#readingphotographs

[nikitacogc]

Steve McCurry Portriture Reserch 23/09/2020

Steve McCurry took this photograph of this women with some sort of frontal lighting whether it being natural light from outside or soft box. You can tell this by the highlight on the women’s forehead all the way to her nose. The shadow below the women’s eyebrow helps to understand where the light is coming from and the shadow under her chin as well. The background is not in focus giving the subject in front more attention and in focused on the picture. The women’s shoulder has been out of focus as well giving it a shallow depth of field.

School Girl in Herat, Afghanistan 1992 taken by Steve, was taken on a 45 degree lighting. You can tell by the catchlights on the girl’s eyes and how on the left side of the face has more light on it. I’m guessing a filler light was used as well to help bring in light to the right side of the face giving it a soft shadow rather than it being blacked out with a harsh shadow.

This photograph Steve McCurry took, shows the fifth grade kids are sitting in class with light coming from the side of the room. This light could possibly be natural lighting coming from a window or a soft box light hitting off from the one side of their faces. The shadow from the kids arm on the front right helps to understand where the light is coming from. The two kids in front of the image are in focus more rather than the kids in back to give more attention to the two in front instead. The green walls are not in focus giving it a shallow depth of field.

[morganmccaskiecogc]

Reading Photographs - Image Analysis

Morgan McCaskie - Making Not Taking - August 20

VISUAL

The rocks appear 3D because of the angle the photograph was taken from. We are not looking at the waterfall straight ahead, instead we are viewing it from an angle. From this angle we see the rocks stick out in various places and this gives the photograph depth. There are a range of dark and light tones captured that create contrast. The darker mud and foliage in the foreground and the background help to create contrast with the bright white of the water that is in the centre of the image. The way the image is composed shows the waterfall is more to the right - this can be identified using the rule of thirds. 

CONTEXTUAL

When looking at this image from a psychological aspect, the types of feelings conveyed are mainly calming. This photograph has captured a tranquil scene with very little going on and this makes it easy for the eyes to follow and take in. There aren’t many points in the image where we look back and forth, so our eyes are easily drawn to the brightness of the water compared to the darker woods surrounding it. The colour green is associated with feelings of calmness, growth and freshness. The green and brown tones frame the waterfall and evoke a feeling of comfort and safety.  

TECHNICAL

The light source for this image was only the available daylight as it was taken out in the open with no additional lights/flash. A longer shutter speed of 5 seconds was used and the camera was positioned to the right of the waterfall on a tripod. By using a longer shutter speed, movement was created and the image was brought to life with flowing water.

[francesca-wheeler]

Tis the Season To Be Wasteful.

Just a few things:

This year 154,000,000 pieces of plastic from Christmas Crackers will end up in landfill or our oceans from the UK alone.

125,000 tonnes of plastic packaging from gifts will end up in our oceans.

6 Billion miles will be travelled around the UK to see family and friends.

There are enough Christmas cards sent to line up side by side that would cover the world’s circumference 500 times.

Per 1kg of wrapping paper, 3.5kg of CO2 is emitted for its production, times that by 227,000 we use yearly.

Over £40 in wasted food per family. Collectively we bin 230,000 tonnes of unneeded christmas treats. 

By March 41% of toys will have broken or children will be bored of them, most of which will go straight to landfill.

[hollymcinallyba3photo]

Shades of Caramel contact Sheet

[nathan-livingston-hnd1c]

Here are some of the portraits chosen by myself and my classmates on Monday morning.

30th October 2019

[nim-raff]

Linda McCartney - My Love 1978

What technology was used to make the images? How does this affect your reading of the work? The technology used would’ve been an old camera,not a high-tech DSLR. This affects my reading in that I wouldn’t see it as a planned shoot where she wanted perfection, but rather a spur of the moment image.

Describe what you can see and where is it within the image? I can see a London street at sunset or late evening in a car with the front mirror reflection of Paul McCartney.

What is the format of the image - is it portrait or landscape? What does this imply? The image is a landscape which implies that the street street and buildings are meant to be there as a backdrop and that the scene isn’t solely focused on Paul.

Consider the composition - where are things placed within the images? Things are placed randomly as it’s taken in the moment, but there are tall buildings on the left and right hand-side to frame the images and the mirror image of Paul is to the right  slightly follows the rules of thirds.

What is included within the frame and what is excluded? What effect does this have? What’s included is the scenery which gives it a warm intimate feel. What’s excluded is the car showing that Linda only wanted to use the mirror and that the focus wasn’t that they were in a car.

What is the photographer’s viewpoint - is it above, below or equal to the subject? What does this imply? How would the image change if the viewpoint was different? The photographers viewpoint is just below the subject implying that Linda looks up to Paul, holds him in high standards.

What happened before and after the photograph was taken? Unable to give answer.

What is the light source within the image? Is it natural and artificial? What atmosphere or mood does this create? The natural light source is coming from the sun which to me creates a real, intimate mood.

Is the image colour or black and white? How does this affect your reading of the image? How would the work differ if it were changed from colour to black and white or vice versa? The image is in colour allowing us to see exactly what Linda saw in that moment and it gives us an insight on her as a person. If this image were to be in Black and White it would create more of an artificial mood in that we feel .

What scale is the work? Is it small and intimate or large and dominating? The scale of the work is both small and intimate & large and dominating depending on the subject such as Paul being the smaller subject but the street of London being the larger.

How is the work presented? Is it framed, hung on wall, floor based? Why? What effect does this have? The work was hung on a wall, giving the effect that it was something to be displayed and shown off.

Is the work titled? How does the title affect the meaning of the image? What title would you give of the work? The work is titled “My Love”, which affects my interpretation of the image as not being melancholic which was my first impression before reading the title. I would’ve given the title, “Moments in-between”.

Who might the image have been made by? Why? Who for? It was made by Linda for her herself as a moment she wanted to keep.

What do you think the artist is trying to say? Do you think they have communicated their ideas successfully? I think the artist is trying to show all the moments in between she gets, even the small intimate ones that aren’t overly exciting or romantic, it’s the just being with someone that matters.

How does the work make you feel? It makes me feel a bit lonely and pensive.

Do you like or dislike the work? Why? I like the work because not only did it really stand out, I found it made me reflect a lot more about things than I would’ve thought from just one image.

Anything further notes or musings…

[andrewgreerphoto]

Behind the photograph

Daytona Beach, Florida, USA, (1997) by Constantine Manos

The Daytona Beach photo consists of a picture of three women in the foreground and numerous men background looking at the women as they dance and have a good time on the back of the pickup.

 The picture is colourful and is well lit with some harsh shadows from the sun. The composition as a whole sits well as the girls are in the foreground then it leads on to some empty space, all the men are in the cars that fill the background space and this leads the eye on to the rest of the photograph.

I think the picture is framed how it is, with the girls heads not being able to be seen and only their shoulders and below are in the frame, maybe this was on purpose and gives the viewer an idea of what the men in the background were looking at, or, the shadow in the middle of the frame shows the women moving and dancing, this maybe was them trying to acquire the attention of the men in the cars causing them all to look at them.

Constantine Manos likes capturing images that instantly stop things in motion, we would see this similarity in most of his photos.

This picture is one of many photos that he took in the time of 1985-2010,that went towards his book, From Santa Monica to New Orleans he captured the dynamic crossover between subject and time. The photo, Daytona Beach, Florida, USA ,(1997), along with many other photos that went in to American colour 2.

Constantine Manos was born in 1934, Columbia, South Carolina, son of Greek immigrant parents. He graduated from the university of South Carolina with a B.A. in English literature.

At the age of 19 he was hired as a photographer for Boston Symphony Orchestra, which later he used these photos in creating one of his books ,portrait of a symphony (1960).

After doing his military service he moved to New York and worked for esquire, life and look.

From 1961 to 1963 he lived in Greece where he captured photographs for his book. A Greek portfolio (1972).

After Greece he later settled in Boston where he became the chief photographer for, Where’s Boston?, a multimedia production that documents the city and provided him with all his photographs for his book, The Bostonians, where he captured the life’s of a range of diverse characters during their daily life’s living in Boston

His colour work first appeared in his book American colour (1995). He was awarded the Leica medal of excellence for American colour 2 (2010), this book contains the photo, Daytona Beach, Florida, USA, (1997).

Constantine Manos • Photographer Profile • Magnum Photos

At the age of 19, Constantine Manos was hired as the official photographer of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He joined Magnum in 1963.

Constantine Manos: American Color 2, 2010 - Signed

Description Details The long-awaited continuation of the celebrated collection American Color. In this brilliant new work, Magnum photograph

[monikablaszczyk]

‘Falls 26’ 2005 Alec Soth

Photographer - Alec Soth/ Magnum Photos

Date - 2005 USA Canada

Title - “Falls 26″, 2005

Project - Study of waterfalls, Exhibition: Niagara, Book: Magnum Magnum

Unity and repetition in this photography.

This photograph of the Niagara Falls shows a repeating pattern of water that has its own rhythm, creating an active scenery. Depth colours of blue and white creates beautiful harmony and creates unity within this work.

Source - https://pro.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&ALID=2K7O3R18CNKR 

https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/alec-soth-b-1969-falls-26-5880939-details.aspx

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