Tag: categorization

Creating+Critique of Red Photos: Set 2

Posted on by Josh

In total, there are 69 photos. Unlike the previous set, this set primarily focuses on the starting point of signs. The photographer of inspiration is Rob Hann. These photos were taken in a natural environment because I believe there are signs in nature worthy of our attention. I categorized these photos using the green, blue, and red selections. My criteria for a good photo are whether it relates to my starting point and whether the photo is aesthetically appealing.

In total, there are 40 green photos, 17 blue photos, and 12 red photos.

Example of a Green Photo

The above is an example of a green photo. The camera alignment in this photo needs to be improved. There isn’t a distinct subject in the photo. All of the elements in the photo are randomized. Although randomness is a sign of nature, this photo does not present randomness in an aesthetically appealing way. There are better representations of my starting point. Therefore, I put this photo in the green selection.

Example of a Blue Photo

The photo above is a blue photo. It includes the elements of line and depth. The lines created by the trees and their shadows look very intriguing. Depth is created when the sandy ground’s light portions are contrasted with the shadows’ dark portions. In the photo, the ground gets darker the farther you look into the photo. In addition, there is a triangular shadow in the bottom right corner of this photo. There is a long shadow next to it. These shadows make the audience curious because they are unlike the regular shadows of the trees. It could be the shadow of an animal, of the photographer, or of something else. This aspect gives off an ominous feel. This photo connects to my starting point because it shows that nature is mysterious, has depth, and can contain almost anything. This photo is very good, but I decided not to put it in the red selection because it could be more aesthetically appealing. Furthermore, it does not have any particular stylistic choices.

Example of a Red Photo

The photo above is a red photo. This is one of the 12 photos that best represent this set and my starting point of signs and messages. The most important elements of this photo are color, depth, and line. The first thing the audience would see in this photo is the red car in the upper center. This is because the car is red, an eye-catching color. In addition, the red color contrasts with the other less vivid colors in the photograph, so it stands out more. Therefore, color is a critical aspect of this photo. Then, there is depth and line. These two aspects are related since lines create depth. Near the center of the photo, a distinct vertical line defines the side of a bamboo bridge. This bridge directly points to the red car in the distance. However, it is the depth that makes the red car seem small. On the other side of the central line, there is a more diagonal line that is another side of the bamboo bridge. It is also angled towards the car. The distance between these two lines decreases as they both approach the car, giving the photo a sense of depth. The most important formal elements are shown in the diagram below. This photo connects to my artist of inspiration, Rob Hann, because it has the theme of human intervention in nature, where man-made structures are put in natural environments. In many of Hann’s photos, man-made structures are isolated in a natural environment. For example, Hann takes photos of abandoned buildings and vehicles in the Desert.

Diagram:

Red photo 2

The photo above is another red photo that differs from the one I previously analyzed. This photo is much more simplistic in nature. This photo was taken beside a mountain next to a river. It incorporates the formal elements of color, shape, and texture. Firstly, there is a large contrast between the water’s green color and the rocks’ grey color. This color contrast emphasizes the shape of each side of the photo. On each side, the texture is varied: the rocks have a rough texture; however, there are wavy white lines that mimic water; on the other hand, the water has a smooth, flowing texture, but small bubbles in the water mimic the small sediments on rocks. Between the rocks and the water, there is an S-shaped line. This line represents the conflict between the two elements as one element is trying to intertwine with the other. This photo connects with my starting point because it shows the sign that different elements in nature can be equally appreciated. The contrasting nature part of this photo is inspired by Rob Hann since he takes photos of two or more landscapes simultaneously.

Creating+Critique of Red Photos: Set 1

Posted on by Josh

An old saying: “Pictures are worth a thousand words.” Although it sounds cliché, it is true in the context of photography. Photos are used to convey messages to the audience in a non-textual fashion. However, photos can be made stronger when certain words are added. These words can give the audience an interpretation of the photo they never expected. Using Barbara Kruger as inspiration, I took a total of 22 studio photos. 22 may seem like a limited amount, but each studio photo is taken after detailed posing directions.
There are three differently colored selections. The green selection: photos that are not aesthetic or hard to express a message. The blue selection: photos that are decent but could be stronger in expressing a message. The red selection: photos that have good aesthetics and can strongly convey a message.
Green photos are photos that would definitely not be considered for the final presenting part of this project. They are photos with no subjects. They are photos with failed or blurry poses. There are 5 green photos out of the 22 photos.
The blue photos are good photos, but they are not the best in exemplifying my starting point of signs and messages. The poses of the subject might be relevant to the message in mind, but they are not the most convincing. There are 8 blue photos out of the 22 photos.
The red photos are the best photos because they have good aesthetics and lighting/tone. The poses of the subject are to the point and accurately convey the message I am trying to communicate. I will consider these photos for my final presentation project. There are 9 red photos in total. There are so many red photos because each photo belongs to a collection of similar photos. For example, the first 3 red photos looking down from the top of the contact sheet belong to 1 collection. Red photos 4-8 looking down from the top are also a part of 1 collection. After selecting photos from the red selection, I decided to edit my photos based on my starting point: signs and messages. In total, I have three different photo collections.

  1. High PH

Sometimes, we experience a moment that can be represented in a single color. This photo collection focuses on the color pink. The main elements that were focused on are color, form, and depth. Color is the main aspect of this photo collection since the entire photo collection is based on one color. Aside from the pink background, the most interesting aspect of the photo is the subject in the middle of each photo. They give the photo more character as opposed to just a pink background. Noticeably, the subject in each photo has a different opacity or depth. In the photos at the side, the opacity is low, while in the middle photo, the opacity is high. This emphasizes the middle photo. In addition, each photo has a single word with an exclamation mark, giving each word a little bit more excitement. However, the photo collection only makes sense when photos are put together side in a particular order so the individual words form a sentence. This photo collection relates to my starting point of signs and messages because it conveys a specific emotion and message to the audience. It relates to my inspiration for Barbara Kruger because it has text captions, something you will rarely see in photography. These photos were taken with a Nikon D750 in the studio at ISB. I named this photo collection “High PH” because the photo collection looks like a PH-level testing paper when placed in acid, which turns pink. This is very applicable because the audience of these photographs is most likely going to be students. So, they will need prior knowledge in order to understand how the name of this photo collection correlates with its visual appearance.

2. Reality Show!

Using photography, we can communicate issues in our society with fewer repercussions than if we were to communicate them verbally. Out of the three photo collections, this one is the most prominent because its messages are heavy in nature and make the audience think critically. The main elements used in this set are color, form, and shape. The color of all of the photos is black and white. This was a stylistic choice since brightly colored photos would allow the audience to be distracted from the messages. There, the black and white color was used to highlight textual messages. The form is very important in these photos since it is what gives each photo a story. The characters in each photo have a distinct poses. These poses help convey the message in each photo. Characters’ positions/actions in each photo are symbolic of certain events that happen in reality. However, when accompanied by the black-and-white tone and critical text caption, these everyday events seem all the less ordinary. They become somewhat surreal. Furthermore, the shape is an important part of this photo collection because it is how the form of the subjects relates to the text captions. Randomly putting text captions on the photo will make the photos lose their aesthetic appeal. Therefore I decided to place text captions at a place on each photo that looks the most cohesive. For example, I put text captions vertically in photos with a portrait or square frame. I put text captions horizontally in photos with a landscape frame. Overall, these photos are the most representative of Barbara Kruger’s style since they have a black-and-white tone with red and white captions. They connect to my starting point because they convey messages about society and psychology. As a result, I decided to call this photo collection the Reality Show!

3. Only human

For this photo collection, there is only one main subject. I decided to take photos of him while he showed different facial emotions. To accompany his emotions, I used different color filters that were available to me. For example, the first on the left has the subject showing a neutral expression. In this photo, he is wearing a mask, so his facial experience is even more indistinguishable. In the middle, he is showing a hearty expression. This can be interpreted in many ways, but this photo’s main purpose is to show that the subject has the ability to show emotions. Also, the subject is not wearing a mask in this one, so the audience can see their facial expression. Lastly, the photo on the right shows the subject’s angry face. This is supposed to represent a human’s ability to express strong emotions, something that essentially makes us human. I believe color, form, and line are elements that play a big role in this photo collection. The color is important because it emphasizes the emotion being conveyed in each photo. The subject’s facial expression and position have everything to do with form, so therefore it is also an important part. Finally, line plays a role in the cohesiveness of the photos because the text caption is aligned directly above the subject’s head. This photo collection relates to my starting point because it conveys the message that all humans have the ability to feel emotions at different levels. The inspiration that was used when taking these photos is Barbara Kruger’s use of text captions.

 

Reflections: SET 2 Contact Sheet

Posted on by Josh

This is my contact sheet for my set 2 on reflections. In this set, there is a total of 47 photos. Some of these photos were inspired by the photos of Craig Whitehead. Similarly to set 1, I have decided to categorize photos based on how much they relate to my statement of intent and their aesthetic appeal. Photos might be very related to my statement of intent, but if their aesthetic appeal isn’t the best, it wouldn’t be considered a red photo. For the set as a whole, a portion of the photos was taken at ISB, a portion was taken at home, and a large portion was taken in Shanghai. At ISB, the photos were mostly of mundane objects that emitted light or had a glassy surface since they were capable of reflection. The photos taken at home are similar to the ones taken at ISB. The best quality photos were taken in the Pudong business district in Shanghai. They consist of reflections on modern architecture, which are made of glass and have LED lights, making them a great source of reflections when the lighting is dark (night hours). In this set, the categories of yellow, green, and red still apply. The yellow selection consists of photos that have little relation to my statement of intent and do not show interesting reflections. There might be some photos that show reflection, but they lack quality in other aspects, such as focus, angle, or clarity. There are 19 yellow photos in total. The green selection consists of solid photos related to my statement of intent. Some photos might qualify for the red selection but might not be that interesting to the audience. There are 16 green photos in total. Finally, the red selection consists of photos that fit my statement of intent and have excellent aesthetic appeal. These photos were all taken in Shanghai. We can see the majority of the photos in the red selection have a dark backdrop, as they were taken at night. There are 12 red photos in total. I will analyze these photos in a subsequent post.