Flight

The picture is so simple but also dynamic and eye-catching. Let’s imagine if this photograph were taken from the same background and setting, but the person was walking or standing. Would it be as unique as the picture above? No. Humans tend to seek attention towards dynamic and action photographs. We must understand that an exceptional scene may be a day experience for some people. This can be seen in the picture because of the attentive look and facial expressions the students in the midground have toward the student jumping. The photo has a monochrome that gives a vintage vibe back to the candid photograph era, letting audiences focus on the people and imagine what they may have looked like with colors. Also, the monochrome and bland background makes the overall setting unurbanized, mostly with trees, cloudy sky, and factory buildings. Equally, the floor looks like what we commonly see in everyday life. Still, if you pay close attention, we can see the bulky texture and repetitional pattern the floor has, showing complexity within simplicity. Shifting views to the jumper, the picture was taken instantly when the student took flight from the ground, showing the decisive movement incorporated within the photo. The perfect arch on the back, elegant arms and body posture, and prominent and dominant face show ideal harmony and synchronization. The picture was taken from eye level to capture the power and dominance of the student. I also used cropping techniques such as changing the photograph’s tone to be more dramatic, making the monochrome reflect vibes from the candid photograph era, and the value and contrast between the student and background to make the picture appear full of dominance.
Next time, I could’ve done better by incorporating more abstract elements within the frames, such as some running and about to disappear from the scene, which requires more decisiveness and vision. Also, I should’ve explored this scene from many angles, not only from the side. If I had taken this from the front or back angle of the jumper, I could better capture the student’s emotions, facial expressions, and actions and have a broader and unique background. Also, what would it be like if I didn’t crop the photograph monochrome? Would it make it more complex or unique? It may have better fit my intentions: Complex emotions and actions within a simple picture. Next time, I will experiment with monochrome and colored photographs to test what fits my statement of intent better.

Contact sheet: The photographs are shot in a calm and bland setting, focusing on an object or the person in the frame. I intended to shoot the purest form of everyday life, meaning I tried capturing people’s emotions, the nature (trees and grass), and the architecture (buildings and shops) in everyday life.

Street Photography

Yellow light: I realized that some of my photos were lucky shots that unintentionally had unique abstractions and themes. In other words, even though these lucky photographs have unique elements (shape, value, line, pattern, contrast, color)  and stories of their own, it does not fulfill my intention, which was to intentionally capture the “simplicity” but complex themes within a photograph.

Street Photography 1

Green light: I dived deeper by selecting pictures with excellent synchronization, harmony, and motion. In these photographs, I use the rule of thirds to keep my main subject in the center of the frame, and a bland and calm composition to represent “simplicity”. Most importantly, capturing the expressions and motions of people from daily life, such as walking, sitting, and exercising. I showed this by taking close-up pictures showing the textures, shapes, and colors of the people.

Street Photography 3

Red light: The pictures are all monochrome to let the viewers imagine the original subject’s colors and think about what is beyond the scenes. The pictures are simple, as they are things like walking, exercising, eating, and sitting, which can be seen in our daily lives. Still, the deeper anatomy and complexity come when focusing on the people’s expressions and motions within the frame. The photographs required great decisiveness as the people were in motion. The pictures are taken from eye level or at a down angle to capture the power and dominance of people. The photographs are close-up shots of people in action to capture their emotions and facial expressions of daily life.

Street Photography 4

The title of this project will be “Simplicity.” I want to go back to the Candid photography era, capturing the unurbanized streets and towns and shooting the busy actions of the people on their way to work. Today, internet technology overwhelms people’s positions and roles in society. As a humanity, we continue to lose our identity and question our capabilities. So, I want my photographs to be a time machine for people to return to when there was no technology or artificial intelligence, just simply human power and dominance. I want them to realize we wouldn’t have the modernized society we imagined long ago without humanity. My idea is straightforward, as I’m trying to capture abstract motions of people and objects within a frame. But my true intent is to find uniqueness and complexity within such a simple abstract, capturing a shot with precise organization and perfect harmony of the people’s gestures and emotions. In my photographs, I will use natural and calm compositions, reflecting the unurbanized society in the 1900s. I will take close-up shots of people walking to capture emotions and facial expressions, and make people think about what may be beyond the frame. The photography will be monochrome, letting audiences focus on the people and imagine what they may have looked like with colors. I will be taking photographs from eye level or a down angle to capture the power and dominance of people.

Most importantly, I have to be decisive; My vision of a scene is a first priority, and permission comes second. I will effectively use the rule to spotlight the people. I will be using cropping to change the tones and values of the photograph, making the picture look abstract but straightforward.

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGl7Si9HLU/1ibH6ilwaFVRYjcxz41qTw/edit?utm_content=DAGl7Si9HLU&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton