The first photograph that caught my eye from the list of photographers was, A Woman with Hanging Overalls, 1978, by Dawould Bey (Photograph #7). In this photograph there is a woman standing in front of a store with a shopping bag and on her right side there is a building with vandalism. On the beam in the middle of the composition there are four overalls hanging by a string from a window on the side of the building.The overalls hanging from the window and vandalism show a difficulty in living conditions. While viewing this photo I get an empty feeling. I get this feeling because of the combination between the monochromatic photo and the scenery which consist of graffiti, cracks on the side of a building, scratches along the central beam, along with the facial expression from the woman standing. The mood of this photograph suggest the struggle of life.
In A Woman with Hanging Overalls, 1978, by Dawould Bey, there are many elements of design incorporated. The four overalls that are hanging draw the eye immediately to the top center of the photo because of its repitition. The contrast in lighting is another huge element incorporated in the photo. The image goes from dark to light with shadows caused by the beam and overalls which add some interesting shapes within the composition. Many of the lines produced in this image are either vertical or horizontal and the lack of activity on the right side of the image shifts most of the balance in the image to the left side. All of these elements incorporated in this photograph help suggest the mood of the composition because of how the viewer perceives the image.
Bey, in this series, is all about directing our attention with the light. Your interpretation made me see the photo in a new way. your description made me consider the juxtaposition of the “vandalism” and the overalls-emblematic of a kind of work which shows a neighborhood where people get up and go to work despite hard conditions.