Composition/Structure of the photograph:

• Describe the subject: A middle-aged man is sitting on his motorcycle, holding his phone in his hand. The man is dressed in dark clothing, and his posture is intent and focused. He is looking directly at the camera lens, which makes his facial expression clear. Several wrinkles on his face show his age, and his eyebrow and eye shapes also show his facial expression. It can differ by people’s views, but for me, the man is frowning and seems mad, but I also deem it as a facial expression that shows sadness. The image captures a moment of individual observation within a larger, chaotic public moment.
• Is the image in black and white or colour? The image is black and white, not color. I decided to change the image to black and white because it highlights the man’s facial expression more clearly than the color image. Additionally, using a black and white color palette creates contrast, which highlights the subject and makes the man stand out in the image. Furthermore, by converting the image to black and white, it emphasizes its historical significance.
• TONE: The photo is in black and white, but not an extreme black and white. The photo is overall showing grey colors in the image. Since the mid-key tone is the tone in the middle of the tones, it makes the photo comfortable and steady.
• Composition of the image: The photo’s composition is clearly organized. The man is on the right side of the photo, and his motorcycle and his phone are in the center of the image. The photo does not show action or movements directly, but the audienece can imagine the movements in his hands and arms by defining his gesture. Additionally, placing the subject on one side and the additional materials in the center made the photo more visually interesting.
• Angle of the viewpoint – The photo is tilted to the right since the man’s face and body are tilted to the right. This indicates that this photo was shot from a slightly low, diagonal angle, looking up and across at the subject.
• Framing  (Rule of Thirds & Crop)- The subject, foreground, is placed along the upper-right third of the frame. Rather than placing the subject in the center and middle of the photo, placing it at the end and upper frame altered the audience’s view and challenged the stereotype that key subjects should be placed in the center.
• Focus: The focus on the subject, the man, and the motorcycle. The background lacks a high quality of focus, appearing blurry. Maintaining a high level of focus on the subject emphasizes the main subject of the photo.

FEEL What do you feel about the image –  Mood:

• The photograph gives the impression of solemnity and seriousness in a chaotic society.
• The attitude and focus are conveyed through the middle-aged man’s body language and facial expressions, creating a unique presence.
• The photographer gives a sense of urgency tempered by reverence.
• The scene primarily portrays a man’s appearance. His gestures and diverse facial expressions make the photo more interesting.
• There is a feeling of sadness, seriousness, anxiety, and curiosity in the photo.
• How does the photograph make you feel? The photo evokes a range of emotions simultaneously. I noticed that from different viewpoints, the photo can be shared and feel different. On one hand, the photo might make me or someone else feel sad; however, from another perspective, the photo can reveal a man’s anxiety through his facial expression. Since these two feelings are contrasting, it was unusual and interesting to me that they could be conveyed to me simultaneously.

COMPOSITION/STRUCTURE of the photograph

• Describe the subject – what is going on in the image? A street sweeper is walking the hutong street and smoking a cigarette. He is also holding a water bottle in his hand. The man is wearing a blue uniform with a yellow stripe, displaying a patterned design. His eye is a bit covered because of the shadow of his cap. His blank expression is well shown in the image by the man’s tired-looking eyes and the shape of his mouth.
• Is the image in black and white or colour? What difference does this make? The image is in vivid, saturated colour, not monochrome. The main colors shown in this photo are bold red, blue, and yellow. These three colors show a strong contrast in color. The red background and the blue and yellow uniform in the foreground match the color very well, making the image stand out. Without color, it would feel documentary or nostalgic; with color, it feels immediate, alive, and slightly grotesque.
• TONE: The photo features extreme contrast and high saturation, rather than a harsh black-and-white effect. A deep red color dominates the background, while a cool blue tone prevails in the image atmosphere. Specifically, the tone is punchy and graphic, like a Hong Kong street poster — bold and slightly surreal.
• Composition of the image: The composition of the image is in controlled chaos. The man is centered, calm, and still, showing a visual anchor. The background is a riot of meat, red labels, and reflections — busy, textured, overwhelming. The composition employs stillness within a cluttered setting to create tension and irony. 
• Think about the angle of the viewpoint – The image is shot from a high, slightly tilted top-down angle. I stood on a stool or at an upper level and held the camera above my head.
• Framing – Rule of thirds: In the frame, the street sweeper’s head and shoulders sit in the upper-third horizontal line.
• Framing – Crop: In this image, several cropping steps were utilized during editing. I cropped the top part of the photo, just before his hat, and also cut his knees and some edges. By using these cropping techniques, I was able to make the subject, the man, larger and emphasize it since the backgrounds were cropped out.
• Where is the focus? / What aperture?  The Sharp focus is on the man’s face, cigarette, and hand. A slight soft focus is also evident in the meat below — a shallow depth of field. Reflections on glass are intentionally busy, adding visual noise.

Colour – saturated? Contrasting? The color is extremely saturated and highly contrasting.

FEEL What do you feel about the image –  Mood 

• The photograph gives the impression of a man suspended between labor and hunger.
• Attitude and Focus (is there a key feature?) I think the cigarette is the key feature in this image.
• Subject: The main subject is the man at the center of the image.
• The photographer gives a sense of
• There is a feeling of depression, loneliness, curiosity, and  exhaustion,
• What does it make you think of? I think the photo evokes thoughts about our contemporary society. The man is smoking a cigarette, and I think this shows the exhaustion of life since most adults smoke cigarettes because of stress and emotional coping from work pressure, money, and family.

• Layers: the window in front of the man makes a layer in the image. The layers make the image more interesting and unique. In this photo, the reflection of the trees and sky on the window makes the image more attractive.
• Colors: Through editing techniques, I increased saturation and reduced the light to create a sense of an old movie atmosphere.
• Tone: By changing the color of green to brighter and stronger, the photo creates a mood

• Capture eye contact: shows facial expression very well. “The frowning expression”
• color – black & white- showing contrast in colors
  • black & white makes the facial expression of the man clearer
• gesture: putting his hand on the motorcycle makes the photo more natural

• decisive movement: shot many rolls of film
• gesture: putting his hand on his ear & calling someone –> shows the daily life of people
• Lowering the light made the photo darker –> highlighting the clothing he is wearing

• colors: The orange and yellow color in the man’s clothes and the box makes the photo unique.
• tone: In general, the photo denotes warm tones and
• framing – rules of thirds: The worker is in the center which emphasize the subject well
• Negative space: The negative space on the side makes the subject stand out.

• Don’t move- the fishing technique
• tone
• motion: cigarette smoke

• capture very close
• capture eye contact
• layers

• layers
• colors: red and blue make a contrast in color
• techniques: higher saturation, colors – making the photo clear & colorful
• The mood of the photo is bright & positive –

• Capture gestures: the woman was shaking her hands and arms when I was taking the photo
• techniques: higher saturation, colors – making the photo clear & colorful
• capturing emotions: The woman is smiling, which shows “happiness” through those facial expressions

• Capture eye contact: The man’s eyes are looking directly at the camera, which allowed me to capture his eye contact well.
• Framing: The man is positioned in the center of the photo, making the image balanced and steady.
• colors: The main colors used in the photo are orange, brown, and red. These three colors all have similarities in ton,e making the photo’s theme clear.

• Perspective and angle: angle-low angle: By capturing four men from a low angle, it made the subject, the man, stand out. Making the subject large made the photo more interesting and unique.
• Gesture: The man on the right is holding a card and trying to put it on the table. This indicates the natural and everyday life of people.

• Decisive movement: The motorcycle appears to be in motion. This movement makes the photo look more lively and real.
• Shutter speed: I tried a fast shutter speed when I was capturing this photo, since I wanted to capture the motorcycle when it came inside the hole exactly.

• Negative space: The negative spaces on the side make the center focused, highlighting the subject,

• The title of this project is “Coincidence of Fashion and Vehicle”
• The concept/story I want to tell about my is the natural and everyday situation of people riding or using common vehicles in the hutong. By the photographs I capture, I want to show a strong connection and links between the relationship between people and the vehicle, which is the key object in contemporary times.
• I want my audience to feel how a common and obvious daily life can be shown as very special, unique, inspiring, and beautiful from other people’s view.  I want my audience to feel empathy for their lives and humor while observing and looking at my photograph. Also, I hope my audience can understand the relationship between fashion and vehicles in the hutong.
• I will get inspiration and develop my ideas by looking for photographs that use decisive movements, show contrast in colors, or show various compositions of shapes like triangles.

Elliot Erwitt

Elliot Erwitt, a renowned French-born American photographer, is known as a master of street photography, who captures the essence of everyday life with an unparalleled blend of humor and poignancy. His ability to find the extraordinary moments in ordinary situations sets him apart as a true visionary in the field. His influence on street photography and photojournalism is immeasurable, inspiring generations of photographers to look for the extraordinary in the mundane. His wit and observation continue to captivate audiences, making his photographs timeless pieces of art that speak to the human experience. He captured wit, irony, and the human condition with a unique eye, frequently finding humor in everyday situations and delivering poignant glimpses of life through spontaneous moments.

From Elliot Erwitt’s work, I learned that in street photography, the ordinary and everyday situations can be described as very inspiring and humorous in the image. Also, his unique eye and the way he showed humor in everyday situations made me think about how street photography can denote various and versatile perspectives. This helped me to develop my idea well since by his photographs,  I was able to define street photography is a more deep and meaningful genere in photography, and gave  me think of different kinds of aspects and ideas in street photography.

Quotation:

“The whole point of taking pictures is so that you don’t have to explain things with words.” -Elliot Erwitt

–> To me, this quote was a sentence that defined the defintion and the purpose of photography. People take and capture a photo to save or remember a certain image of an object or a situation. Every photo has a purpose and meaning, and it can be explained in the pictures by observing. Unlike essays or an simple writing, photo is a concept with neither explanations nor detailed informatikon about the photo. However, people can notice and understand photographs we frequently see in our daily lifes, and that is why photo is more unique and an interesting genre. I think Elliot Erwitt  wanted to describe this aspect in the quote.

Style of work:

• Elliott Erwitt is primarily a street photographer, capturing candid, spontaneous moments in public spaces.
• His photography is characterized by humor, irony, and human empathy, highlighting everyday life with a whimsical touch.
• Erwitt often employs black and white photography to emphasize composition and emotion over color.

Context:

• Erwitt’s work shares similarities with Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank, especially in capturing “decisive moments.”

• Unlike Cartier-Bresson’s sometimes formal and serious tone, Erwitt infuses humor and warmth into his street photography.

• Artists of Erwitt’s time embraced street photography to document the rapid social and cultural changes post-World War II, aiming for realism and emotional authenticity.

• The post-war era’s focus on humanistic storytelling made candid street photos a powerful medium to capture everyday realities and social nuances.

• Erwitt’s work reflects influences from film and theatre, particularly in timing and narrative construction, as well as from American cinema and music rhythms, enabling a story-like quality in his photos.

My opinion:

What stands out to me about Erwitt’s style is his unique ability to blend humor with deep human insight, creating emotionally engaging and universally relatable images. I appreciate how Erwitt finds extraordinary moments in ordinary life, reminding us to view the world with curiosity and kindness. He inspires me by demonstrating that photography is not just about technique but also about observation, empathy, and storytelling. His work encourages an artistic perspective that values emotional truth and lightheartedness, showing the power of a simple moment to convey complex human experiences.

Critique – my favourite photo

<Dog Portraiture-New York City 1974, by Elliot Erwitt>

Composition/Structure of this photography:

• Subject of the image: The image cleverly juxtaposes two very different dogs—a tiny Chihuahua on one side and the enormous legs and paws of a Great Dane on the other side. The Chihuahua looks bewildered as it glances at the camera, while the Great Dane’s powerful legs and paws dominate the opposite edge of the frame.
• Colors: the image is black and white. Elliot Erwitt is well known for using black and white techniques in his photographs. Using black and white colors makes a difference in the mood, atmosphere, and tone of the photograph. Moreover, it also emphasizes the contrast of the photo. For instance, in this photograph, the color of the Great Dane’s leg on the left side is white, and the color of the two legs on the right are black. This denotes the contrast and separates the subjects well.
• Tone: This image shows mid-key tone. The image is neither very bright nor very dark but rather falls in the middle range of the tonal spectrum. It also create balanced images with moderate contrast and a natural, neutral exposure, featuring a good range of greys without extreme blacks or whites. It fits somewhere between the bright, airy look of high-key photography and the dark, dramatic look of low-key photography.
• Composition: The composition of this image is calm and well-organized. The photo showcases a clear juxtaposition by featuring three different kinds of legs. The photo does not show any motions or actions. The subject, the three animals or people, in the photo looks like they are standing still on the ground in a line. The composition of the photograph makes the photo look simple but intriguing.
• Angle of the viewpoint: The photograph only shows the lower part of the animal and a person’s body, except for the dog. In the photo, the dog is the only creature that shows all of its body and its face.  By this, I can deem that the photographer, Elliot Erwitt, had lowered his body and captured the dog. Furthermore, the photographer wanted to capture a low-angle photo because he wanted to take the image from the dog’s eye view. Angle, especially, is vital in this photograph because it indicates the meaning and the key subject of the photo, the small dog on the left side.
• Framing: The key subject, two dogs and a human’s shoes, is in the middle section of the photo, drawing viewers’ eyes naturally to these focal points and following the rules of thirds well. Also, by limiting the frame to only lower legs and paws, Erwitt creates surprise and forces viewers to interpret the scene unconventionally, making the image iconic and unique.
• Foreground: The main focus is on the lower legs, feet, and paws—specifically the tiny Chihuahua and the massive legs and paws of the Great Dane.
• Background: In this photo, the background does not take up much space compared to the foreground or midground. The background is also out of focus, making the focus to the key subjects in the photo.

FEEL What do you feel about the image –  Mood 

• The photo gives the impression of whimsy contrast between two different dogs, highlighting size and personality differences
• The attitude and focus center on the juxtaposition of two dogs, creating humor and unexpected visual contrast.
• Elliot Erwitt gives a sense of humor and friendliness since he shows everyday moments with affection and visual wit.
• The scene portrays an urban moment where animals and humans intersect in a funny and memorable way.
• This photograph makes me feel stable and inspiring because of the techniques like juxtaposition and lining that Elliot Erwitt used. However, I think the theme and the subject of the photo made me feel stable as well. The photo shows coexsitence of human and animal which makes the photo more inspiring to me since I like animals a lot.

The general concept I want to focus on is the general people who are riding or using vehicles like bicycles, motorcycles, cars, and carriages. Also, I want to capture the natural appearance and image of people in the hutong. I want to emphasize fashion, such as the colors of people’s clothing or jewelry, and the design or patterns of the clothing.

My Mood Board:

Main concept 1: The decisive movement

This photo showcases one of the 20 concepts, the decisive movement. To capture decisive movement, the image should be captured with perfect timing and at the precise moment of movement. In this photo, my friend, Amber, is going down the stairs. By her leg locations, movements are shown in the image. The primary purpose of this photo was to capture her movement while walking; the photo is well connected to this purpose and shows decisive movement.

Other photographic techniques:

–Perspective and angles:  The photo is taken from a high angle. The high-angle technique makes the subject appear smaller and the background appear larger.

–Composition – rule of thirds/centre: In the photo, Amber is in the middle of the image, which shows the rule of thirds directly in the image.

–Contrast in colors: The bright yellow umbrella and the dark brown jacket indicate contrast of colors well. Especially, the yellow umbrella is emphasized more in this image, which shows a bright and positive tone to the picture.

Main concept 2: capture eye contact

This photo shows the concept “capture the eye contact”. In the image, my friend is looking directly at the camera lens. In this photo, people can observe her facial expressions and emotions well, which well defines street photography. In the photo, she is neither smiling nor frowning, which makes the photo more interesting.

Other photographic techniques:

–Get really close – 1 arm’s length: In the photo, I captured her face very closely. The proximity between the camera and herself allowed her facial expression to reveal details. By this close-up technique, the theme or the topic of the photography is well described.

–Focus: In the photo, the focus is out, which makes the photo blurry. Loss of focus evoked feelings of motion, making an image feel more alive and dynamic.

Main concept 3: Layers

This photo shows the concept of “Layers”.  The main subject, Amber, is positioned behind several structures, including the football net and the stairs. By the layer technique, patterns and repetition are also shown in the photo. By capturing the layers, the photo appears fuller and denser, which does not make the photo concise and simple.

Other photographic techniques:

–focus on the background: In the photo, the subject only occupies a small space of the photo, and the rest of the space is the background of the photo.

–Patterns and repetition: As I mentioned above, the patterns and the repetition of the rectangular shape are well shown in the image.

Main concept 4: Perspective and angles

In this photo, it clearly shows the technique “Perspective and angles”. I captured the photo below the stairs, and Amber was standing above the stairs. This denotes a low-angle technique, which makes the subject appear larger than taking a general angle. It makes the subject appear ltaller, and more imposing, creating a sense of power, dominance, and strength.

• What is Street Photography?

Street photography is a genre of photography that captures emotions, humanity, and the soul by employing unique and specific photographic techniques.  It focuses on everyday life and people without any posing or planning. These photos capture stories and emotions from everyday scenes, such as parks, markets, or streets. Moreover, it explores or questions contemporary society and the relationships between individuals and their surroundings. By capturing the general and common circumstances or situations of life, it makes people empathize with the photography more and feel familiarity or affinity. Unlike abstract photography, street photography has a specific topic iand showcase  the main idea of the photo more directly.

My triptych is an abstract photograph that captures the texture of the dogs’ fur. By making the photo monochrome, black and white, it showed great contrast in colors and highlighted the texture and shape of the fur more directly. I chose the texture of the animal fur as the theme of my photograph because I wanted to show people a magnified version of the dog’s fur and tell how every dog has a different texture of fur, which shows diversity and identity in dog breeds.

This first photo of my photograph is a close-up shot of a stray dog in 798.  The contrast in the colors, black in the middle and white on the sides, helped the photo to emphasize the texture of the fur because having a dark color in the middle highlighted the color white, which is the part where the texture of the fur is well shown. The silky and smooth texture of the fur is the main point in the photo that I wanted other people to notice while looking at this photograph. Silky and smooth texture gives an impression of softness, luxury, and elegance. It evokes a sensation of gentle, velvety touch that is delicate and refined, often associated with comfort. Such textures are commonly linked to feelings of warmth, sophistication, and high quality.

The second photo of my photography is a close-up shot of a poodle in 798. If we think of the dog breed “poodle,” the common thoughts about the poodle are cute, small, gentle, kind, fluffy, soft, and so on. I think the texture of this photo is also linked to the general thoughts about the poodle. The curvy, curly, and rough texture of the poodle’s fur gives an impression of warmth, playfulness, and delicate beauty, perfectly capturing the gentle and affectionate nature commonly associated with the breed.

The third photo of my photography is a close-up shot of another stray dog in 798. The close-up photo of the dog’s fur reveals a dense, tightly packed texture characterized by intricate curls and waves. The fur appears soft and fluffy, with a rich, layered structure that emphasizes depth and volume. The curls create a dynamic interplay of light and shadow, which makes the mood and the atmosphere of the photo dark.

Overall, my three photographs all have a connection to the concept of animal texture and monochrome. The three photographs that I took all have different textures of the fur, which give different meanings, impressions, and feelings about the photograph. Hearing the word only texture of the animal might not seem attractive at first, but seeing a detailed and specific photograph about the texture of the animal’s fur can give a new persepctive and  insightful views about it.

< “ANIMAL” Abstract Photography – 798 >

• High contrast in color ( black in the middle & white on the sides)
• Texture of the animal’s (dog) fur – silky
• line element
• close-up shot
• Tone: the dark atmosphere in the photo  helps define the mood and contrast

• High contrast in color ( grey-black-white)
• texture of the dog’s fur – curly&rough 
• line elements-curvy lines
• repetition of the fur
• close-up shot
• dark tone

• Contrast in color
• texture of the dog’s fur – rough & dense
• line element-diagonal lines
• close-up shot
• clear concept-animal fur

• Contrast in color
• close-up shot of the animal’s face
• clear concept-dog
• focused well in one section (face)
• texture of the fur –curly

• Contrast in color (emphasize the animal fur and the animal itself)
• texture
• line element on the ground
• patterns (rectangular) & repetition
• Focus – the focus is toward the dog & less focus was used for the background (the ground)

• Contrast in color ( black & white)
• texture of the fur – smooth, & the whisker
• close-up shot
• line elements ( whiskers, furs)
• clear concept

• Contrast in color ( black & white)
• focus and depth of field
• texture of the fur & whisker
• close-up shot
• line element
• shape

• mostly dark shades used
• Light (natural sunlight reflected on the lion sculpture)
• good focus
• line element
• close-up shot – emphasize the lion’s mane
• rough texture

• Contrast in color
• texture of the fur – curvy
• close-up shot
• Low-key tone: dark tone, deep shadow

• Contrast in color
• texture of fur- curvy and wiry (puddle)
• close-up shot, negative space on the left & right
• mid-key tone, balanced distribution of shadows