Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao Habitat 7 series
http://www.saulgallery.com/liao/images/habitat/liao_habitat_04.jpg
42nd Street, Times Square, Manhattan 2005
1. What type of photograph is it?
The photograph of Time Square was a piece that belong in Jeff Liao’s Habitat 7 series which was published in New York Times Magazine. It was under the category of “Capture the Times”
2. What can you tell about the photographer’s intention?
I believe that the photographer’s intention was to capture NYC at its best. With the title “Capture the Times”. New Yorkers does everything in a fast pace. As you can see, the people within the picture are in a motion blur.
3.What emphasis had the photographer created and how has that been done?
In this photo the photographer uses selective focus on the buildings to make it looks more sharps while the people are more of a blur.
5. Are graphic elements important?
I believe that graphic elements are important. The first thing that caught my eyes were the people in the photo.
7. What emotional or physical impact does the photograph have?
The photograph gives off a very energetic feelings. A little bit of chaos because of all the people rushing and moving fast.
8. How does this photograph relate to others in the same series by the same photographer?
Throughout the Habitat 7 series, all the photographs seems to be taken from a far distance. Most of them seems to be from an high angle shots while others are eye level shots.
You describe Jeff Liao’s photo of Times Square well. This is an inhabited, energetic New York where the people are small and the built environment looms large. The motion blur does emphasize the fast pace.
The people are blurry because they are moving as you correctly state. If they were perfectly still however they would not be blurry. Selective focus or shallow depth of field makes things blurry because the range of focus from near to far is limited. Perfectly still objects are blurry. So there are two different things that can make parts of a photographic image appear blurry, motion and shallow depth of field. And of course just plain old being out of focus.