Statement of intent (edited from original):
Through my photo set, I want to use framing and contrast to create unusual and unexpected images from ordinary urban settings.
Inspiration taken from artist study:
1.
This is my favorite image out of all the ones I took for our first photo set, and I love it because of how it seems both distanced and intimate. The three subjects of the image are all centered around the very middle of the frame, but their gazes (even the dog’s) are pointed in different directions: the boy on the left looks directly into the camera, the man looks down at the dog, and the dog looks somewhere off-camera. This brings the scene to life because not only do we have characters who are submerged in their own worlds, we also have a character who is breaking the third wall and interacting with the photographer. Furthermore, they are also all in different stances and occupying different levels of our perspective. The man squats down, the boy is standing up, and the dog is at the very front, seeming much larger than it actually is. Since the camera is not zoomed in at all, and the shot is relatively wide, we now have a cool effect where the elements at the edges of the frame seem distorted (for instance, the boy’s partially hidden, partially visible face appears to be pulled slightly in the vertical direction). If you look closely, you might also see subtle patterns in the grass where the grass mower had left its marks; these circular, alternating “rings” of darker and lighter-shaded grass form a whirlpool shape. This shape is further enhanced by the fact that the boy is standing with his legs slightly bent and back arched, and that the man is tilted to the left side. Their positions follow the patterns of the grass in the background. Overall, because of this circular motif, we get a feeling of disorientation, as if the frame is spinning even though it is being kept completely stationary.
2.
Again, I really love how the different characters are interacting differently within the photo. This time, we have two characters who are cropped—the boy riding the toy car and the other kid with only his sneakers visible—along with a dog that is completely in the frame. Amidst all these subjects, we can see the gaze of the dog, which is directed at the boy in the toy car. As that subject seems only to be passing by, the image apparently becomes an arbitrary combination of three unrelated characters, without either their purpose or their stance being cohesive as a whole. Thus, there is again the feeling of unsureness, questioning, and doubt. This sense of disorientation is increased also by the framing. First, we notice that the shot is wide and that the line of the pavement’s edge seems slightly curved. Second, we also see how the elements of the image are largely concentrated on the right side, with both the brightest object—the car, and the darkest—the boy’s hair and the other’s pants, present on that half. Thus, the image evokes a feeling of imbalance and seems a bit “off” or unnatural.
3.
In this image, none of the subjects have their faces within the frame. The kid on the left and the other two men’s heads are cropped out so that only their bodies are visible, and the dog has its back to the camera, so its eyes and face are also not seen from our perspective. This leaves the viewer with space for imagination: Are the characters looking at the camera? Are they talking to each other? What are their emotions? Another point of surprise or unexpectedness might be that the leash of the dog—which is very large and seems hostile—is held by the boy—the smallest person in the scene, whereas the two men are either standing dispassionately or sitting down. Apart from the feeling of disharmony, there is also a hidden structure of balance in the photo. The three people in their positions actually form a triangle; this makes it so that the dog seems to be the focus of our attention, as it stands directly across from the furthest vertice of the triangle. Like the previous image, this is an example of an unlikely assembly of subjects: The setting is a park-like area, but the man wearing the white shirt seems to be smoking (he was in real life, and his left-hand holds it in this photo). The boy seems very young, but he is seen with much older people, holding the leash to a fierce-looking dog. The person on the right doesn’t seem to have a close relationship with either of the other two, so his purpose there is unclear. And the dog is minding its own business. Altogether, we get a somewhat abstract snapshot of urban day-to-day living.
4.
What I am most proud of in this image is the contrast in light and dark. If you look closely, you’ll find that there are many instances where this contrast is completely balanced across either the top-bottom or left-right halves of the image. For instance, the car at the front of our vision on the right is bright; on the left, it is dark. Similarly, the top half of the photo is generally characterized by darker shades; the bottom half is almost completely blank. Moreover, the old man on the left wears a white top and black trousers; the woman on the right wears more or less the opposite—a dark top and beige trousers. This pattern of alternation makes the image the most balanced out of the five that I have chosen for this photo set, and it also makes the photograph so much more detailed and interesting to look at. Apart from balance in color, it should also be noted that there is very much a feeling of symmetry. The ground and the backdrop both occupy approximately half of the image. The tree that separates the couple stands directly between them, placed in the very center of the image. There are cars on either side, and they are shown in similar amounts. The couple themselves stand on the two sides of the photo. Overall, it is a very harmonious picture that is nevertheless rich in contrast and polarity.
5.
This photo was taken with the shutter speed set very low, so we get the effect of blurriness, which enhances the kids’ motion. All the other components of the image are fairly straightforward: The sharp edges of the pillar in the back, the black and white of the pavement borders, the smooth, reflective surface of the fountain on the right, etc. However, once we shift our gaze to the two characters in the center of the image, we experience what feels like a sudden shift in focus and perspective. Suddenly, we have to use a bit of effort to try to see their facial expressions, where their hands and feet are, what they’re wearing… They provide contrast to the photo due to their blurriness. In fact, the lighting at that time was also relatively mild, so the shadows on the ground were thus very light. As a result, it seems as if the motion of the kids is so rapid that their shadows have become indetectable—there are almost no traces of them on the stone floor. To me, this is symbolic of the essence of joy in an urban setting: Where the surroundings are most brutal and cold, we find the most giddy and unstoppable joy.
As Mr. Stewart suggested, I will try to keep using the motifs I’ve used in this photo set, such as the dogs and the repeating techniques of framing, in our next photo shoot at Shine City. I will keep my statement of intent the same.