Category Archives: HW1

Michael Kenna – Morning Traffic, Midtown, New York City, USA, 2000

1,This is an image that is used to give off a message. With the use of black and white I felt that this image was very powerful, Yet peaceful being that there wasn’t too much going on in the image. I also feel the use of emphasized texture, and lines are elements that make this photo really strong.

2, what I think the photographers intentions were with this picture, were to be able to show us early morning traffic in NYC. What I got from this picture is, being that New York is such a busy city, which normally has large amounts of traffic, This picture was titled morning traffic which appeared to have very little traffic, which isn’t very normal for such a busy city. To me I think that this means that this picture was taken very early in the morning maybe around 5-6am. Being that the streets are empty and there are street and headlights on

3, In this image the photographer created a huge emphasis on the concrete floor in front of him, while having the distance blurred out. While in the distance you can view different light which represent all of the cars down the road. Also the concrete has emphasized texture in which the light from down the street is reflecting off of the wet concrete.

4, I feel that the technical matters help this image. I think that this image was meant to show us a different form of midtown traffic.

5, the graphic elements used in this photograph was a diagonal line. The first thing I happend to look at was the diagonal line in the concrete that I then followed upwards in the photo. And from there it leads to all the different lights from cars and streetlights that were blurred out.

6, What I found that this photograph reviled is that this image may have been taken really early in the morning being that there isn’t much traffic going on, as well as pedestrians on the street. Also I realized that this picture wasn’t taken long after it rained being that the concrete is still wet, in which there are still puddles and since the concrete is able to reflect light off of it.

7, This image has a really peaceful feel to it in my opinion. Being that this photo represents midtown traffic without it being much traffic, it kind of shows how there isn’t too much going on in the photo. Also I feel that the use black and white for this image was chosen so that you can focus on this image without the distraction. Since certain colors might instantly catch your eye and force you to look at it. The use of black and white leaves your attention undivided

8, the main thing that relates this photograph with the other photos by this artist is the use of black and white. Every image in this collection was taken in black and white and I feel that the photographer’s purpose was so that the viewer’s eyes can start off on an even plane when looking at the photo. By this not just one thing stands out as soon as you view the image. This can make different things in an image seem a lot more powerful serious and dramatic without the use of color. Also black and white photos can often give off this sort of classic and vintage feel to it. Another thing is the use of blur. With the certain things being blurred out, your attention is normally focused on everything that isn’t blurred out in the picture.

http://www.saulgallery.com/liao/links.html

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/24/big-pictures-for-a-big-city/

What type of photograph is it?

It’s a scenery shot taken from the sky to show the vastness of the Grand Concourse in the Bronx.

What can you tell/guess about the photographer’s intention?

I believe that the photographer’s intention was to show as the title of the gallery states, how big and vast the Concourse is. The Bronx really isn’t known for being “the city” but it is a major part of the city and it is such a “Grand” place.

What emphasis has the photographer created and how has it been done?

I believe the emphasis was not what the camera was pointing at, but what was in the distance. To really show how big an area is, you have you create a sense of depth and the best way to do that is to do at an overhead level which is what the photographer did.

Do technical matters help/hinder the image?

Since the image is done overhead, I believe that it helped the image because it got what the photographers intentions were and that was size.

Are graphic elements important (tone,line, perspective)?

The key in this picture was the perspective. Had the image not been taken where it was, the effect might not of been as effective.

What else does the image reveal other than what is immediately evident?

Since the Gran Concourse is such a busy area in the Bronx, this picture actually reveals a not so busy side of the Grand Concourse that not many people from the Bronx are used to.

What emotional impact does the photograph have?

I honestly can’t say because I don’t feel like there is an emotion portrayed.

How does this photograph relate to others in the same series by the same photographer?

The gallery is named “Big Pictures for a Big City” so naturally the picture needs to be of the city, and big and like all the other pictures in the gallery, it is of the city and it is “big”

1. What type of photography is it? This is picture taken from a flyer poster after 9/11 when many people were trying to find their loved ones that used to live, or work around the WTC area.
2. What can you tell (or guess) about the photographer’s intention? It was to show the contrast of the happiness both women had in the picture with the despair and anguish there is due to 9/11 terrorist attack.
3. What emphasis has the photographer created and how has that been done? I think the emphasis in this photograph has been very quite straight forward. The flyer is dead centered in the picture at an eye level, and there is a high contrast since the paper is white and the image is on grayscale. The fact that the photographer has used a grayscale filter for this series creates a mode of seriousness and sadness.
4. Do technical matters help or hinder the image? They help the image because they make it look more real. For example the tape that is placed on top of the picture and blocks a part of the picture gives the photograph that realistic look. It makes it looks as if any person could have posted it in the desperation of finding their loved ones and that it was not supposed to be aethestic but informative.
5. Are graphic elements important, such as tone, line or perspective? Tone really helps in this photograph since it makes the dark tones to be more noticiable, which helps the viewer to read the description of the woman, and also to see her face clearly.
6. What else does the photograph reveal besides what is immediately evident? It reveals how death and tragedy can really affect anyone. Through the description we can see that both women were young and pretty, and maybe even got good money (because of the gucci watch reference) though, as I mention before, tragedy can affect anyone and therefore we are all vulnerable to it.
7. What emotional or physical impact does the photograph have? It has a big emotional impact because as we all know, 9/11 was one of the most tragic events that have occured in New York, and even in America in the last few years and this picture shows one
8. How does this photograph relate to others in the same series by the same photographer? All the photographs from this series were taken after 9/11 in New York, and also all of these photographs are in grayscale which emphasizes more the feeling of grieve and sadness.

Eugene Richards – Stepping Through the Ashes

Photograph 15 – Boy at a funeral.

1.       This photograph is from a documentary series on September 11, 2001, it seems they were all taken both on September 11th and in the days and months following.  This particular photo depicts one of many funerals for the first responders.

2.       I believe that the photographer’s intention was to document this horrible tragedy in our city’s and our nation’s history.

3.       This photo has deep space as the viewer sees people and objects both far away and closer to the camera.   It also uses selective focus, as the main scene is sharp and the boy at the forefront is blurry.  It makes me wonder if the boy got in the way of the camera or if he was an intentional part of the photograph.

4.       The selective focus with blurriness of the boy adds intrigue to the photo, whether he was an intentional part of the photo or not, it makes it more interesting.  It also shows how even the young among us bare witness to such tragedies.  There is a relatively shallow depth of field as it appears the photographer is across the street, and the viewpoint is overhead of the funeral, but almost eye level with the boy.

5.       The framing of this photo is unique as the boy’s head encompasses much of the photo and his head meets the top of the frame.  Also there appears to be iron work on the right side of the photo giving it a soft edge on the right.  This is in contrast to the crisp edges on the left and top left where the people and the building are cut off.

6.       This photo reveals how many people are affected by tragedies, from the person’s immediate and extended family to his or her brothers in arms to the anonymous boy in the picture who may not have known the victim personally, but was there to pay his respects, presumably with his parents.

7.       The immediate emotional impact is sadness as this is a photograph of a funeral.  There is increased sadness that the boy is there, since he is looking away from the funeral proceedings, you are made to wonder if he doesn’t understand what is going on, or if there is something outside the frame that is related to the funeral that has caught the boy’s attention.

8.       This photo is part of a documentary series on the aftermath of September 11, 2001.  All of the photos are done in black and white and they all show the devastation that the terrorist attacks had on both the physical buildings that were brought down and on all the people affected.  Two other photos I thought were poignant in the series are the graffiti laden storefront, until you realize that people were writing in the ashes from the trade center and they were all positive messages, the other is the hand reaching for the snow globe of the World Trade Center, someone looking for a remembrance of the buildings as they were, before the souvenirs were changed to include the dates that the buildings stood.