Author: Nikita Khramtsov

Autumn Leaves

This photo was taken in Prospect Park today on Sunday after I finished my 5 kilometer run. My favorite season is Fall, and I wanted to capture the beauty in the leaves. I had them displayed on a log with the lake and trees in the distance. The dominant impression are the 2 sweetgum tree leaves. They have a very distinct shape and burgundy color which I think perfectly resembles Fall. I used a little bit of contrast to make the details more pronounced in iPhone’s “Photo” app, however the photo is true to the original.

Brighton Beach

This is another photo taken from today. I moved to Brighton Beach a few months ago and it was nice to be able to capture this. I was waiting for the train to come and thought this looked really nice. You can see the buildings facing each other on one street which lead to the trees in the distance where the road stops. The photo is divided into two parts, the right side is dark and the other half is light, creating rich contrast and color.

Cozy Day at Home

This photo was taken 3 years ago. I used a filter to saturate and bring the photo to life. I enjoy nature and collecting plants which is why I decided to take this. This plant is a succulent(Scientific name: Haworthia Fasciata) and it has a very intricate design on the leaves. It has white spots/lines going across the leaves which all come together into a pattern. Even though it is a small plant that you may not notice at first, with close up photography, you can really highlight a certain object, plant, detail, etc and showcase it to others. I think the filter brings a lot of warmth and makes it appealing to the eye especially the reflection in the window.

In Teju Coles’ essay, my favorite photo is called “Three boys in Liberia.” It stood out to me because it is a photo without color and this results in the photo being more focused on shapes and contrast. It’s mesmerizing to see the wave in the background splashing and the 3 boys running towards it. The photographer, Martin Munkacsi, was able to capture them while they all had different poses and their bodies being in a fluid motion. This is an art photo because of the abstract shapes and it having a very interesting presentation, which explains why it inspired other photographer’s and opened them up to new possibilities.

The dominant impression definitely were the 3 boys, and the movement was them running towards the waves which are splashing everywhere. It creates a feeling of energy and excitement due to the movement in the photo. You can tell that the boys are excited to get into the water. This photograph doesn’t have a caption however the essay provides an excellent description which further emphasizes how movement can play a huge role in a photo. Without the movement, the photo wouldn’t have had the same effect. Overall, it is a great photograph and it just shows that not all photos need color in them, sometimes it may even be better to have them in black and white.