I got to visit the Aperture Foundation exhibit where it displayed Alex Webb’s photos from Mexico. The exhibit was open spaced, very roomy, enough space for you to walk around with multiple people to explore the pictures that are up for display. Basically if you was ever at an art exhibit it has that same look and feel to it but not fully of course. There was about up to 40 to 50 pictures on display. Some pictures had more mystery to it, some had a relaxed feel to it due to the color and the expression that was going on in the photo, and some had a playful feeling to it and some of the photos also had movement in them. These photos were taken from 1997 to 2003.
In the photographs there were people just standing still but at the same time still giving the viewer(s) a good imagination of what’s going on in the photo and what the subject is feeling and/or thinking. There were people playing which gave the picture a sense of motion which also added a little excitement. Also in some of the photos the color the buildings had made the picture not feel busy like there is a lot of stuff going on but instead made the viewers feel calm not like there is too much going on the picture. The shadows and the expressions on people’s faces and their body language that were in some of the pictures brought mystery to the photo when looked upon giving the viewers all sorts of thoughts running through their minds trying to figure out what’s going on in the picture. In the photo’s I didn’t see pictures of just buildings or just landscape. All the pictures had people combined with these elements making a story or a mystery for the audience to think about. I believe Webb’s approach to photographing Mexico was to capture stories and mysteries for people to know how people are in Mexico and I also believe his approach was to capture mysteries to make people wonder how people are and what they’re doing in Mexico. In my opinion Alex Webb’s Mexico is the kind of place where people can have fun among themselves and enjoy one another, a place to have intimate moments, and a place to discover things and go on a mysterious adventure.
I like this picture because this was one of the photos to me that brought mystery to it, that made me start to wonder what’s going on in the photo when I looked at it. You have the boy with the confused expression on his face and then the little girl right behind where she is mostly in the shadows and you can only see a small portion of her face. Then on the right side of the photo you have two guys that’s fully in shadow where it looks like both of them are leaning on a fence like if they’re keeping the children trapped and the kids want to get away. This picture has elements like rule of thirds, it has good lighting and shadows, good contrast, strong horizontal line.
Good observations. I love the photo you selected. The light on the kids faces as you say creates some drama. they look in turmoil while the shadows of the adults behind them look at ease. The photo by putting the kids and the grown ups in the same frame makes us want to make a story about their relationship. You suggest that the kids look trapped. there is certainly some tension suggested in the photo though it may be the more mundane tensions between children and parents.