For this first assignment I decided to choose Thomas Holton because i really just love his work the best out of all the photographers that were presented to me. The photo i choose which was hard because i liked them all was the “The Lams of Ludlow Street”. This particular photo didn’t have a specific name but was in this category from his work. The photo was of a table covered in newspaper and had several different dishes on it from which of course what the family in that home was eating. The photo gave a sense of family and evoked a warm feeling of happiness. This family wasn’t the richest so seeing how they improvise by using a newspaper as a table cloth and Thomas capturing that in the photo in such a way that it balances with everything was amazing.
Thomas Holton really focused on what was on the table in this beautiful photo. The colors of the newspaper almost accurately match color of the various dishes on the table for great balance. And the patterns on the newspaper move your eye throughout the photograph as well. The few dark shadows at the top and left, plus right of the page help bring focus to the table which is bright making it the center of attention. Also the round shapes of the bowl for some reason just complements the photograph. All of these things help the photograph to be what it is, and I’m sure most was done with intent. I Really like how Thomas took most of his photographs of the insides of peoples homes and the things people do in their everyday lives because it made it personal. When you make the photograph personal it makes it real.
Your observation about Holton’s use of the contrast of light and dark to bring our attention to the table is very perceptive. I am also really struck by Holton’s use of framing. He crops out the people to focus on the shared table.