In the first unit, we understood more about the rules in photography by breaking them and seeing how they impact the photo. These are the 9 “wrong” photos that I took and explained through the contact sheet.

In 1967, John Baldessari exhibited his ‘wrong’ series. He uses a selection of photographic images anchored by text. The most famous of which, titled ‘wrong’ shows an image with poor composition juxtaposed by the text ‘wrong’ below the photograph (“Context”). I think Baldessari wanted us to think about the judgement of a photo in a different aspect. A photo shouldn’t be categorized as right or wrong. Instead, it would show a story of what the photographer is thinking about, trying to show an idea. Judging a photo should only be personal, since it depends on the aesthetic you like.

During the 1960s, many people were influenced by Dadaism and Surrealism in challenging conventional norms. Baldessari intended to have this photo matches the name, “wrong”, as it breaks many rules in photography. The man shouldn’t be in line with the tree, as it is hard to differentiate the two objects. Some parts of the photo are overexposed, while other parts are overexposed. This makes the photo very bright and dark in different parts of the photo. The photo is not in focus, as the background has many objects that are cut out, such as the car and the trees. This shows how the title, “Wrong”, is meant to be ironic, as Baldessari purposely broke these universal standards in photography. It leads to modern art/photography around the world, as nothing is judged by right and wrong. It shows a different perspective of an idea.

After analyzing this photo, I believe that there isn’t a “bad” or “wrong” photo, as each photo is “great” in its own ways. Baldessari was able to show his ideas through being ironic and humorous, as he was able to portray the new ideas on “wrong” photography to the audience. Furthermore, in my opinion, the context of a photo is more important than the techniques used to take the photo. Knowing the background of the time period and the photographer, it helps to understand what the photographer is trying to portray through the photo. A photo can be presented through beautiful landscapes and details, however, it can also represent someone’s story and emotions through the context.

Work Cited:

“Context – its about the title – Blog Post 1” ISB, https://dx.isb.cn/dash/#/classroom/648607/sections/lesson/344114/page/344116. Accessed 22 August 2024.

Baldessari, John “Wrong” Photograph. Dragon’s Exchange, ISB. Accessed 22nd August 2024, https://dx.isb.cn/dash/#/classroom/648607/sections/lesson/344114/page/344116/edit, 22 August 2024.