Critique your favorite and least favorite images

Favorite image

• Composition / Technique – Do all the elements of the frame support the subject, or are there distractions that take away from the strength of the image?

This photo presents with an less amount of elements inside, the dark light generates an low mood and the action of looking to the stuff animal conveys an emotion of helpless. Both elements support the main idea that the photo is trying to present, which helps to take away the distractions.

• Where are my eyes immediately drawn? Where do you want the eyes to go?

By looking through the image, my eyes had mainly drawn to the pose or the action that the character was trying to made, which is where exactly I want my picture to highlight on.

• Are There Any Distracting Elements?

The picture was captured with minimum elements included, which made distracting elements disappear in this image

• Is the Exposure Correct?

I think the exposure had shown an correct effect, which made the brightness of the entire photo to decrease

• Would it Look Better Through a Different Focal Length?

I believe this focal length portrays an view that can fully express my meaning, but I don’t deny that there may be more better focal length to be shoot

• What is the Background Doing?

The plain background shows with almost none elements, which helps the audience to focus on the main subject

• How is the Composition & Balance?

The composition shows mainly with the character sitting on the right corner, which emphasizes the action of the character

• Is the Color Accurate?

The color is accurate enough to generate the mood. From the photo, there was mainly dark and cold colors being presented, which will helps to generate the low and negative atmosphere.

• Does the Depth of Field Suit the Photo?

Yes, the Depth of Field is suit for this photo, by showing an short depth background it can helps to better focus on the main subject

• Storytelling quality – Does it show your vision?/Is the vision clear?

Yes, the image had presented my vision with a clear view; the image clearly conveys the emotion and build up the connection between the stuff animal and human

• Emotional Impact – How well does your audience identify with the picture? What emotions captured in your portrait will cause the audience to respond positively? (Get feedback from others for this part)

The feedback that I mostly receive from my friends was that the image does actually shows out an negative and low emotions, however the use of stuff animal may cause a bit of confusing while understanding through the image

Least Favorite image

• Composition / Technique – Do all the elements of the frame support the subject, or are there distractions that take away from the strength of the image?

This photo presents a similar idea with the previous photo, however, in this photo the background shows an clutter scene with a lots of distracting elements inside, which might cause audience cannot focus on the main subject. The lighting through this image was also a mess, the exposure in this photo was too low and cause the character to be blurred inside the photo

• Where are my eyes immediately drawn? Where do you want the eyes to go?

Looking through the image, my eyes were immediately drawn to the light and the building being shown in the background;

• Are There Any Distracting Elements?

Yes, the trash can, cars and the building may all be one of the distracting elements, which may mislead the main idea

• Is the Exposure Correct?

No, the exposure was too low and cause the character hard to be seen

• Would it Look Better Through a Different Focal Length?

I believe the picture will portray an better view with the use of a different focal length; the character can be more highlighted and the display of background elements may also decrease

• What is the Background Doing?

The background had shown a random scene with different unnecessary elements

• How is the Composition & Balance?

The composition of this image helps the character and the lamp to stay in the middle, which can helps to emphasize the main subject

• Is the Color Accurate?

The color did not presents with an accurate form, the show of lights had brought bright and warm colors to the environment, which was not the way I actually want for the present of photo

• Does the Depth of Field Suit the Photo?

The picture presents the depth of field with an way that is not suitable for the photo; the background of the image can be shown with an more blurry effect, which can help to lower the existence of unnecessary elements

• Storytelling quality – Does it show your vision?/Is the vision clear?

Yes, the image had presented my vision; the image can be able to conveys the mood of helpless and provokes thinking from the action of the character

• Emotional Impact – How well does your audience identify with the picture? What emotions captured in your portrait will cause the audience to respond positively? (Get feedback from others for this part)

The feedback that I received from one of my my friends was that the image presents a messy scene that caused the main subject not clear enough to be shown. This had mislead to her understanding of the image, but she still can feel the emotional connection from the shown of lamp

CONTACT SHEET

The images that I had taken for this unit links to Richard Avedon’s images, which is the photographer that I chose to research. I have taken these photos in the style of expressionism and minimalism. The pictures that I had captured portrays an less amount of elements, by using minimal amount of elements, I am able to emphasize on the focus point in the photo and generate emotions through the posture inside the photo.

BLUE CONTACT SHEET

From the original contact sheet, I had selected 18 images to mark with the blue color. In the blue contact sheets, the images was mainly focused on the meaning that was trying to express through the scenes. The pictures presents different ideas and conveys various mood through the actions, elements and facial expressions.

GREEN CONTACT SHEET

After another round of selection, I had choose 9 pictures to mark with the green color. In the green contact sheet, I selected photos that shows a better visual effect, which may include lighting, shadows, reflection, etc. These effects may help me to develop further on the emotion and expression that the image was trying to convey, which may enhance more on the balance between meanings and mood expressions.

RED CONTACT SHEET  / PHOTO SET #1

During the last round of selection, I had chosen 6 photos and separated into 2 sets of photos. This series appears with the focus on a narrative involving a stuffed animal, which presents a connection between human and the toy. The element of toy portrays an main idea of childishness and comfort, which lead the story inside the images. The images portrays a series of scene that presents a idea of how the people live in the modern society return back from mature into childishness. By using different props and elements, the progression from the cat wearing headphones to the interaction with the character highlights the intimate relationship between the childhood self and  mature self. Each image captures a moment that adds depth to the unique relationship, which presents a peaceful and comfortable moment where the character is wearing headphones with a smile on the face.

As a learner, I had reflected on the previous tasks to make sure I will be focusing on the meaning and emotion connection through the images; by showing various strength inside the images, I believe I had developed skills such as space organization, lighting, and storytelling. These skills had been enhanced inside the series and contributed to the overall narrative.

By looking through the images, I think the overall strength that I had accomplished to capture the image were showing the emotion connections and using multiple angle shots. The different elements and the continuity between the images works well in creating a cohesive story, the interactions and facial expressions conveys an emotions flow that can provokes audiences thoughts.

Furthermore, some areas that I think I can develop more through my photos will be exploring more through the details, adding on more elements into the scene. My goal for next unit or some ways to improve my images will be to keep more focus on incorporating more specific elements and capturing more images on actual objects to show meanings in different ways.

RED CONTACT SHEET #2 / PHOTO SET #2

Another set of photo thats being selected from the series explores through the emotion from depression into bravery. The images portrays the character with their stuffed animal in dark light conditions, which conveys an negative/low mood. Later on, the scene had shown the progression from indoor solitude to an outdoor, which represent the change through emotions. With the bright light being shown in the background, the headphones on the head presents the meaning of isolating the outside voices; this leads to an transition from negative into positive emotion, which demonstrates a mood of bravery. Overall, by using lamp, stuff animal and headphones, this set of images generates a narrative through a three session photo. The photo set begins with a indoor scene that shows a quiet moment and transitioning to the outside world to face the unknown.

Looking back to the images, I believe some strength that is being shown inside the photo will be the use of different light technique and the emotional connections. Similar to what I had mentioned on previous photo set, I had reflected on my first shots and noticed that I had developed my skills on the use of lighting and emotional expressing through actions and facial expressions. These different techniques had been emphasized in my series to develop further on my mood generations.

Although the photo turns out good visual effects with the unique lighting techniques, but there are still some areas that need to be further developed. During this set of photos, I noticed that I did not represents well on the ‘continuity,’ the third image had shown a huge difference comparing to the first two photos, which presents a weird overall meaning and might mislead the audience. In this case, my goals for my next photo capturing will be focusing on creating a stronger connection between the images.I might emphasizes more on the relation between the subject and the environment, which could enhance storytelling through the images.

To plan my shots for this unit, I might need some props to help me express more meanings and add more on the visual effect. These props may include headphones (represent the ability to isolate the other noises from the environment), stuff animals (represents comfort and childishness), and other equipments or tools for different visual effects. From now, I believe I have a clear vision for my first set of photo, I understand and comprehend my ideas, I may develop my stories further more during I capture the photos. Moreover, some locations or background scenes that will be enhanced inside my images will be the scene of darkness or the scene of bedroom, which may both presents a feeling of helpless.

Subjects:

The photo that I selected for this blog is called the “Dovima with elephants, ” this photograph features a woman dressing with an elegant attire posing with two elephants in a stylized posture.

Details:

Inside the image, there are some details being include from the subjects:

1. The woman is wearing a strapless black and white dress
2. The woman wears a pair of long and black gloves, which adds a dramatic flair to her appearance
3. The elephants were captured with their trunks raised, this helps to contribute to a lively and engaging interaction
4. The background shows up to be a plain wall with some texture portrayed, this may suggested a studio or enclosed environment
5. The elephant’s leg was being put up with a thin chain, which might conveys a meaning of limitation

Setting:

1. The place appears to be an indoor setting, possibly in a studio or an animal enclosure
2. The background or the whole scene shows an concise style, which helps to highlight on the subject
3. The time period is not explicitly stated, but the fashion style from the characters suggests a classic feel
4. There are elements of hay on the ground, which indicate the existence of animals

Characters:

1. The woman shows up with an white and black dress, her unique posture portrays confident and poised, showcasing elegance.
2. The elephants seems playful, which shows an interaction between the woman and the elephant
3. I like the style and the posture that the image portrayed, it demonstrated an unique understanding through the relationship between human and animals

Situations:

1. Inside the picture, it shows an situation that involve the relationship of human and animals, the characters are engaged in a pose that suggests interactions and harmony between human and animals
2. The photograph conveys a sense of connection,  which highlights the beauty and grace of both the woman and the elephants
3. This image can fit with cultural contexts that address animal welfare and the relationship between human and the nature

STYLE & GENRE:

• The photo shows an style with the color black and white, which emphasizes the contrast between colors and the different texture through the subjects
• The image shows an high contrast with the colors, which given depths to the elements
• The style of the image can be described with the words of elegant, dramatic, and artistic

PHOTOGRAPHIC ATTRIBUTES:

1. The photograph was captured with a perspective of normal eye level, which enhanced the stature of both the woman and the elephants, making the composition in rule of thirds.
2. As a audience, my attention was mainly drawn on the woman who is standing in the middle of the picture. The woman’s striking pose and the elephants’ expressions through the image really attracts my attention and provokes me to consider through the meanings
3. The colors that was being shown inside the image was mainly black and white, there were also some dark gray color being decorated on the elephant. The lines being shown on the woman flow gently, which presents an contrast while the elephants’ contours provide a strong visual effect
4. The soft lighting inside the photo shows an dramatic visual effect, which highlight the subjects without harsh shadows. From the image, the light is focused on the characters and subjects, which bringing attention to the interactions
5. The woman and elephants are in sharp focus, which shows an contrast with the plain background and helps the audience to highlight the main subject inside the photo
6. When I look away and review the picture again, my attention was still caught by the pose that the subjects made. The different posture had shown an unique style of the image and the dynamic effect between the woman and the elephants

MEANING / INTENT:

1. The various elements inside the image such as the color contrast and the graceful pose had contributed and evokes a feeling of elegance with a bit of playfulness.
2. The intended effect seems to show the beauty and the unique characteristic of both the model and the elephants, which may be aiming for a message about harmony with animals. The choices that the Avedon had made demonstrated an artistic idea which draws the audience into a world where elegance and wildness coexist.
3. I want my photograph to show a flow through emotions, which be represent with a way of a series of photo. From the series it present an action and the changing through characters
4. I think I have achieved this from the photo that I had planned to took, if everything goes well, then the photo will presents a short story which will portray the emotion flow

Richard Avedon

Richard Avedon’s photography conveys a profound exploration of identity and emotions, his intent or the message that he was trying to convey was not only to capture

the similarities between subjects but also reveal through the emotions and complexities. From the quote that Avedon had said, he claimed that “A portrait is not just a likeness. When an emotion or fact becomes a photograph, it transforms into a personal opinion.” This demonstrated his belief through photography, which shows what the photographer’s point of view and his understanding through capturing images. Furthermore, from the scene of Avedon’s work, it often shows an reflection to the cultural and social issues of specific period of time. Avedon captured important events such as civil rights movement and the Vietnam War. He used his art to shed light on social issues and the experiences.

His portraits shows on both celebrities and daily people, by using different techniques he can reflect on the harsh realities behind various images.

In addition, Avedon’s images demonstrated various photography style that was marked by several unique techniques and common elements. One of the style was by showing simple backgrounds. Avedon often used plain white backgrounds for his photos, this can help him to remove distractions and highlight on his subjects’ expressions and emotions, which can helps to generate a sense of closeness, allowing the audience to build up deeper connections with the image. Another style that Avedon had used inside his work is by showing unique compositions. Avedon’s portraits often include close-ups shots that crops the subject’s face in a dramatic way. This could create a feeling for the audience to make them feel like they are intruding into the subject’s personal space, which creates a feeling of closeness and vulnerability, generating a relationship between the audience and the subject.

The reason why I select Richard Avedon as the photographer to research was because of his unique display style for photos, Avedon demonstrates a creative way of taking portraits and telling complex stories through photography, his images inspire me to look deeper into the emotions of my subjects and think about the wider concepts in the story of the scene, which supported me to consider more through my theme of images. During the process of capturing photos, I will be trying to use more simple backgrounds to emphasize my subject, I will also portray more on the facial expression and the action from the character, which will help to show the emotion of the image.

The title of this project is “The beauty through overcoming,” which shows the societal/cultural issue that I want to explore with my photographs. My images demonstrated the complexity through the modern society, by emphasizing the actions, audience can feel the psychological changes of different characters in various scenes. While understanding through my images, I want my audience to feel the changes through negative mood into positive mood, which can portray an contrast between the emotions. I will get inspiration and develop my ideas by looking for photographs that highlights the actions and the form of light through different scenes, which will helps me to receive more ideas and to develop my images.

The photographer that I had research is Richard Avedon, who was a renowned American fashion and portrait photographer. By looking through the photo that he had captured, I had got an inspiration about the idea of “Unfazed by others’ opinions.” I will be capturing images with a specific character, who will be showing an emotion from depression to bravery. This idea comes from the photo of “In the American West.” The photo had demonstrated the diversity and complexity of the life in American. In the photo, Richard Avedon had captured various individuals from different backgrounds, which emphasizes their resilience and uniqueness.

In the photo that I am planning to capture, I will be exploring through the concepts of the complexity in the society, specifically about the emotion changes through people in the modern society or the multiplicity of contemporary individuals in society. From this concept, I can be able to focus on the character’s action or express different meanings by the combination of light and facial expressions, which helps me to improve on different areas through photography.