Simon Norfolk: Afghanistan
Describe what you see:
I see mountain tops that are far away to what the main focus of the picture is, which is a tented arch way that is colourful as well as a small hut/ stand. There is a person sat next to the dusty derelict and rocky surroundings. The ground before the arch way is a lot more wet and muddy compared to the drier background. It looks like a very eerie and lonely picture especially with the one person on the right. Even though I see one figure in the far distance this to me still seems lonely.
What are the visual and compostional elements?
The visual elements are the lighting with how the colours from the arch way are there, but the way the picture has been taken in it’s position makes them quite dull due to the sky being behind it, shadow is them formed with colour. There is slight symmetry with how the tent arch way is positioned with the mountain tops and the lines coming down from the tent, it presents a long path way that has similar visuals on both left and right sides but the thing that create not full symmetry is how there is a person on one side and not on the other. The picture has contrast with how dark the tent has became from the shade against the light misty sky, which shows a sense of negative space by itself. There is also contrast from the red and green colouring on the tent. From the light it creates a very nice bold outline so we can clearly see the tents appearance. Contrast can also appear from the ground in the bottom of the picture where the muddy floor is darker than the floor behind the tent due to shadowing. The rule of three is used well because the subject/ objects within the photo are captured in a pleasing way, as if it is aligned to create a successful photo. The picture is not completely off, it has substance to it. It seems as if the depth of field presents a clear view with what is at the front of the picture and then presents a more faint/ distant quality with the mountains at the back.
What were the photographers ideas behind the image?
I think the photographers ideas behind the image was to communicate a sense of loneliness. The tents colours demonstrates a playful and inviting theme but is placed in a location that does not link to that idea. The desert location is dry, boring and empty and it is as if the person is waiting for more ‘visitors’ to enter, with one person walking in the far distance this also shows how quiet it is setting that vibe. I feel the colours would be a big part in the photo in capturing that contrast of the story. Placing opposing colours in a plain, beige and dusty desert will make the image pop and this is what makes it successful.
Alexander Gronsky
Describe what you see:
I see a beach with people but part of the beach is muddy and dirty as it gets nearer to the construction work on the skyscrapers/ flats. There is greenery sectioning of the two subjects (buildings and beach with people on it). The sky is very bright which is making the mos of the shot bright.
What are the visual and compositional elements?
The image is quite dull looking as the colours of the buildings match the sky having a grey scale, this mixes well with the pale light sand, the greenery then doesn’t pop as much as it should but it is the subject that stands out the most within the photo. Again, there is a sense of negative space with the sky. Even though the buildings are grey like the sky, they have different tones and shades which creates them to contrast and see their outline, similar to the tones in the sand from the wet sand and the dry sand. This comes across as a sense of symmetry but there is no visual line creating the symmetry. There is contrast with the colours of the greenery as they are opposing colours. The rule of three is present due to how the buildings are positioned, as if they are increasing in size as they move to the right, which makes the photo picturesque. There is a sense of balance in the photo having three different subjects all making the picture interesting.
What were the photographer’s ideas behind this image?
I think the photographer was trying to show a hidden meaning. Where the buildings that are getting worked on are on the same side as the muddy/ wet and less attractive sand, this is representing the side of the world in a negative way. Where the fully constructed buildings are on the right hand side and the attractive, dry sand represents the positive side. Even the greenery on each side is different in level supporting the meaning. The fact that the people chose this way of living instead of sitting on a muddy part may be his way of saying we chose good in life.
Txema Salvans
Describe what you see:
A very bright view with a woman waiting. There is a large length building and the location looks quite bare but busy at the same time. It looks Erie and quiet. There is a telephone wire line, a van behind the fences and a bit of dead grass.
What are the visual and compositional elements?
The image is very bright, there are no clouds, it seems very industrial looking, the phone lines are demonstrating line within photography, this sections the photo and then the rule of three is present as it works on the eye in having that eye catching look. The pole centers the photograph and creates symmetry. There are lines within the shadow on the dry stoney ground from the woman and wall/ fences. Pattern is shown from the building with the gridded windows. The building also has contrast against the pale blue sky. However there is more colour contrast from the grass against the walled fence because it faces away from the sun so the wall is dark, but because the light shines through the fense you are able to see the light grass colour. The sky demonstrates a negative space but the section of the ground near the building also has a bare space in itself.
What were the photographer’s idea behind this image?
I think the photographer’s idea behind it was that as the woman waits for maybe a bus or someone, she is waiting on a connection/ something to get to the next point in her destination. The telephone wire resembles this by showing the linked connection to the building and so forth. In life we all connect in different ways and it can take a long time or a short amount of time, I think this is shown through the dryness and sunny location because waiting in the heat can be unbearable and tiring, this represents the longness she maybe waiting for that ‘connection’.
Zena Hampson Photography 