Month: January 2026

Composition & Technique

1. Focal Point & Eye Movement

•  The viewer’s eyes are immediately drawn to the subject’s face, lit by the red stage light, and the bright blue lens flare cutting across the frame.
• My intended focal point is the subject’s smile and the mix of red and blue light on his suit, but the lens flare competes with this focus.

2. Distracting Elements

• A chair with a gold ribbon in the bottom right corner partially covers the subject’s torso, creating a small visual interruption.
• The background has cluttered tables with glassware and floral arrangements that are slightly in focus, pulling attention away from the subject.
• The blue lens flare covers a small part of the subject’s hair and shoulder, obscuring those details.

3. Exposure

• The red stage light causes slight overexposure on the subject’s right cheek (viewer’s left), and fine skin tone details are lost in this area.
• The darker parts of the background (like the tables on the far left) are underexposed, but this choice keeps the subject as the main light focus.
• The stage light bulbs in the upper part of the frame are blown out, with no visible detail in the light sources this is a natural outcome of shooting in low light with direct bright lights.

4. Background

• The background shows a formal event space with decorated tables and stage lighting, which provides context for the setting (a banquet or gala) but is not blurred enough to stay secondary to the subject.
• The mix of bright stage lights (yellow, red, blue) in the background adds to the event atmosphere but creates extra visual noise around the subject.

5. Composition & Balance

• The subject is centered in the frame, which creates symmetrical balance but lacks visual dynamics. Placing him slightly off-center (following the rule of thirds) would have made the composition more engaging.
• The horizontal lines of the tables and stage lights in the background contrast with the vertical shape of the subject, which adds some visual interest but also makes the frame feel a little unbalanced.

6. Color Accuracy

• The red light from the stage creates a strong color cast on the subject’s skin and suit, which is not natural skin tone but is an intentional choice to highlight the color’s symbolic meaning.
• The blue lens flare and background lights add cool tones that clash with the warm red, which supports the statement of intent about color contrast and societal perception.

Storytelling Quality

• The vision of exploring color as a visual language for identity and societal perception is clear in the photo. The red light (symbolizing joy, celebration, and boldness) on the subject’s formal black suit (linked to formality and social conformity) directly shows the clash between personal expression and societal expectations.

• The casual smile of the subject, paired with the formal suit and dramatic colored light, tells a story of staying true to personal identity in a socially structured environment (a formal event).

• The cluttered, real-world event background grounds the story in everyday life, which supports the intent to show how color shapes identity in ordinary spaces.

Emotional Impact

• Feedback from peers shows the image evokes feelings of warmth and relatability the person’s genuine smile makes viewers connect with the moment of personal joy in a formal setting.

• The contrast of red and blue light makes viewers notice the tension between societal norms (black suit, formal event) and personal expression (smile, red light’s warmth), which sparks curiosity about the person’s identity.

• The image aligns with the statement of intent because it uses color to communicate emotion (joy from red) and societal perception (the black suit’s link to formality, blue’s hint of distance from social expectations). Viewers easily recognize how color can change the way we see a person’s identity in a social context.

The photographer I have chose: Brandon Woelfel

Intent and Message of the Photographer

Brandon Woelfel’s photographs explore how light and color can be used to express emotion, identity, and atmosphere. His work often focuses on people in everyday or social environments, but he transforms these moments through the use of strong artificial lighting. Rather than documenting reality exactly as it appears, Woelfel uses color to suggest feelings such as confidence, calmness, joy, or emotional tension. His photographs reflect modern youth culture and how identity can be communicated visually through mood and lighting rather than words.

Analysis of Artist

Across Brandon Woelfel’s images, there is a clear pattern in his use of bold, saturated colors such as red, blue, and pink. He frequently uses artificial light sources like neon lights, LEDs, or stage lighting to shape the mood of the photograph. His subjects are usually placed clearly within the frame and are well lit, while the background is often darker or softly blurred. Light flares and reflections appear often in his work, adding a dreamlike or cinematic effect. His camera technique prioritizes lighting and colour contrast over detailed backgrounds.

Justification for Choosing this Artist

I chose Brandon Woelfel because his use of dramatic colored lighting closely connects to my photograph. In my image, red and blue stage lights play a major role in shaping how the subject is seen and felt. Like Woelfel’s work, the lighting in my photo creates emotion and meaning rather than simply illuminating the scene. His photographs inspire me to experiment with color contrast, artificial lighting, and atmosphere. He shows how color can influence how a person is perceived, which directly relates to my focus on identity and societal expectations.

Favorite Photo

Least Favorite Photo:

(Some sources say this is Brandon Woelfel’s photos others say the artist is unknown I am not exactly sure but hopefully it is his work)

This photograph features a subject holding or surrounded by fairy lights inside a jar. Like many of Woelfel’s portraits, the focus is on a single person, but in this image the lights become the most noticeable element rather than the subject’s face. The background is again blurred, but the image feels more cluttered due to the brightness of the lights.

The lighting in this photograph is very strong and heavily edited. The fairy lights are extremely bright and the colors are highly saturated, which causes some areas to lose detail. Because of this, the image feels less natural compared to the favorite photograph. The glow effect is interesting at first, but it distracts from the subject instead of enhancing them.

The pose feels more staged and less spontaneous. The subject appears to be posing specifically to show the effect of the lights rather than expressing a natural emotion. This makes the photograph feel more like an experiment with visual effects instead of a captured moment. While the technique is creative, it feels less emotionally engaging.

What I Want to Use in My Own Photography

From my favorite photograph, I want to use bright colors and creative lighting to create a strong visual impact. I especially like how colored light can be used to highlight the subject while still keeping the image soft and balanced.

However, I also want my photographs to feel natural and genuine. I will focus on relaxed poses, real expressions, and minimal editing so the subject remains the main focus. By combining bright color with a natural feeling, I want to create photographs that are visually interesting but still emotionally authentic.