A photograph that was listed that I think is visually engaging is “Welcome to Imperial” by Thomas Holton. The photo appears to be a light up sign that could be placed at a bar scenery or even a local bowling alley, the sign gives the theme of some amusement that takes place at nightime. I believe the intention of the photographer was to take a photo that could easily grasp attention to the eye because of the dark background and the bright word display can catch someone’s attention easier than colors that blend well together. The purpose of the image may be to attract more people to this location or have people be more aware of this location. The mood is very vague and gives a feeling of enticement, possibly even fun due the audience not knowing where the location of the sign is or what the sign may be hinting towards about the location.
Three of the formal elements from the Steve McCurry video that are most important in the photo I selected are leading lines, frame within a frame and figure to ground. The reason I chose this photo is due to it being an eye catcher and its dark background yet vibrant colors at the same time which gives the photo contrast displaying, figure to ground. The ceiling also appears to have leading lines that connect to the outer frame of the board which will guide the observer to the light up sign that says “Welcome to Imperial” without the artist having to be there to do so. Frame within a frame could also be seen in this photo, if you look closely around the bold words you see a rectangle outline around the sign that provides an outer frame on the words to make it more bold in contrast to the background.
This photo is the cover photo for a series on the dancers that go to this social club. Its pretty atypical of his work since he usually photographs people. I think he meant it as the outside and when you view the story ie go inside – you see the people with their dance partners.
Certainly, the lines in the ceiling lead to the sign. and I suppose that the rectangle of the sign itself could be considered a frame within a frame. this photo however is not a good example of figure to ground. It does have contrast of light and dark but it doesn’t have much of a subject. That makes it hard to have a figure/ground relationship.