Robin Michals | COMD 1340 Photography 1

HW 1 Composition Erika Juarez

https://www.michaelkenna.net/gallery.php?id=14

This is photograph is by Micheal Kenna “Central Park Reservoir, New York City, USA, 1998”. I picked this image because I’m a fan of the frame within a frame rule. The image has you looking through a fence where in the distance there is a city with a symmetrical building in the middle. I think the intent of this photograph might have been to show the viewer this quiet serene scene. The city that is usually so loud and chaotic looks so simple and silent being so far away. The feeling I get from this photograph is peace. Micheal Kenna work is done in black and white with a minimal style to capture images. So I think his work have that same peaceful feeling to them.

         In this image I instantly noticed the frame within a frame element which in this case is a wire fence. The fence frame is very thin and has some plants as a silhouette at the bottom. Another element that I noticed after looking through the fence is the symmetrical building. The buildings have spiky cone shaped roofs that stand tall above the rest. The third element that I think works in this image is figure to foreground. We just have to look through the fence to see the subject is the buildings. The dark buildings contrast with the bright white background. I think with all these elements combined make for an interesting image.

1 Comment

  1. rmichals

    This photo is a great example of a frame within a frame. It is also a slice of history of Central Park now that the chain link fence which replaced the original fence has itself been replaced. Also, those buildings are the El Dorado where dozens of celebrities have lived including Marilyn Monroe.

    Symmetry is a key feature of this photo and I guess figure to ground. What are you calling the figure or the subject? In one way it appears to be the El Dorado but the photo is titled The Central Park Reservoir.

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