COMD 2330 Digital Photography Fall 2015

Photo: Manhattan Skyline, Study 1 – Michael Kenna

With all of the great photographers listed in the homework, there was one photograph that stood out to me the most because of how different it was from the others. The Manhattan Skyline Study 1 was taken in 2006 in New York City. The thing I liked about this photo the most is that its a very simple picture that is not busy in anyway and you can just see the great city of Manhattan in a nice silhouette. I feel like the mood set in this photo is somewhat of a calming welcoming one. But at the same time to me this photo represents home because it is the city that I was born in as a child and the place where I am currently living in. Another thing I feel like someone might get from this photo is a feeling of opportunity because if you know what Manhattan is like you’ll know that there is so much it had to offer, whether its job wise or even just sight seeing. There are many things to be done in the City.

Judging by the Nine Tips we covered in class, I’s say the photo I picked would of used Figure to Ground and Symmetry. This photo I feel uses Figure to Ground in an amazing way because of the contrast with the City of Manhattan which is clearly shown over the light background of the sky.

This photo I feel also uses Symmetry to some extent because first its very pleasing to the eye when you look at it and second, if you were to cut this image in half horizontally you would have the same thing on one side as do you on the other. Over all I think this photo is a wonderful piece by Michael Kenna.

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

Odimar Fermin

“Dinosaur Toys R Us Time Square, 2011” by Matthew Pillsbury is a photograph that spoke to me. In this photograph you are looking a Toys R Us from the inside, at a sky view toward the famous Dinosaur. In the photograph of the store you can see that Pillsbury combined multiple images of the same area at different times to show the business and movement that occurs in the famous Toys R Us. The reason this photograph stood out to me the most is because of my childhood memories. I remember visiting the store with my family and being so astonished by the dinosaur and how real and big it looked. The mood of this photograph, in my opinion, is whimsical. The memory of my childhood visits and the almost ghost like figures moving throughout the image make for a whimsical feel.

There are many different technics being used in this image. The one that I noticed the most would have to be the contrast of light and dark. Being that it’s a black and white photograph the contrast really helps dramatize the image and make it bolder, especially on the wrinkles of the dinosaur. I believe figure and ground is also being used in this image, the dinosaur being the main figure and the ghostly figures being the ground. Diagonals have also been used with the direction of the dinosaurs face and the way the truck is hung on the ceiling. The rule of thirds is also used, bringing the attention to the dinosaur on the left. The use of diagonals, contrast of light and dark, and figure to ground all create movement in the image, which makes it feel so whimsical and childlike. Matthew Pillsbury captured the magic of the Toys R Us Time Square in one photograph and reminded me of a great childhood memory.

http://matthewpillsbury.com/photographs/dinosaur-toys-r-us-times-square-2011/

Image: The Lams of Ludlow Street- Five Years Later. http://www.thomasholton.com/

Out of all the talented photographers listed for this homework, Thomas Holton’s photographs were the ones I felt more attracted to. Perhaps it was the way his photos showed how important family is as you can see in “The Lams of Ludlow Street”(& Five Years Later) where he shows us how this family lives and how five years later they’re still together. The value of family is shown in every single one of his photographs, and I picked “Mother’s Lap” just because of the fact that most of the kids are teenagers now, and yet they show the love they have for their elders which is rare in most homes now days.

When looking at his photos you can see how united they are, despite the conditions they living in. I found that to be very important. They seem to help one another, work hard, using all the space they can, it’s just very touchy. One thing I really enjoyed when observing these images is the clarity of them, and how well done the compositions are. Like shown in the image I have selected; his intention is clear, this one which is the mother and daughter’s relationship, you can tell they have a close relationship. Paying close attention to the background we can see the table with plates on it as if they just finished eating. Further to the left you have the grandfather just there resting and kind of looks lonely there in the back all by himself. Back to the point of interest, or the focus, this being the mother and daughter, I see a happy girl probably thanking her mother.

This image I’ve selected is a clear use of Rule of Thirds, they all along the line, and I thought he also used Fill the Frame. However, with all the space in the left I doubt it could be. Overall it was kind of difficult to choose one out of so many great photographs, I thought this composition has strong contrast and balance, and that’s why I picked it.

While looking through certain photographs, the one that really struck my eye was Michael Kenna’s Wall Painting. It was shot in New York in 2013, and it is a monochromatic photo showing a gray building with an almost transparent pictures of roses surrounding it. At the center of it, there is a spotlight going from right to left, and surrounding the building are silhouettes of peoples’ arms waving around it. One silhouette shows a man’s head that’s smack dab in the middle of the building’s door, which is a darker shade of gray than the whole building itself.

When observing the photograph, it’s shown to follow some of the tips of photo composition by Steve McCurry. For example, in the photograph, it uses the first tip, which is the Rule of Thirds. The window that is placed on the top right of the building follows an intersection to the silhouettes at the bottom. The photograph also follows the fifth tip of composition, Figure to Ground. While it is monochromatic, it finds a sharp contrast between the background and figure. The figures are pitch black, and captures the viewer’s attention quickly, while the background adds a nice touch of light gray that isn’t distracting to the subjects and the viewer’s eye. On the topic of the subjects, they follow the eighth tip, Patterns and Repetition. When reading the photo from left to right, it follows a varying pattern of the subjects’ hands. One starts with a peace sign, then it flows through just showing the subjects’ whole hands. As the pattern goes on, the fingers are displayed to vary through size. One last tip the photograph follows is Symmetry. When the picture is cut in half, it shows a pleasing cut through the building’s door, and shows half and half of the subjects’ hands, showing two of them on each of the cuts.

http://www.michaelkenna.net/gallery_images/5670f32.jpg

The photo that I found visually engaging to me the most was Michael Kenna’s Brooklyn Bridge, study 2. The photograph shows an under shot of the Brooklyn Bridge leading towards to Manhattan. This photo intrigued me because I like how the bridge guides your eyes to the center then leads you to the bright lights and skyscrapers of Manhattan. The feeling you get from this photograph is a calm and peaceful. I say this because the view of the city makes you want to sit back and admire the beautiful city lights.

Kenna uses the rule of thirds and leading lines in this photograph. The rule of thirds splits this photo into three parts the bridge and the two parts of the city, in which the two parts of the city are the points of interest. You can also see the use of leading lines in this photo by looking at the Brooklyn bridge. The leading lines start from the top of the image and goes down leading your eyes to the vanishing point of the bridge.

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