Yellow: The best 20

Green: The best 6

 

Red: The final 3

I chose these photos for my final three because they are like Eggleston’s works. They are seemingly boring, but deep down, they all spark unique sensations.

 

Photo one: Unsung Heroes

This photo shows a red wall with a row of electric bikes. In China, it is a popular transportation choice because of its affordable price and durability. It is commonly used among second-class workers grinding to turn their lives around and support their families. Wealthier people will choose to travel by car or on fashionable motorcycles. The red wall in front of the bikes symbolizes passion, energy, and sacrifice. The bikes represent the workers who are buried under the pressure of work. They look like they are charging into the red wall full of love and passion, almost like they are racing. No matter how tired they are, they cannot stop because their families are waiting desperately for a hot meal at home. They are brave, unsung heroes willing to sacrifice their freedom for the greater good of the people they love dearly. This is a reminder of how lucky we are to live like this. Because in the eyes of electric bikers, they can only imagine the luxurious lifestyles of us. 

Techniques used: I turned the ISO low and added a vintage filter to the photo to create a mysterious and unsettling mood. The borders of the photo are darkened to highlight the center. I also enhanced the saturation to emphasize the color red.

Photo two: Hope and Resilience

When I took this photo, it was the colors that caught my attention. It instantly reminded me of the orange rafts used for emergencies on ships. The bright orange and white symbolize hope and resilience. The message I want to convey in this photo is that no matter how agonizing the situation is, there will always be a breakthrough. Even emergency rafts that are only used in the most severe conditions contain shades of bright orange and white that symbolize hope. 

Techniques used: I took inspiration from the rules of third and negative spaces in this photo. I deliberately framed the window in the top left corner and not in the middle because the empty spaces on the left make the image feel more relaxed. The photo will feel oppressive if the window is placed in the dead middle. 

Photo three: Lost in Sands

On the surface, this is a plain photo, but I see it as an explorer traversing the desert. The desert is repented by the yellow on the left wall and offset by the cactus on the right. The explorer is going from left to right of the frame, first crossing yellow, the symbol of happiness, to white, the symbol of simplicity, and finally finishing on green, which symbolizes growth. The variation of textures also plays a role in storytelling here. Sometimes it is smooth, and other times it is rigid, signifying the explorer’s complex emotions during the journey. 

Techniques used: I shot this photo from down to up to lead the light from up to down, creating a gradual gradient from light to dark. I also turned the ISO up to highlight the sunlight.