We start again in nature.
The first photo by Rebecca almost looks like it was shot on the plains of the Serengeti. The darkened sky at the top plays against the bright sunlight along horizon to create a surrealistic feel. The bright highlights in the grass of the foreground add another layer of interest. This looks like a mystical place that triggers the imagination.
Ahyoung presents us with some strange apparatus on a beach that also points us to the surreal. Again the sky is dark at the top. This is usually a product of using infrared film (or a digital camera modified to record infrared light. It is good to know that the iPhone software can replicate this effect.) The extra bonus (omake) of the photo is the moon and the airplane.
This reflection by Woojae falls into the category of ‘monochrome’ that was mentioned back in the first topic (a color photograph that has almost no color). The greenhouse in the back establishes a relatively normal scene but if you stare into the pool of water in the foreground you fall into the world of M. C. Escher (who's work is a cross between optical illusion and surrealism).
Rebecca shows us this farm building that is falling in on itself. Perhaps this is more of a nightmare than just a memory. The tonality is once again tweaked to perfection to render a dreamy environment.
This twilight shot by Kang uses the light reflected off of the middle ground to create the interesting section of the photograph.
Here Lauren gets inventive by overlaying two photographs. (she uses the app called Piclay). The technique alone makes us think about remembering. Now it is up to us the viewer to search for visual clues and interpret the relationship between the two images.
Here we see some feet, presumably those of the photographer, as she contemplates the beautiful scene before her. This certainly does not look like West Philadelphia!
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The next photo starts a string of shots of landscapes with people:
Rebecca has us staring across a little bridge watching a person walking away from us. This is a beautiful setting so it makes me think this is a good memory, but walking away seems indicate loss or separation. It is effective because of the size of the person in the frame.
The color is nicely shifted in this photo by Ahyoung. And again a small figure is off to the right side of the photograph almost hiding behind the one central leaf that draws our attention at first. I just wish the horizon line was straight.
This photo in the desert by Christie uses a similar color shift but it is more splotchy. And again there's a figure hiding behind the tree that is consuming most of the frame and blocking our view. The obstruction adds mystery and the fact that the person is not just walking but seems to be running away from us heightens the effect even further.
Now the person in the frame becomes more clear but the desaturation of the color makes us think about thinking about things (imagination). This shot puts us into the head of the person in the photo and asks us to imagine what she is dreaming of, rather than seeing what the photographer is seeing, as is happening in the previous set of photos.
The view from above in this photo by KT uses desaturated and shifted colors to push the image into the past. Just the deserted pool on it's own takes us there. The kidney shape of the pool is well framed and the little bit of cement in the bottom two corners completes the composition.
This huge building shot by Rebecca is reduced in scale which pushes it back in time. The colors are even more desaturated than usual, rendering the photograph almost monochromatic. The shadows do not go all the way down to a rich black which, in this case, makes the subject seems ephemeral. This is somewhat of a contradiction between presentation and subject, which adds mystery and tension, both of which are major goals.
Rebecca uses a very low camera angle to focus on the flowers in the foreground which pushes the small house in the background out of focus. The house is obscured by a small twig that, because of the angle of view, is almost as big as the house. The whole photo is like a trip into Wonderland.
This is another overlay by Lauren that brings us into a more urban environment. Now we have two people, or two views of one person, and the translucency of the larger figure presents the idea of memory. But the larger figure who seems less real is the one who looks like she is thinking about the other, so the viewer has to work harder at figuring this one out, which is good.
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Now starts the fence series:
This starts with a nice tight downward view, shot by Vancesca. The sign is cut along the top edge, the pole is pushed over to the left, the cable runs perfectly parallel to the bottom edge, and we are looking down into a space that is dissected by a shadow. This photo exhibits great visual design, all made by where the photographer stood. All of this works together to make us think about a space are not supposed to be in.
Bicycle wheels and barbed wire create an obscured view into a bizarre space. The background is just out of focus enough for it to be difficult to figure out what all that stuff is, but the visual impression is compelling.
The chain link fence in the foreground places us into the mind of the person looking through it. What we see is a very open deserted industrial space that could be the setting for anything to happen. If you watch enough crime shows on TV you might see this place as dangerous. If it had shot at dusk, the dark environment would make it more so. Either way, it is tenuous to get us thinking.
This chain-link wall by Morgan accompanies our eye down the long street. This sets up an environment with potential. This is contrasted by the garden that is inside the fence. This is another shot I wish was a bit more vertically straight, but maybe I am too compulsive.
Christie uses metal framework as a visual barrier in this photo. There is a wild collection of patterns and textures in this restricted viewport. The scale of some things are not clear. The very top left corner has little squares that look like they could be windows of a building further away in the background. The striped shape along the right-hand edge could be small bricks or a large building, again unclear. All of these textures serve as clues that the viewer has to figure out. This is a fascinating photograph because you keep changing your mind about what is what.
Christie again uses an interesting metal framework with designs that are perhaps of North African design. These allow us to look into a space that contains an exhibition of some sort. The distortion of what logically is a rectangular frame adds design to the photo. What makes it interesting is the person standing just on the other side of the gate. They don’t seem to be engaged with the exhibition itself.
Another nice combination of a carefully framed close-up view and desaturated color is shot by Woojae. It is interesting to note that the tree that is in the foreground is mirrored in form by the reflection in the window. What is particularly beautiful is the one tiny branch reaching across in front of the window with its new little buds ready to open. This photo is wonderfully balanced.
This black-and-white photograph by Kang almost looks silvery, like beautiful metal reflecting light. The subject however is quite the opposite- an old boarded up industrial garage door. This is another photograph that might have been made even stronger if the bottom horizon line was parallel to the bottom of the frame.
We move from monochrome back to desaturated in this photograph of a long corridor by Woojae. The shadows are lightened, making the whole place seem less tangible. Having the door in the fence open invites us in to share his experience.
Here we have another view of a long porch with comfortable old chairs on which to sit and reminisce. The blown out highlights in the background enhance the feeling of an unreal space. The reduction to black-and-white also adds to the feel.
Another little bit of fence is shown in this photo by KT. This time the fence seems incomplete and disconnected, and this sets up a peculiar environment. It is shot late in the afternoon with long shadows stretching across the foreground of the frame. The black-and-white tonality helps remove it from reality.
This shot by Katie make the shadow the key element in the photo. The slats in the fence almost allow us to see through to the other side but there's not enough for us to form a complete image. Again the fence serves as a division between two realities, one on each side.
Rebecca he uses a triangular wooden structure to establish the visual format of the photograph. The small building in the background echoes this form. There are many other small objects that all give us clues as to what might be going in this place, like the bird feeder and the wheelbarrow. It almost seems like a place out of our childhood where we could play and run wild.
A closer view by KT shows an overlay of different linear patterns, one horizontal in the foreground that is softer focused, and a second vertical pattern in the background that has sharper focus. This dual layered composition has our eye going back-and-forth. There are other more organic materials in the bottom that add a third layer of texture and extend the subject of the photo.
A figure at the top of the stairs draws our attention upward in this photo by Woojae. The graphic elements of the steps and the banister and the walls all make a fascinating visual space. The blown out highlights of the top of the steps add drama. The fact that the figure is turned away from us hides her identity and finishes off the photo with mystery.
This is the first of two fire escape photos by KT. In this one there is an upward view and the colors have been shifted. The composition makes me think that I have just come down this fire escape and I'm looking up to see if my friend has also made it to safety.
This next fire escape photo, also by KT, is a bit more formal. It has been reduced to monochrome which throws it back in time. It is beautiful but it is not quite as compelling as the previous shot, perhaps because a story line is not as evident.
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This photo is the beginning of a set of train pictures:
This photo under the train tracks by Vancesca gives us a unique perspective on the scene because it is shot so low down. The yellow and black striped wall on one side counters the red fire escape on the other, yet our eyes want to travel all the way down the street. This keep our eyes moving and our attention shifting.
A nighttime photo of a deserted train platform could make us a little nervous. Yet there is no real threat in view. The pole cut by the left edge sets up the frame very nicely. The inclusion of the corner of the bench in the bottom left corner is another good addition to help define the space in a manner particular to this photographer.
The text on the sign warns of danger, yet we know that no one is going to walk onto the track area. It is the woman poised on the other side of tracks who becomes the main feature. Shooting this in a horizontal 16:9 format extends the width of the space, complementing the subject matter.
This is a rather bleak walk along the tracks, rendered by Vancesca by reducing the saturation. It is redeemed however by the couple walking in the distance. They add a little bit of hope to the scene.
Vancesca continues with her desaturated series. She uses a low view of this dead bicycle on the street to make it more dramatic.
In this third photo of the set Vancesca employs a different tactic. This time she focuses on the left-hand wall very close to the camera. This throws the rest of the field out of focus including the person walking down the street. This also throws our brain into a quandary trying to figure out what it is we are really supposed to focus our attention on. Very interesting…
This panorama sees Rebecca stretching our point of view to incorporate a very wide area. The shot is framed by a vertical pole on the left side and a vertical pillar on the right, echoed by two more poles on the right-hand side. It is not quite clear what the focus of the photo is but it's extreme width keeps us moving back-and-forth.
KT takes us from the extremely wide to the extremely close with this photo that shows the side of a rusting car and the remnants of its logo, long gone. This is an effective shot.
From here KT gets even more minimal. This texture is merely the air spaces in poured concrete. This is something we see every day yet never really stop to ponder. Here is your chance.
Katie continues the minimalism with this shot of a door hinge. It is framed by running the edge of the door perfectly parallel to the edge of the photo frame. This is another element in the world that we see often but never stop to look at closely. In the last two photographs the artist is stopping us to look at things that are typically overlooked. This is one interesting means of sharing that can happen with a camera.
In this photo Katie takes us in a very different direction. There seems to be a person on the floor that is strewn with debris, yet the person is cut out of the frame and we have no idea what caused this havoc. This photo presents a wonderful mystery for us to comtemplate.
Christie gives us an outstretched hand holding a tiny flower with the background thrown completely out of focus. This is a grand gesture yet the meaning is not exactly clear. This is another visual puzzle to solve.
In an even more enigmatic photo, Krista gives us a flower and it's reflection. It is not clear if this is reduced saturation or a toned black-and-white photo but the color palette is reduced either way and that is very effective. The dim light on the flower contrasts with the graphic design created by the light around the edge of the mirror. The close view and angle of view work together to create an almost Art Deco vision. This pushes the photo back in time.
Ahyoung presents us with two photographs that each work like a still life. They are both composed with relatively common objects. The close viewpoint forces us to look more carefully to see what clues are contained within. This first shot includes photos, which makes it a 'Photograph of Photographs'. This alone could be an interesting sub-topic for our class.
The second still life the space gets compressed because of the lack of visual cues to define the three-dimensional space. And who ties a rock to a pencil with a bit of string? This is very clever and falls into the category of 'Altered Subject'. This is where the artist physically alters the subject of the photo before shooting it to create new meaning. This is another potential sub-topic.
Morgan continues this painterly quality by creating a composition of vertical lines against a background that is half light and half dark. The blown out light in the bottom left corner adds extra drama. This photo is minimal yet compelling. This is a photograph that crosses over into the aesthetics of painting.
A related composition is presented by Woojae. It is a little bit more complex than the previous photo. It has parallel lines running down the right side countering horizontal lines running across the left side and another blown out light fixture. The payoff in this photograph however is the empty black doorway. This is both inviting and scary at the same time. Do you wish to enter or do you want to run away?
Once again we get minimal with a very restricted view by Woojae. We can just barely see a hand seemingly reaching towards us from the other side of some translucent material. If I tell you this reminds me of a corpse reaching out for me you'll just tell me I've seen too many horror movies. Where does this take your imagination? Some other commenters seem to agree with this view.
This is a gorgeous and almost classic photograph by Christie. The tonal palette is reduced and there is some distortion that looks like this is an old faded photo. It is the pose of the woman lying down that is so classic. It has a bit of a choreographic feel and almost reminds us of a Ziegfield routine from the early 20th century.
Now we are looking through sunglasses rather than mirrors or picture frames. This shot puts us into the mind's eye of the photographer. This is one of the few cases where the slanted horizon make sense because it makes us feel like the glasses are in the process of being removed from our face. The real question is, who is the person at the end of the dock?
Another picture frame is employed by Ahyoung, this time with a hand reaching into a fictitious space. This is another one of those mysterious photos that may forever remain unsolved.
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Self-Portraits:
Morgan very cleverly sneaks in a self-portrait of her and her twin sister. There are more frames on the wall and frames within the reflections. It is almost endless. It is another well constructed photo that falls into the 'Altered Subject' category.
Here Kang starts us on the final series of self portraits. The light streaming over his shoulder is exquisite. He manages to create streaming lines of sunshine across his face and torso. He also puts himself into an interesting environment. The colors have been shifted toward a faded palette.
Another handheld self-portrait by Vancesca uses a cropped view. The wide-angle of the lens adds a certain amount of distortion to her torso. The best part is the facial expression. Great and totally un self-conscious.
Rebecca shows up here with an extraordinary pair of photographs sunglasses. I hope she was not too distracted from driving while she was taking the shot. It is the interior of her car that is reflected. What is nice is that the very top and bottom of the frame are dark and give us a sort of tunnel vision back to her face.
Ahyoung continues with a very close-up view pushing the face up into the corner and dropping the left side of her face into the shadow. The monochrome/blue tone effect works well, cooling the photograph down. The little bit of environment adds a bit of context to the photo.
Can anyone figure out why Christie is upside down in this photo? Can anyone figure out where this was taken? It is an intriguing photograph that raises lots of questions. I am curious to see where it has taken people. No one mentioned it in the comments. The gesture of the hand to the face reminds me a little of a Joni Mitchell album cover.
The final portrait is by Katie and is extremely close up. We have a gaze that looks right back into our own eyes yet it is not intimidating. It is just intense. The quality of light as it gets lighter along the edges of the frame intensifying the never-ending stare. Wow!
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Thanks for another great set of photographs. It is interesting how many ways these shots take us into the minds of the photographers and allow us to travel with their thoughts.
