first critique

Neville 2016
Harry Wolfson Slepian

This picture popped out at me right when I saw it the first time. The boy in the picture has such a rigid figure as well as a taught face that it makes you wonder why he feels as stiff as he is showing. The background is white and simple which makes the boy the center of attention with no other distractions. The shot was done in film so the picture is a bit more grainy that in would be with digital, but that makes the taught and tense feeling portrayed by the boy seem less staged and rather genuine.

The composition of this picture was one thing that drew me in. It does not follow the rule of thirds, yet it is still extremely interesting. The boy is in the center of the picture and the lines of the house siding all lead into the figure. His rigid stance is perfectly perpendicular to the lines of the siding as well as perpendicular to the line made by the shadow of the house. He is standing right on the shadow line and it splits his face in half with one side bright and one side dark. The effect of him squinting from the sunlight makes him look more distraught than if the shadow weren't there.

All pf the colors in the picture are very neutral which in some cases could make for an uninteresting picture but in this case the neutral colors are meant to keep your attention on what is important: the boy's expression. The boy's shoes have a little bit of color in them, but the faded look from the film desaturates them a bit.

I feel the meaning of this picture is about tension and anxious thoughts. His far out look as well as tense positioning shows he is in deep thought, but not of something relaxing or calm. His figure is very rigid and unrelaxed showing stress or uneasiness.

First printed picture

 In this picture, the blue from the girl's shirt contrasts from all of the green background. The vertical line of her body is perpendicular to the lines of the railings on either side of the bridge. These lines lead into the subject very well.

Photo Analysis

   

     Out of the three pictures, I like Larry Sultan's Las Angeles, Early Evening picture. It is dusk when the picture is being taken so it is a bit dark, but the window is bright and draws your attention right away. The lines of the tree as well as the lines of the ladder lead to the window which is the subject that the photographer wanted the viewer to focus on. The branches as well as the vines of the flower bush wrap around the window as well so you focus on the man standing in the middle of the room. The window is slightly off center which makes for a little more interesting of a perspective.
     Even though the exposure is lower outside than it is indoors, all of the colors of the flowers pop out nicely. The flowers all contrast from the dark grass as well as contrast from the dull off-white house. Its not an over happy picture, due to the fact that the person in the window seems mad or at least concerned about the photo getting taken. The composition of the photo is very nice because you see both the outside of the house but also into the room which is on a more personal level with the man. This picture just seems like it has a story behind it and it makes you wonder more about the man's life.

Classmate Selected

Pics that I selected

I was very happy with the pictures I selected as well as my classmates. My classmates chose the bike picture as one of their favorites. The picture had a small depth of field and focused on the red bike which made the color pop.The background of the picture was blurred out and full of bokeh which made the viewer focus on the bike. My classmates liked the use of the small depth of field but I just thought some of my other pictures were brighter and more eye catching. A picture that I really liked out of my 30 shots was the logo of the Schwinn Scooter. The red in the picture really pops and the way the sunlight bounces off the silver as well as the red makes the photo appealing to the eye. The photo that both my classmates and I chose was the one of the Polaroid. The deep red background really contrast nicely with the white and black of the Polaroid camera. The lines of the red blanket behind the camera all lead to the subject, making it much more eye catching. That photo is definitely one of the best out of the 30 photos taken.

Red Photo Contact Sheet

f2.8

f4

f5

f8

f11

f16

f22