

I like the hands & feet photos - you're taking ordinary subjects (say, a hand) and making them, through the magic of photography into something extraordinary. This is in the same way that someone like Eugene Smith would photograph a street sign from a particular perspective: the impact is surprising because you don't expect it.

The pair of feet ('Feet with rocks') is brilliantly isolated and almost statuesque (though not so much in texture as in pose). I remember seeing some of Horst's photos - in which he isolated the model's legs alongside full-size statues - where you had to look twice to see which was the statue and which was the person. Also, this shot of yours reminds me of the roots of a tree, smooth and curving along the surface of the ground before they disappear into the earth.

I think that 'Lilly's profile' kind of belongs with the hands & feet shots - it has the same quality of isolated detail (as distinct, I hasten to add, from absractions or extreme close-ups) as the hands and feet shots to. If my feeling is justified I hope you kind of see what I mean. They would belong together in an exhibition, say.

Your style (I would say) is very classical and brings to my mind the great American photographers of the past. Well, okay, that's too general, but you could easily be alongside Dorothea Lange or Walker Evans doing work for the Farm Security Administration (not that I pretend to understand American agriculture, but most people would know the FSA project by name at least). It's great that you seem to want to stay away from the over-processed, music video look.

Of course we see your animals and lovely nature shots but it's the portraits and such which IMHO are what stand out most and will do you the most credit.

You're particularly good at interacting with others, I deduce. Forgive me for using the first person personal pronoun, but I'm into still-lifes, anything industrial, nature, stuff like that, and I know that just being good with a camera isn't enough to succeed when you're asked to take someone's portrait (where tolerance for failure is much much lower). It would be interesting to see how you, as someone who's forté is photographing people, would approach non-human subjects - and I mean specifically, say, electrical or electronic arrays, machines and that sort of thing.

BTW the shot 'painting with shadow' reminds me of a still from an old b&w movie. I bet you get that reaction often?

Your style is very powerful! Keep up the beautiful work!

it's saturday evening,21st of june and just two hours ago I've noticed that my portfolio is the featured one in this week!!Can you hear me laughing and singing and do you see me dancing around?I'm sooooo happy and proud,this is the best motivation to go ahead with my work!Thanks for this honor.And thanks to all of you,who have taken time and have a look at my portfolio,commenting on and give ratings.THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!Best wishes ,Monika.

Nice work! I really like the photo of the girl with her face in complete profile (white background - ID 1370726 I think) in portraits, plus the girl with her feet on the rocks looking down (Id 1268639), and the dog with his snout through the gate (ID 1503497), and the isolated feet (Id1570520). But overall, very nice!

Monika-well done, you should be very proud of your work. you capture the art of living. it's not canned or predictable-it's so natural.beautiful. you inspire me to take better pictures.

For those of us born in the '40s and who started our photography in the '50s, this is a real delight. If it is delightful to younger people then, well, that just shows their maturity!!

Thank you so much for your kind words.I'm very,very glad and proud!

Very nice work.

Many conpliments, you have a lot of wonderful pictures in your portfolio. Good work. Regards Roberta.

hi there monika. i've been taking photos all my life but have just started with serious cameras, and have been taking images of children, and parts thereof, just like you. it's great to see someone else justify the beauty of such images. i love your work, you have captured the atmosphere of the human spirit. congratulations on a beautiful portfolio.

Beautiful work. Congratulations.

Monika,

You are a gifted, talented artist, as is abundantly apparent in your work. You have a sensitive eye and an uncanny ability to translate it into a photographic print that excites the hearts, minds, and souls of your viewers, as you have seen in the comments you have received. I hope you will take what I am about to say as nothing but evidence of the most sincere interest in your work and in you as an artist. I wonder what some of your work, such as "A Spider's Work," "The Storm is Over," and a few others might look like with deeper technical training. Your images are beautiful, but, as one who has been helping students develop their talent for years, I see a potential in your work that you may not yet recognize. You are right to be encouraged to go on. Might I suggest that you translate this into taking a technical course in something like the Zone System. Never mind what some may say about it. Properly taught, such as by Nick Johnson at the New England School of Photography in Boston, you will not draw a single chart, perform a single lograrithmic calculation, or anything of the sort. Instead, you will learn how to speak the language of the medium fluently, much like the trained pianist who can sit at a piano and let the music flow from the soul, down their arms, onto the keyboard, and out of the piano like a burst from the soul. It will require work, and I know that work intimidates many. I also know that it is far more comfortable to listen to those who tell you that you are already there instead of those who tell you that you have more work ahead of you. Think of the beauty in the works of Yo-Yo Ma, Beethoven, Picasso, and others who climbed the road that lead to control over their medium. Control will liberate you, and not hold you back as some will tell you--don't fear it. I must tell you this, because I know from experience that the rewards are immense in your case. I can't wait to see the results of such an effort in the hands of such talent as yours.

Congratulations on your accomplishments so far; they are well deserved.

Peter Avila, Instructor, Advanced Darkroom, The New England School of Photography (Please do not hesitate to call me there if you wish to talk, either to me or to Nick Johnson.)

All your images have an intense effect on the viewer. I like your original approach to your subjects. Your work has definately impacted my view on photography.

Glückwunsch!

hi Monika, the photos are lovely !! I really liked the potraits & B/W folder. The girl whom you have photographed often, is beautiful( her eyes and her expressions and her mysterious smile :-) ). I am just learning, and looks like i can look at your work for help. Keep up the good work.

Dear Monica, some of your bw-shots are very good. You are a very talented photographer! Go on this way ;-) Regards Frank.

The only words that come to my mind after viewing your gallery are "elegant old school photography". For "old school", I mean pre-digital camera, pre-commercial-art-influence and pre-heavy-graphic-design-influence. All of us are influenced by what we see as we are being brought up. Your photographs (and those of a handful others on photo.net) reflect another way-of-seeing that seems be belong to an earlier time that are less design-driven and more elegant in feel. Thank you for sharing.

I just have discoverd your portfolio.Amazing.Nice.Sensual.Perfect.I do not have words anymore.You are top of the PN.Keep on.Darko.

Looking at the miniatures is a treat, let alone zooming in on them!

Your photos are beautiful, full of heart and emotions. Robert.

bravissima monika, your portfolio is wonderful! ottimo lavoro. ciao

Hello Monica and well done. Fantastic and elegant

Thanks

compliment!

Monika...very well done. This is the kind of composition that I admire (and hope to be able to capture, someday). Keep up the great work.

Nice! I agree, the portraits are really good. The folder with the comediant photos is good too. Send more. Bye

Wow, I have discovered here a very beautiful and powerful portfolio. congratulation. regards

You are an angel sent to us to share your beautiful insights!

YOU are really wonderfull at catching expressions.. Well done and keep up the good work. thx for sharing

really a wonderful work! Compliments

nice! i like most of the shots! marked!

to all of you. I'm so very touched!! Monika.

A very impressive portfolio. Love your work Monika!

monica, what a gift you have for portraits! i'm really intrigued and humbled at the same time.

meine Gef�hlslage beim Betrachten Deiner Bilder schwankt immer zwischen Bewunderung und Neid. Herzlichen Gl�ckwunsch zu Deinem Talent und K�nnen und nat�rlich den daraus resultierenden Ergebnissen! Betreibst Du die Fotografiererei auch beruflich? W�nsche mir auch mal in Deiner Liga spielen zu k�nnen und arbeite weiter dran ;-) Herzliche Gr�sse nach Giessen Chris(toph Edel) Cross

Very strong and creativity gallery. I admire your work!!!

I only add, that you are realy good human. I see on you portrates, that not every people are have good and sweet life, but when you take pictures, - they love you. THank you for you and for your philanthropy. Good luck.

very charming... bacio from portogallo...

i've read all the critiques,and cant add anything.i applaud you,,thanks,,,

Your work is excellent,congrats...

You have combined great techniques, sharp eyes and humanity all together to create a portfolio full of heart and soul!

I voted for 15-20 of your photographs and will be back for more!

Beautiful portfolio, I love your people photography. Will come back often, inspiring pictures.

Great aesthetic's, beautiful feeling and expression in most of your work.

I feel inside fine exibition. The kind you have to come back many times. And I will. Love, dear friend. Marí¬©a

i think your is one of the more intresting and well done portfolio in this site. your photography are so "simply and hard" in the same time. thanks to share your art.

Beautiful portfolio!! Touching, very human and authentic. You have an excellent and compassionate eye. Thank you for sharing!

The previous comment says exactly what I was thinking. There's a very strong sense of humanity to your photos, abetted by a strong technique. I admire your work.

Monika, i like your photos much! very good and interesting portraits! Irina

Excellent portfolio. Really good variety.

I love it all.

Great natural portraits and overall very sensual and wonderful compositions. Some of your portraits remind me of my 70's portraits in the folder of that name.

Monika, you have a very nice portfolio indeed. Well done. Warm regards. Warren

Hallo Monika - Du hast ein hervorragendes Portfolio - grautiliere ganz herzlich. Insbesondere liebe ich Deine Portr䴳 und staune, wie Du es schaffst, Deinen ganz pers�nlichen Stil durch die Portr䴳 zu pflegen. Herzlichen Gl�ckwunsch!

Your portraits in B&W and your nudes are both quite phenomenal. You've got a terrific sense of timing with people and seem to know intuitively when to click the shutter (it shows!). I didn't lnow you were a woman until I came to your gallery (but I guessed correctly from your nudes). I would also guess that you are trained in some additional artistic endeavor? You have the sensitivity toward people that only comes from years of carefully honing your perspective. Really a pleasure to have discovered your imagery.

your portfolio is simply explosive. great work Maurizio

Great work congrats ! beautiful portraits ..

wonderful! your portraits are amazing, i like spending time trough your shots...

Wonderful, beautiful portraits. Words come to mind like haunting and captivating. You seem to have a unique eye and it is a pleasure to visit your unique and unforgettable portfolio.

A very personal and interesting portfolio. I love the cabbage portrait. Regatds louis

Monika I'd like to send you my compliments for the marvellous photograph portfolio. Excellent portraits, you are able to catch all particulars and expressions. I appreciate also Italian B&W photos. Antonio

now this is what i call a portofolio... your portraits are more than great my congratulations

I'd like to thank all of you for your kind words and support in my work. It's a great motivation to go ahead. Thank you so much!!!

Thank you for your "Tuscany":...I have seen your wanderful portfolio and so I have discovered a very pleasant and very,very clever artist! BRAVA, Monika!!! Ciao, Maurizio!

I like the "feminine" vision and your point of view. You are really capable to catch some great details and moments. Like your portraits too. Very nice.

great pleasure for me was to be here..........

Gorgeous portfolio!!! A pleasure to peruse. Well done.

What wonderful images.I love the recent collage additions. I hope you do more of this. Thanks for posting.

John

WOW! your portfolio is the best ive seen yet! very nice very nice! i esp like "the wave" one....very nice capture...im just simply amazed

I love your portfolio! best regards

What a terrific display of talent and human sensitivity. I don't need to add to what has already been said above beyond acknowledging the tremendous beauty to be found in these photos.

wonderfull work ... no more words ..thank you

very evocative potraits. Excellent portofolio.

kind regards, dan

Hola Monika,

hatte Dich aus den Augen verloren auf der anderen Seite. Sch�n zu sehen, was aus Deiner Arbeit geworden ist, ...sehr sch�n.

Viele Gr�ߥ, Jochen

Wunderbare Bilder machst du Monika ! LG Renate

looks like i'm always come back to see your photos,they are just extraordinary. i wish you good luck

I think you are still growing as a photographer, keep going! And thanx for using film!!!!!

I like +++ the italian b&w sorry for my englis

This is your thing. You have a gift for capturing the essence of your subject matter. Great portfolio.

this is a great work made with a great artistic talent.Congrats.

Your work is a great inspiration for me!Regards, G.

your portraits is perfect.

I'm throwing away my cameras, and taking up knitting!! Mom always was good with the macrame!! Kidding! breathtaking work! I am still trying to figure out how to convert tiff's into jpegs, into mac from windows........ I think I need to spend more time creating negs, and worry less about scanning them! I LOVE the fact that you shoot film as well, thanks for the inspiration!! p.s. I should have a portfolio of some sort up in the next,,... year or so! stop by, advice would be appreciated!

I love all your work but especially the b/w. I found you thru my boyfriend, Sam, who is also on PN and I am absolutely so glad that I came to look at your portfolio. Girl, you really have it going on. You have such a good eye and so very, very creative. I am just an amateur and hope to get better as I go along. You are really an inspiration to me to take my photography further and further. I will be back to see new postings.

many, many thanks to all of you!

Beautiful work! the portrait are well done the light is fabulous, I appreciate your porfolio

Beautifull portfolio, full of strong images Your B/W portraits are strong 'character' images. But my preferences go to your 'single photos', your 'unconventional nudes' and your 'tango' images

I really like every picture in your portfolio. I add you as interesting, because I see your works as suggestive, diferent and imaginative. Thanks a lot for your particular visions. Best wishes...

Very commendable work in your portfolio! A real treasure and feast for eyes!

Best regards!

a marvelous vision of the totality of your job I am happy that you are in Photo Net you are a great portraitist you have the ability to show the soul of your subjects you also have the irony and the fun to play with the characters B/W of great beauty you compliment you are a great photographer and times one of mine prefer hi gino

I can only aspire to your eye for what is beautiful

Great works all are done so very well!

I really like your portfolio,especially the portraits...very original work,good technique and great feeling!

beatiful portfolio Monika I love your photos, congratulations

Wow!Great portfolio.Congrats Dorota

woooow, excellent stuff here. i really like the execution and technical aspects of your photos. good work, ill be back fo mo.

Hi Monika, I visited your portfolio because of the unusual photo chosen as Photo of the Week. I give you congratulations on that creative image, yet your portfolio is truly wonderful in that it contains so many terrific portraits. Best wishes to you.

Wow! You have incredible work! You portraits have so much personalities and lots of great compositions. I love the b&w as well. I will be coming by to visit for inspiration. Thanks for sharing your wonderful work. Regards, Eileen

Very refreshing unique perspective with your image making. Your people images are lovely. Thanks for being different. You have a great deal of talent. Cheers!

you have simply superb portfolio here. inspiring stuff.

Wonderful portfolio Monika, many portraits seen with a wonderful eye. Bravo! Raymond

Unreal! Very humbling.

You have great photos! Regards

absolutely beautiful work

Your black and white is luscious. Wonderful portraits, nudes...the whole portfolio. Thank you!

Monika, Sie haben einen wundervollen Blick auf Menschen. Ihre Potraits sind die emotional ansprechendsten, die ich kenne. Vielen Dank, dass Sie sie mit uns teilen.

Tasteful and erotic nudes!

Very good work!

several of your images have caught my eye.. so here i am.. & what a stunning gallery!! you have a wonderful photographic sense!!

I like your works ,you are a skilful and clever photographer. With a big artistic side.

excellent portfolio

wonderful portofolio! beautiful images!

Superb!:-)

You have very interesting portraits.Well done!

Beautiful portraits!!!!

Fantastic portfolio. Bravo Monika

muy buenas fotos, un manejo del contraste y el foco impactante. Felicitaciones.

just superb.

U have done a lot of beautiful pictures, especially Portraits. Nice to see them, thanx

Your professionalism rings through clearly and loudly with every image. An impressive body of work which sets a good benchmark. A pleasure to spend time with. Thanks.

Your portfolio is of great quality and creativity. I would also like to compliment the fact that you are still shooting on film. Way to go! I should shoot a rool or two myself once! Thanks for sharing and best of luck!

Grossartige Portraitfotografie. Respekt.

Hi monika congratulation for your incredible portfolio.....i love your simply idea...i love your superb black and white....really really a fantastic work best regards from italy

Ciao Monika, your portofolio is great. Every aspects of your photos is beatiful. I got your name just searching in google the word photo.net (just to arrive more quickly to the website of photo.net) and I found as third position an italian website (http://myblob.wordpress.com/2007/06/16/photonet/) where you was proposed as very good photograph. They were right. Ciao Andrea.

My daughter Emma

Just to leave you my "souvenir"

thanks again for your support and so kind words! It's always a great pleasure!! warmest regards Monika

The portraits are second to none.

nice b/w work.

very nice portfolio, well done Monika

You have a nice portfolio with different photo experience.
Take care

kombizz

Great portfolio. My best: your portraits, B&W. I will come back often. Yves

just discovered your wonderful work...and though I have not the time to respond in a more detailed fashion today, I will definitely return to speak further. I quickly added you to my list of PN "interesting persons". Your portraits are stunning.... regards, john

Dear Monika, you have sooo nice photos!! :) Nadia