Stephen Shore

So this week we read about Stephen Shore. You asked us to find two successful images and one unsuccessful image but I really don't like much of his work so I found a lot more unsuccessful.

This is the first image that I believe is successful. This was really the only image of his that struck me and  caused me to stop and actually look for a while. To me, the image is oddly cool and warm at the same time. I feel as though the subject is cold and this feeling is intensified by the cool tones of the blues but at the same time these blues feel almost warm and I'm guessing the season is summer just because of the pool.

This next image is the second successful image. I mostly only think it's successful because of the way the red really pops when it's next to the green (it's compliment). Other than that, I like the fact that the subject is perfectly centered in the frame giving the image an overall symmetrical look.

This is the unsuccessful image (obviously). I just don't see anything good about this image whatsoever! It's just food on a table, no beautiful lighting, no tight composition, nothing! It's even out of focus! It looks like someone made lunch for the first time ever and wanted to take a picture to post in facebook and show all their friends. It's stupid.

Color Photo Blog #2

After reading the article I looked at all the photographers given and I chose the three that I believe embody the words best. Doug Dubois, Larry Sultan and Todd Hido.

This first image is by Doug Dubois. I was immediately struck by the composition of this image. The movement from the blue object to the soap holder, down to the boy's head then up his hand and over to the flying dinosaur. Then I began to realize how mundane the subject matter was; it's just a boy playing in the bath tub! Dubois creates this beautiful image about something most people see daily and don't often appreciate.

This next image is by Larry Sultan. This scene looks like something out of a movie (in fact, I think this is on a movie). It's almost creepy, the large unidentified shadow creeping up on the woman in bed. But then you begin to focus on the quality of light shining across the couch and the scene becomes beautiful again.

This last image is by Todd Hido. Hido takes such an ordinary scene and makes it into this magical and creepy sifi image. Once you get past the oddly bright shining lights coming from the house and the blue snow you begin to realize that this is just someone's home, shot at night with a long exposure.

Color Photography: William Eggleston

William Eggleston is seen as the father of color photography according to an article we read as a class assignment. Apparently he would overexpose his film in order to give his colors the effect he wanted. I'm very new to color photography and seeing his images is an inspiring experience. His colors just have this quality that I believe can only be achieved with film. The mundane subject matter just adds to the color quality in an indescribable way. http://www.egglestontrust.com/

This first image struck me because of it's strong composition. The strong geometrical figures and lines leading you throughout the image along with the framing of certain objects is just beautiful. The fact that it seems like such an ordinary and everyday scene just makes it so much more accessible. I would love to see this image in black and white but I honestly believe it would just become another snapshot then. Although the composition might save a little of the beauty, most of the beauty is in the oddly soft hues of blue and that bright highlight of a yellow-orange coming from the left side.

This image is quite possibly the most beautiful photo I have ever seen! It's so plain…I honestly would never like an image this plain but there's something about the pure whites and slight tinge of color in the shadows. I'm not sure what color the shadow is supposed to be (Tate always does tell us that digital copies are the devil) but in this version the shadows are this strange smokey red. It's odd that I'm about to say this image would be terrible in black and white because the picture is almost colorless anyway but the subtle nuances of color make this image! And the whites! They're so pure and so…white! I can't believe such a plain image is getting such a reaction out of me!

This image struck me because of the gorgeous reds! I was out shooting today and I came across some red plant up against the snow and I tried so hard to capture the amazingly vibrant color and I just couldn't get it! When I overexposed it I did get close but it just wasn't the same. Anyway, these reds are amazing! I think the fact that they're up against a warm background helps to make them as vibrant as they should be. And then the cool blue sky just makes these flowers look like they're the warmest thing on this planet! Would this image work in black and white? Hell no!