GRA 2330 Digital Photography Wed 230

http://www.eugenerichards.com/

The photograph I chose was Eugene Richards stepping through the ashes picture #1. In this picture we can see two little girls holding something to their nose so they don’t inhale the ashes. The feel of the picture is a sad feeling and it makes you wonder about the girls in the picture. The most intriguing factor in this picture is the fact that the girls are by themselves right after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 making an abstract sense of loneliness. The light coming from the sun in the background gives an extra perspective and can’t help to wonder if it was meant to be this way or it was coincidence.

Eugene Richards has an unique style of photography. Most of Richards photographs are shot in black and white giving it a great contrast between light and dark. Most photographs in this series are about the aftermath of a tragedy and try to capture the reaction of people when they seem to be out of their normal. Looking at other albums from his website Eugene also incorporates life events in peoples lives. Eugene uses silhouette combine with tragic backgrounds full with indistinguishable lines. Many of the shapes include aftermath of buildings collapsing and building still standing. The mood in most of his photographs is insinuated by the facial expressions of those in the pictures or by factors such as memorials for those who have perish. Some of his photographs include people who are in terminal conditions or veterans of war exposing the lives of many that the media wouldn’t show in national news giving it a more private feeling to his work.

Photograph: A Woman Waiting in the Doorway, 1976 by Dawoud Bey (photo #4 of 22)

http://dawoudbey.net/index.php/photographs/harlem-usa/

I chose the photo “A Woman Waiting in the Doorway, 1976” by Dawoud Bey because it is a simple photograph that makes me contemplate who the subject is, what she may be thinking and what the current state of affairs around her may be. I am immediately drawn to her face where her expression seems serious and pensive. It is unclear if she is looking at something specific in the distance, or if she may be lost in thought. She is well dressed, while the backdrops of the doors and walls are weathered, suggesting she is presenting a different self compared to where she lives and/or works, which would not be surprising considering the year the photograph was taken was one of the darkest times in New York City’s history and barely past the Civil Rights Movements of the 1960’s. Although her overall expression is hard to read, the overall content suggests an idea of hope, and her looking off into the distance can be understood as her looking to the future. I see her as a woman who has lived through struggle but will not let that keep her from moving forward, despite the state of affairs around her.

The woman is set against a geometric background of wood and glass doors making a pattern of perpendicular straight lines.  This helps the organic shape of her body pop out from the background. The highlights from the sun on her face and front of her body also contrast with the dark shadows on the left side of the doorway, giving the figure more prominence as she emerges from the darkness of the doorway. The balance between objects in this image is asymmetrical as the figure is located on the line between the first and second third of the photo. The balance gives a sense of space as the minimal variation in the lines of the doorway constrict the perspective of the surroundings.