Chosen Photographer:

Diane Arbus

I have chosen Diane Arubus who is an American photographer famous for her powerful and often black and white portraits. She is a perfect choice because her photographs are abstract in concept, even though they show real people. She abstracted people from their everyday context, turning them into powerful symbols.

Gallery of Abstract Photographs

• Identical Twins, Roselle, New Jersey (1967) 
• Source:  Wikipedia/Diane Arbus 7
• Two twin girls stand side-by-side, their nearly identical appearance

• Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park, N.Y.C. (1962) 
• Source:  Wikipedia/Diane Arbus 7
• A boy’s tense pose and grimace, contrasted with the toy weapon.

• A Young Boy with a Straw Hat, Waiting to March in a Pro-War Parade (1967) 
• Source:  Wikipedia/Diane Arbus 7
• The boy’s patriotic costume and confused expression become an abstract symbol of the complexity of political beliefs.

• A Jewish Giant at Home with His Parents, The Bronx (1970)
• Source:  Wikipedia/Diane Arbus 7
• The extreme difference in size between the man and his parents

• Triplets in Their Bedroom, N.J. (1963) 
• Source:  National Gallery of Art 8
• The repetition of the three girls sitting in a row creates a pattern-like.

• A Naked Man Being a Woman, N.Y.C. (1968) 
• Source:  Wikipedia/Diane Arbus 7
• This portrait challenges simple definitions of gender, making the subject an abstract representation of identity itself.

• A Family on Their Lawn One Sunday in Westchester, N.Y. (1968)
•  Source:  Wikipedia/Diane Arbus 7
• An ordinary family scene feels staged and distant, making it an abstract study of suburban life and its hidden emotions.

• Untitled (from the late series of masked figures) (1970-71)
•  Source:  Chinese Encyclopedia Article 9
• Arbus photographed people in masks, removing their individual identities and turning them into universal, abstract symbols.

Analysis of Photographic Style

She used a medium format camera that produced square pictures. This shape focuses all attention on the subject in the center, making the composition feel direct and intense. Her subjects often look straight into the camera. This breaks the wall between the subject and the viewer, creating a feeling of confrontation that is uncomfortable and but powerful.

She often used a direct flash, even in daylight. This creates harsh light, deep shadows and sharp details, making the images feel raw and stripping away any romanticism.

In what ways are the photographs abstract? 

Arbus’s photos are abstract because they use real people as symbols. She removes the context so we focus only on the person, transforming them into a concept. I like the emotional power of her work. She wasn’t afraid to make people feel uncomfortable. Her photos force you to stop and think about the story behind the face, and about your own prejudices.

A Quotation by Diane Arbus:

“A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know.”

I chose this quote because it perfectly captures the mystery of her work. Her photos seem to reveal a truth about a person, but that revelation only leads to more questions. This endless curiosity is what makes her photography so deep and also abstract.

Connection to My Vision

I chose Her photography because my own vision is interested in finding the extraordinary within the ordinary. Just like her, I want to create portraits that are not just about what a person looks like, but about their inner world and the stores they represent.

I will try to create more direct and intimate portraits by asking my subjects to look directly into my camera. I will experiment with simple, uncluttered background to focus attention on the subject, similar to her.

I will think about the theme or concept I want to explore, for example like identity or isolation of people. Let that guide my choice of subject and composition

Analysis of a Single Image

 Identical Twins, Roselle, New Jersey (1967)

I chose it because it is incredibly simple but also deeply mysterious. The twins nearly identical appearance creates a powerful visual pattern that is mesmerizing. The most surprising thing is the slight difference in their expressions: one girl has a faint smile, while the other looks more serious. This small difference makes the image haunting and raises questions about individuality. The repetition of the two figures is the most important element. It creates a strong pattern like composition that feels both perfect and unset. This repetition forces us to compare them and look for tiny differences, turning a portrait into a puzzle about similarity and individuality.

Revised Vision Statement

My revised vision is to create intimate and thought provoking portraits that explore the themes of identity and human condition in Beijing Hutong. I will take photos in the style of Diane Arbus. I’m particularly inspired by her direct approach and her ability to find universal stories in individual faces. I will trying to take pictures that use simple, square compositions and direct eye contact to create a sense of intimacy and to encourage viewers to look closer and question their own perceptions of normality.

Concept of Choice: “Layers of Everyday Life”
Focus on the coexistence of tradition and modernity in the hutongs. For example, a woman hangs out laundry next to a delivery driver browsing his phone.

Mood Board Inspiration:

Photographers:
Henri Cartier-Bresson, for capturing the “decisive moment.”
Vivian Maier, for capturing candid human interactions.
Saul Leiter, for capturing color and reflections.

Themes to Explore​

​Layers of Time: Old walls next to modern life, traditional customs alongside new trends.
​Textures & Patterns: Peeling paint, stacked bricks, shadows from lattice windows.
​Human Moments: Residents playing chess, vendors selling snacks, children running through alleyways.
​Techniques to Try​

​Framing: Use doorways or arches to create “frames within frames”.
​Light Chasing: Shoot during golden hour for warm shadows or under midday sun for high contrast.
​Detail Shots: Close-ups of rusted locks, wet stones after rain, or hands preparing food.
​Visual Ideas:

Add a hand-drawn mind map with branches for Themes, Techniques, and Hutong Elements.
Include small example photos or sketches of compositions.

Street photography is a genre of photography focused on capturing unplanned or candid moments and random incidents in public places. It serves as both artistic expression and historical record. The goal is to document everyday life and human interactions as they happen naturally, without staging or posing the subjects. It’s often done for artistic purposes or personal inquiry. Great street photography tell a story or evoke feelings, whether it’s irony, loneliness or joy.

For example, Henri Cartier- Bresson’s images freeze fleeting moments that feel universally relatable.

Techniques like framing, leading lines, and layering are used to create depth and focus.

lex Webb, for instance, is known for complex compositions that balance chaos and order

A key point is that street photography does not actually require a “street” to be present. While it often features urban environments, the setting can be any public space, for example like a park, a market, or a train station. What defines it is the approach of capturing spontaneous life.Even without people, photos may imply human presence through objects or environments.

In summary, street photography is about finding beauty and meaning in the ordinary. It rewards curiosity patience, and a keen eye for the unnoticed stories around us.

These three photographs explore different facets of urban life and the unnoticed traces we leave behind. Each image captures a unique aspect of life’s transformation: from forgotten memories to organic growth to contemporary isolation.

Photo 1: Abandoned Memories

Abandoned toys scattered across the dusty ground tell stories of forgotten childhoods and abandonment. The vibrant colors peeking through the grime create a stark contrast between past joy and present indifference. The photograph is an archaeological study of memory, each toy fragment representing an interrupted story, a playtime frozen in time.

Photo 2: Wall cracks

This photograph documents a wall that has become a living diary. The cracked surface tells a story much deeper than peeling paint.ach crack represents years of weather changing, temperatures rising and falling, and the building slowly settling into the ground. The warm, earthy colors of the peeling layers create a natural mosaic that no artist could perfectly copy. This wall shows how time can create beauty through gradual change.

Photo 3: Contemporary Isolation

The figure, immersed in her phone and surrounded by vibrant graffiti, embodies the paradox of the modern city: a physical presence amidst a rich visual landscape, yet a spiritual absence within the digital space. The graffiti tags (GIRLS, REVOG, SOLIS) form a hidden urban language, while the figure’s alienation powerfully interprets contemporary feelings of connection and isolation.

Visual Connections

This triptych constructs a timeline of urban experience, from the past to the present and on to the present. Colors transition from muted earth tones to vibrant street art, and compositions range from chaotic scattering to ordered patterns and architectural geometry.

This series of works invites viewers to consider how we inhabit space, the traces we leave behind, and how diverse life forms—from toys to walls to humans, coexist in urban environments. Each image invites us to examine the layers of meaning embedded in everyday scenes.

Theme: The often-overlooked textures and layers of our everyday urban and natural environments.​​

Camera Skills:​​ Extreme close-up (macro) shot. Careful use of light to create shadows and highlights.

​Composition:​​ The frame is filled with the subject. This abstract composition makes us focus only on texture.

​Art Elements:​​ Strong ​texture​ and ​form​ are created by light and shadow. High ​contrast​ between black and white.

​Themes:​​ Transforms a normal object into abstract art. Shows the beauty of light, shadow, and texture.

In this picture, I adjusted the color tone of the picture to make it pop out , and flipped the picture to make the triangle composition more obvious.

• Camera Skills: Shot from a low angle looking up. Focus is on the graffiti.
• Composition: Strong diagonal lines from the stairs lead your eye through the image.
• Art Elements: Bold lines from the graffiti and architecture. Mainly black and white with small bits of color.
• Themes: Urban art and self-expression. The feeling of an abandoned or edgy space.

In this photo I increased the brilliance to make the contrast between light and dark more obvious, and I also warmed the tones.

• Camera Skills: Focus on both the motorcycle and the mural behind it.
• Composition: The motorcycle frames the mural. The mirror adds a second, reflective layer to the scene.
• Art Elements: Cool colors blues, greys of the mural vs the black motorcycle.
• Themes: Juxtaposition of urban art and technology. Literal and figurative reflection.

In this photo I turned up the brilliance, turned down the brightness, adjusted the hue, and turned up the vibrance and saturation.

• Camera Skills: Close-up macro shot to show extreme detail.
• Composition: Abstract, with a tight crop on the flaking paint.
• Art Elements: Texture is the main element. Earthy, muted color palette.
• Themes: Decay and the passage of time. Beauty in deterioration.

In this picture, I made the colors more green and yellow .

• Camera Skills: Standard shot to clearly show the environment.
• Composition: The alley walls act as leading lines, pointing to the woman.
• Art Elements: Muted, neutral colors. Strong sense of depth and space.
• Themes: Contrast between old and new city architecture. A quiet moment in the city.

I adjusted this image a lot. First, I adjusted the color tone to a warmer color, then increased the overall brightness. Then I used local color adjustment to bring out the reflection in the window by increasing the local brightness.

• Camera Skills: Shallow depth of field blurs the background, making the plant stand out.
• Composition: The window acts as a frame. The plant is placed off-center.
• Art Elements: Contrast between the organic plant and the hard, geometric window.
• Themes: Nature surviving in a man-made environment. Isolation and quiet thought.

I adjusted this picture to black and white to better highlight the branches of the trees.

Camera Skills:​​ Black and white close-up to emphasize texture.

​Composition:​​ The hole in the tree is placed off-center which is the Rule of Thirds.

​Art Elements:​​ Strong ​texture​ and high ​contrast​ between light and shadow.

​Themes:​​ The power and age of nature. The beauty found in natural textures.

I adjusted the contrast and warmed up the color temperature in this photo.

Camera Skills:​​ ​Shallow depth of field​ focuses on a few toys, blurring the rest.

​Composition:​​ Asymmetrical and cluttered, suggesting these items were abandoned randomly.

​Art Elements:​​ Bright toy colors pop against the dirty, grey background.

​Themes:​​ Lost childhood and nostalgia. Abandonment and decay.

I adjusted this picture to a warm tone and adjusted the color brightness of the photo.

• Camera Skills:​​ Close-up shot with side lighting to show texture.
• ​Composition:​​ Tight crop focuses on the details of the face and paint.
• ​Art Elements:​​ Layers of colorful paint against a worn, textured surface.
• ​Themes:​​ Transformation and decay. The time past of an object shown through layers of paint and wear.

I adjusted the brightness of this photo to make the characters and the graffiti patterns more visible.

• Camera Skills: Balanced exposure for a dark scene with bright graffiti.
• Composition: The man is placed off-center. The corridor uses leading lines to create depth.
• Art Elements: The colorful graffiti contrasts with the dark, muted corridor.
• Themes: A person alone in an urban environment. The mix of daily life and street art.

Message​
My work wants people to think differently about “ordinary” things in our busy, image-filled world. Culturally, we often miss small, textured details—like cracked sidewalks, puddle reflections, or faded cloth—that are quietly beautiful. This project asks viewers to slow down and find depth in simple, everyday things. Environmentally, it shows that even man-made objects or small natural things hold signs of time and change. It encourages people to notice and value the spaces they live in daily, instead of only looking for “big” natural or cultural spots.​

Audience Response

First, I want viewers to feel curious—to think, “What on earth am I looking at?” Then, I want them to calm down and reflect. By hiding the obvious (for example, cropping the staircase to reveal only triangular lines, or blurring the waves into soft blue curves), I hope to remove the need to “name things.” Instead, I want them to focus on the sense of texture, light, and form. Ultimately, I hope they’ll experience a sense of familiarity—a moment when they think, “I’ve walked past that cracked wall a hundred times, but never seen it like this.”

Inspiration

I draw inspiration from photographs that use light and shadow to tell a story. I look for images that gently distort reality through refraction (such as light passing through a prism or reflecting off a puddle), similar to Barbara Kasten’s geometric light art. I also look for close-ups of subtle details (like wiring or melting ice) to remind myself that even the smallest things, with the right colors and emotional impact, can become abstract art.

Conclusion

For me, abstract photography connects what we see with what we don’t see. It doesn’t just depict a single moment; it invites the viewer to experience the space between moments. Focusing on texture, light, and gentle distortions, the project aims to bring to light the “hidden” beauty in everyday life. It reminds us to pause, look closely, and find connections in the small details we often overlook.

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