Category: HW1_Composition (Page 2 of 3)

The image I chose is called “Playing on the Roof” by Thomas Holton from The Lams of Ludlow Street. The collection of photos depicts what it is like for a Chinese family to live and grow up in New York City’s Chinatown. Not just a novelty, a tourist attraction, or a place on a postcard. But a multicultural style of living. As a half-Chinese photographer, Mr. Holton never felt like he fit in with the neighborhood or the culture of Chinatown, just a mere visitor. By having his “subject matter” focus on the Lams’ family in Chinatown, he feels more emotionally connected to the culture and understands more about the Chinatown family. Looking at this picture makes me nostalgic for a carefree weekend spent playing with the kids next door. The bright white background behind the girls makes it seem like only this hallway and staircase existed, just a fragment of a childhood memory.

The most important elements of compositions that I can see from Steve McCurry’s video are the diagonal, figure to ground, and leading line. The diagonal line from the staircase leads the viewer’s eyes from the bottom left of the picture toward the top and ends at the focal point of the picture with a bright white background, contrasted by the silhouette of the girl. The bright pink jacket that the girl wears also stands out against the monotone color palette of whites, grays, and dark blues. Creates a nice figure-to-ground relationship. The contrast pulls the viewer’s attention to the focal point of the picture and enhances its visual impact. The prominent and sharp leading line from the ceiling of the hallway cast by the long fluorescent lights also meets the diagonal lines from the staircase. This leading line, almost perpendicular to the diagonal lines of the staircase, adds a layer to the visual of the composition.

“Drying Laundry” -Thomas Holton

Thomas Holton captured a look into a family living in Chinatown, New York. In this photograph, you can see a line of clothes being hung to dry in what seems to be the summer of New York. The weather looks like a nice July evening. You can see buildings and apartments in the background as well. I think Thomas Holton’s intention for this photograph was to capture the essence of this family living in Chinatown. He started taking photos of this family when the kids were just kids and now, they have grown into adults. I like the idea of capturing a family overtime because you get to see the change over the years and with each photograph in these series, I feel so much emotion through the subject’s faces, eyes and actions. With this photograph, it reminds me of how my family is and it brings me clarity to understand that other families like this exist. The purpose of this image is to show you a daily activity that this family does. It shows you how they incorporate their living spaces as a way to dry their clothes. Now it may seem funny to some on why they choose to dry their clothes on their roof, but to me I think it is a cultural thing, but it is also about having something as luxury as a washing machine or dryer machine. To me, this image supports the idea of the old fashion ways and how simple life used to be. The feeling I have for this photograph is warm and nostalgic. I feel this way because it reminds me of how my family was. It reminds me of childhood memories where I would help my mother with the laundry. It reminds of how the clean clothes would smell and how the cool summer air would soothe my face.

In this photograph the first compositional principle that Thomas Holton uses is leading lines. He uses this principle with the clothesline. The clothesline takes up the majority of the lower half of the photo. It drives eyes from left to right. The second compositional principle is patterns. He uses patterns with hangers with most of them being light colors like red and pink. The third compositional principle is figure to ground. I believe Mr. Holton accomplishes this with the relation between the background of various building that are tan color with the main subject being the clotheslines with radiant colors. With all these elements combined, it shows balance, familiarity, hardships, and reality.

This photo did not come with a name, but was one in a series of photographs taken by Suzanne Stein for her “New York Street Two” focus. The subject matter was photographed from the chest down, at a slanted almost leaning angle, amidst a dimly lit background with a light source coming from the narrow windowpane on the right. The light creates such an air of mystery, intrigue, and the white and black color scheme adds a more serious yet morose tone. However, the outfit she is wearing could very well mean that she could be overlooking the outside street whilst escaping maybe an event, or perhaps longing or waiting on, or for someone or something to happen. The subject looks ready for an event with friends, or to head out to work whatever it may be. The photo gives off a low-key “femme fatale” feel due to the posture and even just the added touches of the heeled boots and the gloves with bows on them. Confident yet wary. The fact that the whole figure isn’t shown and the fact that the photographer chose not to show/disclose her face is interesting, or perhaps felt that body language isn’t just keyed-in based on facial gestures and features alone; The whole body can tell a story with the right backdrop and situation.

In accordance with the assignment, this photo demonstrates the principles of the Rule of Thirds (when the lines are drawn, the “interesting” angles are more focused on the upper right quadrant/intersection where the subject’s body as well as the lower left, where the boots shine and the light from the window hits the floor, creating a dim shadow), Leading Lines (the lines and diagonal slants from the floor and the overall composition of the photograph “guides” eyes onto the subject), and Figure to Ground (the subject with her skirt pattern, hair, and the light illuminating both the figure and the floor, against the dark backdrop of the walls and what seems to be a door behind the subject).