Category: HW1_Composition (Page 3 of 3)

Suzanne Stein- New York Street 3 https://photos.smugmug.com/New-York-Street-3/i-6d86GzJ/0/30da8e5f/X2/DSC02859-X2.jpg 

I chose an untitled image by Suzanne Stein from New York Street 3. The image is in the city along a sidewalk. The image depicts two female women, the first woman is wearing a black coat and is sitting in between two red pillars of a building on the street, the second woman is walking and wearing a suit and skirt. The intention of the photographer is to capture two subjects that appear to be of different financial statuses. I believe the purpose of the image is to show the two sides of the city, those who are in the upper class and those who are in the lower class. The mood of the image is somber as the woman on the floor appears to be gazing at those who are walking by and the photographer seems to show the viewer that she is looking at the second woman.

The three formal elements that are the most important are the Rule of Thirds, Diagonals and Figure to Ground. This photo shows the rule of thirds because both the subjects aren’t centered, one woman is to the lower left while the other is to the middle towards the right. They are both in the halves of the image so that the viewer knows to look at both subjects rather than just one. It also shows diagonal lines that are leading to the subject such as those of the red building and the sidewalk. Finally for the figure to ground, the subject of the image would be the woman on the ground who appears to be looking at the ongoing pedestrian. And in the foreground there is the reflection of a woman walking. It can also be argued that the woman on the ground is in the background and the other woman is the subject because the woman in a suit is taking up most of the photo vertically while the woman in black is at the bottom left of the photo.

The photograph that spoke to me the most is called “Conversation” by Thomas Holton. Holton follows the Lam family as he encapsulates their ongoing life in a small apartment at Ludlow Street. In this photo, Holton captures the father’s firm pose and assertive glare as his kids unwind in front of him. The purpose of this image is to portray the authoritative power of a parent. The positioning of the three show that the father is always in control as he observes his family in the background. With just a simple glare, a parent can have an entire conversation with their child, letting them know that they’re doing something they’re not supposed to. This photograph evokes both an eerie and reassuring feeling. Eerie because the father will scold his kids if they misbehave; reassuring because he is protectively watching over them.

Three of the formal elements that are most important in this photograph are rule of thirds, dominant eye, and symmetry. Holton utilizes the rule of thirds by centering and focusing on the subject in the middle. Although his two sons are also in the frame, the father is in focus and centered in the middle quadrant, making him the main subject in regards to the rule of thirds. Similarly, by implementing dominant eye, we can also feel the father’s assertive energy as his face centers the photograph. Dominant eye brings the audience’s attention to what the photographer is trying to convey. In this case, Holton wants us to feel the authoritative power of a parent through body language and eye contact. Lastly, there is arguably a sense of symmetry in this photograph as well. With the father centered in the middle and his sons on either side, folding the picture in half would give each half an equal visual weight.

Thomas Holton – The Lams of Ludlow Street

“13^th Street and 2^nd Avenue” – Suzanne Stein.

This photograph is of a person walking in the streets of New York City. I think the purpose of this photo is to show the feeling of the morning after a long night out in the city. I think the photographer is trying to show the viewer that the journey home can be lonely or full of regret. It contrasts with the feeling that the person in the photo would have felt the night before. The fact it is in black and white also adds to that feeling of loneliness or regret. Black and white give the photo a darker tone than color would. I also think this is the feeling the photographer is going for through the subject themselves, through their missing shoes.

I think the three formal elements that the photographer used were leading lines, diagonal lines, and framing. The lines of the wall and railing surrounding the person all lead towards them. This directs the viewer’s eye to where the photographer wants. Straight to the subject. The use of diagonal lines, also in the walls and rails, shows movement in a way. They are going in the direction of the subject so one would assume that they are walking in that direction, rather than possibly standing. The same walls and rails, as well as the roof of the scaffolding also act as a frame within the picture. They are very close to the subject, but you are also able to see the building in the background. So, they act as a frame and separate the subject from the background. This would also work effectively if there weren’t any buildings in the background, but I think that contrast makes it more noticeable to the viewer. I believe these elements combine effectively to show the message that the photographer is trying to present.

The photographer that I’ve chosen is Thomas Holton and the photograph that captured my attention was Chinatown Surface #6. In the photograph, it shows a person’s eye and you can see what the person is looking at because it’s being reflected in the person’s eye. As for the location I feel like it was taken inside of a room. For me, the mood that this photograph is giving off is a calm and peaceful mood, and the reason I say this is because there isn’t much going on in the photograph it just shows a person probably in a room using their laptop and watching videos and maybe this after a long day of work. This person is probably trying to relax or trying to into their own world for a while before they call it a night. I feel like the intention of this photograph is probably to show the life of a person what they do after work or school. The elements that were used in this photograph are the rule of thirds, filling the frame, and figure to ground. The way the photographer uses the rule of thirds is because there isn’t anything in the middle of the photograph the eye is at the bottom left corner and at the right you can see yellow lights and eyes. There isn’t anything in the middle because I think the photographer didn’t want the people to focus on one single thing in the photograph, for example, is the eye whereas in the middle then that will be the center of attention and people would probably pay less attention to what’s around the photograph. The way he uses to fill the frame is by showing just the eye he doesn’t show the full face or the room this person is in it’s just the eye. For me, the reason I say that he uses the figure to ground is because of how around the eye there’s this red light showing on this person’s eye and when look more to the left all you see is just black pure darkness and this could also be said about the right side of the photograph. The way these elements help show off a calm and peaceful mood is because they show us what this person is doing there in a room the lights are off and the light you see is coming from this person’s laptop. It almost makes you want to feel how this person in the photograph is feeling.

https://www.thomasholton.com/work/chinatownsurface