Statement of intention

The title of this project is “SMALL people, big CITY.” It shows the story of the young and old generations going about their day, busy, completing their daily task, and fighting for their dreams. This could be both an exciting experience and a tiring, repetitive life, but it is a life that typically got ignored by people because of their insignificance. Thus, in this set of photographs, I want to capture these characters who are easily neglected during daily life. The images should make the audience feel a sense of relaxation and chillness, along with tiredness, as well as a plain and simple style.

 

Raw photographs

 

Edited photographs

I chose the following photographs as the final photo set because they have the most distinct and bright colors on the characters, fitting my initial intention of capturing and contrasting bright colors with darker ones to bring emphasis. Also, the subjects that are photographed in these images are more widespread than in the last set of photographs, which is one thing that I wish to improve from previous experiments. This wide range in age of the character better displays the statement of intended: It shows the story of the young and old generations going about their day, busy, completing their daily task.

Specifically, my favorite piece in this set is the fourth image. It depicts a worker wearing bright green and purple clothing who is sitting on the bench for a brief rest before the next work time begins. Next to him is a white statue bird, positioned to appear as if it is standing on the worker’s shoulder, patiently waiting and accompanying the man during the golden hour of the afternoon. In the background, various vehicles are parking near or driving down the road, colored in black and white; in the foreground, a statue can be seen, crafted in a sitting position, staring into the distance that is not captured within the frame. At first glimpse, the images capture the viewer’s eye with great distinction in the choice of color: the photograph is mainly in black and white, except for the resting worker. This combination of lively, bright colors and plain black and white creates a contrast that is visually appealing and draws emphasis on the subject (the worker) as he is covered in demanding colors. This attention brought to the man communicates the idea that in this photograph, he is the protagonist, which is not usually true in modern days. Further, the way that he is looking away from the camera and how his body is positioned all suggest a distant feeling along with tiredness that is caused by days after days of working. Additionally, the fact that no one is around him adds another layer of loneliness, while the existence of the statue birds standing on his shoulder brings a sense of warmth to the photo.

Moreover, my least favorite image is the third one. It captures a Shine City worker dressed in bright red and pushing a cart with fire hydrants that match the color of his clothes. Although this image has the bright color and character I wanted, it is less well-edited compared to the rest of the photos. For the other four images, I used an application on my phone to turn the background into black and white, leaving out the characters. In addition, I removed some of the people walking or standing in the background to create a more focused and clean image. Nevertheless, for image three, it is hard to remove everyone from the image without a noticeable change in the background. For instance, audiences can clearly see the remaining foot of the black cloth police as well as the shadows of the other workers. This flaw in the photograph can decrease the visual effect of the image, disturbing the harmony of the work. However, aside from the flaw, this image is as good as the others, conveying the intended message of “SMALL people, bug CITY” and using the technique of contrast through color.