Lesly Guzman

            The vast majority of individuals in a concert setting have their cameras out and ready to capture every obtainable picture they could take, including myself. When attending a concert, one’s first thought is usually to take in the music and the performance of the artist; nevertheless, few stop to consider the deliberate composition of everything that takes place on stage. Ivan Cornejo is a Mexican musician who writes songs ranging from traditional Mexican music to ballads. He performed in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and for the most part of the performance, the lighting and background were focused on a vibrant orange color, which was inspired by the color of the album cover. Yet, not many realized the change in colors or the composition of the stage. As Berger once stated (2013), “The very principle of photography is that the resulting image is not unique, but on the contrary infinitely reproducible” (18). At Ivan Cornejo’s performance the stage was never the same and was constantly changing whether it was the color, the lighting, or even the projections on the big screens, even though they were taken from the same place a different photograph was captured every time. This resulted in new decisive moments and unique photos every time. While the three photographs above are taken from the same position, it only serves as an emphasis that with the use of composition, proportion, color, and lighting it helps highlight how the three photographs are so distinctive from each other. Decisive moment is when photographic magic occurs, and in these three shots they were all their own special moment.

            “Attention” is the song name of the song Ivan was singing at that moment. The entire stage had changed to black and white, which, despite being two colors that are opposites, together created a somber and depressing ambiance. Ivan unintentionally positioned himself at an angle where large screens had captured him with his microphone and his eyes shut, exhibiting emotion while singing. Ivan conveyed emotion not only through his stances and facial expressions, but also by the large background image of two hands barely holding onto one other, which could hold a lot of meaning. Furthermore, Ivan’s placement to the left side of the stage blends in with how the entire stage is composed at this exact moment, where the proportion makes sense, and we can see the musicians playing the instruments in the back. The stage, which is the subject of all the lights and attention, is what immediately strikes the viewer as the dominant impression. Since there isn’t any lighting on them and most of the lighting is aimed towards the stage, people don’t instantly notice that there are people taking pictures at the bottom of the stage, but in this photograph, they simply just look like shadows from below, very unclear and hidden yet mysterious. The entire audience of admirers around the stage, taking pictures of Ivan, emphasizes the stage’s importance as the main dominant impression. The photograph “Attention” really conveys a more meaningful story then what it may appear but that is for one’s own interpretation.

            Again, the title is Ivan’s song name “The Last Time” and it was from a previous album from way back when he was just starting his career. This song was from an old album which associates with blue, so as the lights changed to blue, I knew right away what song would sing, and so he did. The entire amphitheater had been illuminated in a royal blue tone, with a lot of darkness in the surroundings. This formed a proper setting for the song that would be performed, and Ivan Cornejo’s face was projected onto bright screens above the stage which showed his passion. Blue, which stands for serenity and tranquility, was used to depict the decisive moment in this picture, which showed Ivan Cornejo’s face and emotion as the song, “The Last Time”, was sung. In addition to the little blue set lights coming from the top of the set, there were two strong blue lights aiming at the crowd to give Ivan a spotlight while he sang. The background had changed to a faded blue and black color scheme which also helped set the ambiance. This time, Ivan’s placement was equally as crucial as it was in “Attention.” He was moved to the right rather than more to the left of the stage, and this part of composition showed a different side of Ivan and a different spotlight with different lighting. While “Attention” and “The Last Time” may have similar concepts, the positioning and lighting in each photograph drastically changed how each photograph is seen and what reflects off it.

            The feeling of confusion and uncertainty brought on by fog, ironically, has nothing to do with the title of the photograph, “Curiosity”, which was the name of the song he was singing at the time. Yet the fog can lead us to believe that the stage’s overall composition is more intriguing because it. Nevertheless, in addition to the fog, this image also features a variety of screens, a large crowd, and multicolored lights inflicting in some way chaos. The stages’ ambiance for “Attention” and “The Last Time” was limited to one or two colors, but for “Curiosity,” there are several colors present. Many colors are present at once rather than just one, which could evoke a variety of feelings unlike just the sadness or tranquility seen in the first two pictures. These could include chaos, intensity, and many other emotions. The lighting in “Curiosity,” in comparison with the first two photographs, makes the audience slightly more visible as well. This means that in addition to bringing possible excitement and energy to the stage, the lighting also significantly contributes to chaos among the crowd. It produced several silhouettes of the fans in the crowd, each of them staring up at Ivan and singing along, radiating admiration, with multiple screens capturing him on stage as an unforgettable moment of his performance.

            As John Berger once said “The only decision he can take is as regards the moment he chooses to isolate. Yet this apparent limitation gives the photograph its unique power” (20). Every shot tells a different story, giving every shot its own uniqueness, and this is the power decisive moment holds. Additionally, Sontag also says (2013), “a photograph can be treated as a narrowly selective transparency” (531). Referring to the previous claim, every photograph has its own interpretation, even if the shots are slightly different, reality is always subject to change. Despite being taken from the same place each time, the three photographs were able to depict and symbolize a distinct moment in the performance, each with its own emotion with the help of the composition, colors, and lighting. There could always be something that sets a photograph apart, no matter how identical it may seem something is always changing. (1218 words)

References

Berger, J. (2013). Understanding a Photograph. In G. Dyer (Ed.), Understanding a Photograph: John Berger. Aperture. (pp. 18-20). https://archive.org/details/understanding-a-photograph-john-berger/page/20/mode/2up

Sontag, S. (2013). On Photography. In D. Rieff (Ed), Susan Sontag: Essay of the 1960’s & 70’s. The Library of America. (pp. 530–539). https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/scanlan-english-1101-d333 spring2018/files/2018/03/Sontag-On-Photography.pdf.