Nora Drew - Week 11

This photo is by Lauren Withrow and called "Watercolor Dreams V." I have always admired fashion photography because of the extravagant set ups and acute sense of color that is consistent throughout type of photography. I like this print especially mostly because of the use of warm allied colors with a cool gradient filling the negative space on the right. I like how the red band and well as the tree trunk lead you into the frame, directly into the model's eyes. The green compliment of the trees behind the red band is a subtle but great component to the color pallet of this photo. The model's pale skin tone echos the chipped bark on the tree trunk as well as the tan gradient added to the right side of the photo.

Samantha Tadelman - Week 11

I know that we often say, "Oh, I could see something like that on flickr." But, I found this photographer and almost all of his photographs make me say, "Wow!" The photographer is Skarpi(Skarphéðinn Þráinsson) and the name of this photograph is Moonlight Sonata. He took this photo during sunset in West Iceland. Not many are lucky enough to be able to travel to such places, and he happens to be a mechanical engineer there, he isn't even a photographer! The reason why this photograph is so breath-taking is because of the sky, in my opinion. The gradient of the sky and the smoothness of the water must come from him using a long exposure. It would have been a beautiful photograph without the mountain in it, but that shape makes it even more complex. The bottom of the mountain draws your eye up to the top of the frame. The lines of snow on the mountain just emphasize that and create great form. I hope to one day be able to travel to places like this and take such vast photographs.

Jessica Leep-week 11

After looking through some of Stephen Shore's photos, I feel that he often looks at things that people make that are basically just ugly. The colors in this image really work for that theme. We can tell that the person who decorated weighed the color relationships. The yellow of the couch brings out the colors in the trophies. The paneling is allied to the couch and the carpeting. But although these colors have a logical relationship, they're disgusting together. The decorator also had a theme in mind when choosing objects for the room. A wilderness theme is evoked through the mural and the trophies on the opposite wall. This wilderness theme is obviously very contrived though and comes off as cheap.
Even though the scene itself evokes a kind of disgust, it photographs in an interesting way and calls the viewer to wonder about the person who put all of these elements together.

Jenny Reece- Week 10

I found this photo while randomly searching through Google images. I really like that the color on here isn't "correct" or properly balanced. I really like the yellowish green shift that is has. I'm a big fan of the use of analogous colors in photos. I also find it pretty interesting that the horizon line is way at the bottom and tilted but the girl in the photo looks perfectly straight and aligned how she should be. It kind of looks like she's running on a tilted world or maybe a falling world and she looks pretty carefree. I also like the way she's holding the sheet in the air with her fingers. The sheet is flowing perfectly. I think if it was blowing any other way it wouldnt work as well. It looks like the sheet might be trying to intersect with the tilted horizon line. One thing the distracts me in this photo is the random dark corners in the upper left and slightly on the lower left. I think it would look a little better if all four corners were dark rather than just the two on the left. This photo looks pretty vintage, which is why it caught my eye.

Heather Peterson Week 10

This photograph was taken by Javier Vallhonrat, a present day fashion photographer. In many of his photographs, he uses analogous colors that are soft and muted. Here, he uses a strong sense of complementary colors to shine a strong focus on the shirt. The under lighting creates a dramatic affect to the already dramatic detail of her expression. The lighting highlights the subject, and pushes it towards the viewer also highlighting the importance of the fabric and how it fits. There is also a hidden repetition within the complementary color scheme. The faded texture of the walls help the complement the smooth fabric of the shirt.

Melena Nicholson - Week 10

This is a photograph by Zena Holloway. It is a nude woman floating underwater. She poses horizontally with her knees bent in front of her chest. Her head appears from behind her knees, but her arms block the viewer from seeing most of her face. Her elbow and knees point to her red lips. My eyes follow the lines of her legs to her lips and up to the surface of the water and around her reflections, and back down to the bottom of the pool wall. The picture is mostly blue, the woman is very pale except for a few warm pink tones on her body. She looks very calm and natural under water. Her skin is very smooth and light and contrasts with her dark red lips.

This picture is fantasy like. Her legs look oddly large in proportion to her head because of the angle she is in. I like the framing of her lips. Her knees and arms form a window the viewer has to look through to see her mouth, which is the focal point of the image. I love the reflections above her too. They add energy and movement to the water, and make interesting forms of colors. I like the framing of the photo as well, how her toes and hair are cut off from view. If they were included i think the lines they formed would have made the photo too busy. The simplicity of the subject's form is really beautiful.

Tricia VanGessel - Week 10

This image is from Curtis Mann's work, Everything After, which is showing in Chicago right now. This particular image is called "Soldier". With all of the photographs in this series, he used a special technique including varnish and bleach. He varnished the areas of the print he wanted to protect and bleached the rest of it. Strategic areas have been removed to leave us with a wholly different image than the one he took. And these areas are not just white areas on the print, because the bleach leaves some color behind, it gives the image a much weirder look. In the case of this photo, the soldier looks like he may be on fire or like he's exploded from the inside. Either way, it looks like he is exuding a ridiculous amount of light from his head. Because the bits that have been left behind are so much darker the the bright white, they leave us with the necessary pieces of information to see his face and the important parts of his uniform. The white star against the navy blue patch really pops agains all of the abstract whites and yellow. The more I look at it, the more realistic form it takes on. Everyone should go see his work at the Kavi Gupta gallery before December 4th! It's looks fantastic from the site and I plan on going soon!

Lori Brudzisz-Week 10

This image was taken by Sandy Skoglund. She does installation art as well as photography. The center of interest in this photo, I believe is the boy sitting on the bed, however, the eye is dragged all around the image by the goldfish. The color used in the image is very purposeful. The fact that all the props are painted the same color makes the people and fish stand out a lot. I'm not exactly sure what the color is meant to communicate. There is a lot of movement for a 2D image. I love the construction of the fish. It really looks like they are swimming. The background really adds to the message of the photo in that everything is so strangely the same.

Jessica Leep-week 10

This photo from Alex Prager's The Big Valley series is pretty neat. He creates theatrical, dreamy/sort of surreal environments through the use of lighting, props, and camera angle. The characters he places in the scene are reminiscent of old hollywood movies. The styles of the models dress and wig as well as the model of the car which feel like bold 1960's fashion. Her intense stare alludes that there is some sort of action going on. The angle of the camera is dramatic and theatrical. This image gives just enough information to allow the viewer just jump to a number of conclusions as to what is going on. Also, the fact that it has the iconic feel of old hollywood helps to direct our conclusions about the story of this photo.

Aaron Metzler

Here is a photograph by Cole Rise. this photograph leaves

me thinking how? the posture of the figure floating in the

air is beautiful. Its a combination of a landscape and a

portrait photograph. lighting is peaceful and still dramatic

in a way that really accents the figures importance. Im trying to

find a meaning for the floating figure.. over all the composition is really

strong and lighting is

Benjamin Leaf - Week 9

This is a photograph by David LaChapelle entitled "Bodybuilding, Cape Canaveral, Florida. 1993.
A ridiculously tanned bodybuilder with ridiculously coiffed hair is flanked by a bunch of ridiculous-looking children flexing their muscles...and one kid yawning on the right. The book where I found this image compared the bodybuilder to one of the rockets based on his pose, which I agree with. I also think that how his arms merge with the two rockets creates a further relationship between him and the iconic background, as well as his positioning on the red, white, and blue-wrapped pedestal. LaChapelle also makes a joke by exhibiting the play between the "UNITED STATES" on the rocket and the bodybuilder's exaggerated bicep. The two kids' heads on the right merge with the rockets in a way that makes them look like they are wearing dunce caps.

The photograph is taken from a camera height that is even lower than the kids' eyes, which serves two purposes: the bodybuilder looks even more like an imposing statue, and the kids are painted in a naturally "intimidating" light due to the angle, but based on the subjects this representation comes off as ironic.

The garish red and blue color scheme exaggerates the skin tones of the children, and creates another connection between the children and the bodybuilder. Color contrast is created based on skin tone; the kids seem to suck out the red around them, while the bodybuilder absorbs it. Additionally, the bodybuilder seems to almost be photoshopped into the scene, as his skin seems to reflect light in a way that no other subjects in the scene can.

The picture above doesn't do the image justice; I couldn't find a higher-quality version online.

jonathan pivovar week 9

Misha de Ridder

A mainly monochromatic photograph of a prairie is found to be more than eye catching when comparing the foreground to its background.

The prairie grass is in full focus and a high depth of field makes the transition of the popping white flowers into the more darkened prairie comfortable and soothing, while still supporting the tonal overcast/stormy sky. Besides the whites and grays, the colors in the grass and prairie provide a beautiful combination that keeps the viewers attention while still remaining as calm as the rest of the photograph.

Vanessa Vasquez-Week8and9

I really like the composition of this photo and the natural light coming through the window. The light coming through the window has a strong glow that lights up the other half of the body and makes the other half appear darker. The light gives a nice outline of the body. I also like the how the red and green complimentary colors stand out. This photo seems as if it was taken in the morning due to her sitting on the edge of the bed and her only being half dressed, and the strong sunlight shining into the bedroom. 

Really love how her hair and lipstick really stand out. Her pale skin also really glows from the black clothes. I like the pose because it gives the body a interesting shape.You can tell the photographer used flash because you can see a lot of detail. You can also see every beauty mark on her body and every speckle on the floor. This photo I think gives off a fashion, glamourous, and editorial look.

Jessica Leep- week 9

This image by Martina Hoogland Ivanow is a part of her newest book, Far Too Close, which visually meditates the concept of closeness and distance. The subject of this image, a kid jumping on a trampoline, is pretty carefree. It suggests closeness. A closeness between subject and photographer, and through the relatability of the subject-matter. The way its photographed on the other hand causes a sense of distance between us and the subject. At first glance, the location is kind of ambiguous and the kid appears to be just a dark shape against the background of the sky. He's frozen in mid fall. There's strong sense of isolation in this image, but also nostalgia and familiarity.

This theme is made stronger through the organization of her book. Hoogland Ivanow combines images like these, which show closeness, with distant pictures of landscapes. The image directly across from this one in the book is of a dark abandoned street scene, which contains basically the same color pallet as this one. The placement of these two photos next to each other suggest that although we would probably consider these subjects to be very separate, they are connected as all things are connected. They both relate to us in the same way when photographed.

Tricia VanGessel - Week 9

This image is by Alec Soth and is from his project Dog Days, Bagota. I seem to be hearing more and more about him these days, but only about the Sleeping By the Mississippi project. Dog Days was the most appealing to me because of the subject matter and the way it was expressed. It's not very different from Sleeping By the Mississippi color-wise which I found very interesting because they are two very different environments. It's a very muted, low contrast color scheme. He photographed his subjects in a very distant, voyeuristic type way; his lens seems like it may have been more of a boundary than opening up that world. I was drawn to this particular image because it is still expressive while being so muted. The only eye catching color is in the teal colored lightbulb which is directly above the only other eye catching color, the red and yellow cartoon mouse on the wall. Our eye can travel from the major highlight that is the window to the mouse to the bulb. Between the window and the mouse is this huge smudge above the bed. After I noticed that, I noticed how dirty and sad the rest of the room is. The bed is unkempt and very bland, and there are markings all over the walls; the randomly placed mouse doesn't do much for perking up the room either. Compositionally, all of the photos in this series follow a trend. His photos seem very meticulous, and there is nothing too overpowering. Overall, they are very pleasing images to look at. We can look layer by layer at each image without too much distraction.

While I was looking through this series, I read a review about the work and found out that he did this series while waiting to adopt his daughter from the Columbian city in 2002. He wanted to compile images together to show her where she came from. After reading that, the images felt more personal, like these photos were the way he felt about the city printed out. Here's the link to his site - http://alecsoth.com/photography/projects/dog-days-bogota/

Lori Brudzisz- Week Nine

I have selected photos from a series called Ellis Island: Ghosts of Freedom, by Stephen Wilkes. This photographer took photographs over a five year period of the hospital complex at Ellis Island. He did an exploration of light and studied how it effected the abandoned rooms throughout the different seasons. The spaces that he photographed had been abandoned for nearly 50 years. There is nothing more important in these images than the color and light. For many of us, photographs of Ellis Island have been limited to the black and white reprints in history books. The color adds an enormous amount of emotion, excitement, and eeriness to all the abandoned spaces.

This photo shows a juxtaposition between the growth coming through the windows and the snow that drifted in. Being able to study the space over a 5 year period gave Wilkes an insight into what would make each image extraordinarily striking.
Wilkes explains that this area was where nurses slept and that screen doors were used to help promote air movement in the hospital which was overwhelmed by teburculosis. The warmness of the colors have given the photograph an element that we normally don't see or think of when we view hospitals or places medical in nature. Even in pharmacutical ad photography, everything is usually much colder.

The color and light in each of these photographs brings new life to a space that has seemingly been dead for years.

To view the project and read the captions for each photo visit http://www.ellisislandghosts.com/

Jenny Reece- week 9

This photograph is called Tea Party, by Emma Mitchell and is found in her series called Interiors. I really like her use of analogous colors in this photo. A good majority of her work involves the use of analogous colors, which is represented very well. The colors in this photo are very pure and angelic. I also enjoy the simplicity of this photo. I was drawn to the tea pot at first glance because of the way it is highlighted. It also isnt your normal, everyday looking tea pot. It has some sort of antique looking quality to it, but yet it is very polished and clean looking. It reminds me of a genie lamp. This photo also shows great depth of field. The focus is obviously on the tea pot. It is very crisp and clear, whereas the foreground is blurry and a little out of focus. I also like that the photo is sort of bottom heavy. All of the subjects are at the bottom of the photo and there is a good amount of space at the top. But that space is used well. There are two other objects that look like they are hanging on something in the back, which helps balance out the entire photo. Another thing I noticed is that all of the main objects in this photo are highlighted. Her use of light is very consistent throughout all of her work.

Melena Nicholson - Week 9

This photo by Christian Patterson is called Oil Spill. The picture is so awesome because of all the vibrant colors displayed on this neutral textured cement ground. The colors are warm, even the purples and blues appear warm as they are mixed in with the yellows and oranges. The gradual change in values from light to dark push the yelows and greens forward and the darkk blues and purples back. the orange/browns are like the middle ground. It reminds me of thermal heat imaging or birds eye view of the grand canyon. There are so many paths in the colors that your eyes follows. It is like a maze. There are pleasing dark brown spots and warm yellow spot that carry the most weight in the photo.

Melena Nicholson - Week 8 Color

This is Jackknife by Christian Patterson. The photo is of a rusty, yellow jackknife protruding out of a dirty, empty wall. The picture is pretty monochromatic with some yellows, browns, and reds. The point of view is looking slightly up and 45 degrees to the right of the knife, which is centered in the photo. My eyes look to the knife, follow a crack on the wall then up to the top left at a dark patch on the wall, in a diagonal motions. The diagonal path adds tension to the knife stuck in the wall. The grubbiness and cracks on the wall also add tension, but the monochromatic color scheme relieves a lot of the tension. The lighting looks natural and is coming from the side, maybe a window.
The jackknife appears to have been thrown at the wall and stuck in tight, right above some red splattered design, that alludes to being blood. I like this photo because of the gradual change in colors on the wall. The yellows, reds, and grays are balanced around the photo evenly in patches that fade into the wall. The sharp rusty knife stabbing the wall is cool too.

Tricia VanGessel - Week 8

This photo is by Ed Kashi and I found it while looking through the VII photo website. It is one image from a photo essay titled, "Agent Orange's Enduring Legacy". In the photo, there are two major focus points, the woman on the left side, and the boy in the right hand corner. Our focus bounces back and forth between the two due the amount of light on the woman, and the little boy's yellow shorts. In between them, there is this neutral, grimy mint green that does not distract much attention. Compositionally, there is a diagonal line pointing to the upper right. It's a very low tension image, the only highlight colors are red and yellow. It looks like a natural lighting situation, which adds to the neutrality.

Ting Shen-Week8

Photo taken by Michael Wolf, belongs to his "Transparent City" series. This series is focused on urban city in Chicago. He chose to photograph the central downtown area, focusing specifically on issues of voyeurism and the contemporary urban landscape in flux. This photo is my favorite in the series. the repeated window patterns and the monochromatic shows gives a the image steady feel but has a certain dynamic in it. The symmetric position of the each opening windows on the corner of he frame, along with the different body parts showing, provides a contrast, a comparison, and a curiosity thought. The girl facing down looking out, the direction, makes the viewer think she is seeking her missing lower torso, that is appearing on the other window.

Samantha Tadelman - Week 8

This photograph was taken by photographer Julia Fullerton-Batten. It is part of her personal collection. The photo originally caught my eye because of its complementary colors. But the odd thing about this photograph is the angle it is taken at. It causes the girl's legs to look distorted and larger than normal. It is a little bit creepy because of the birds on her legs; they kind of look like they are pecking at her. Also, having the lighting be stronger in the background makes the forest stick out more, which is actually a different choice than i would have thought. Overall, I think it was a successful photograph.

Benjamin Leaf - Week 8

This is a photograph by Martin Parr from his recent series "Wealthy Indians". His aim was to document India's newfound wealth. The two subjects' hands are in a contemplative position, which reminds the viewer of stereotypical images of Indians in prayer. Ironically, both subjects hold modern objects, which contrast in color and value with the rest of the scene. The image contains very few colors, so the red in the watch and the flowers really pop. The composition is triangular, drawing our eye from the watch to the cell phone to the food in a fancy plate.

All of the images in the series contain obvious jokes like the image above, using composition to play with our expectations of classic Indian traditions.

Aaron Metzler

This is a photograph by John Stanmeyer. The image caught my eye instantly the allied colors really take some control to keep balance in the photo. The composition is very well put together.. The light shining in through a hole in the celling of the cave creates a beam of light that is breath taking and moves the viewers eye down into the water where you see someone floating on their back. Still, clear water and you can see the fish swimming around under the guy. The light coming through the hole is reflecting off the water and bouncing up against the cave walls creating a great balance of light and shadow on the walls of the cave. This photo really shows the true beauty, and peacefulness of the cave.

Jessica TeRuki 8

This photograph is by Sam Haskins. I love the composition and the human subject appearing only in the bottom center of the image. There are very few colors and those that do appear in the image are not overly bright or saturated. The white of the subjects shirt draws the viewers eye to that part of the page while the rich magenta wood on the top half balances the image. I love the geometry and repetition of the circular and rectangular shapes.

Nora Drew - Week 8

This photo is from Elizabeth Pedinotti's collection, "The Space Between Hours." The artist provides no explanation for the set on her website, but leaves the viewer to draw lines between the photos themselves. To me the set has a lot to do with innocence and the loss of innocence and the blissfulness of ignorance at a young age.

I think that this photo is particularly compelling mostly because of the curious nature of the subject of the photo. It's very well executed with the spoon and the subject's mouth on the upper third of the photograph. The colors are mostly neutral with a little bit of red. The red helps you bring your attention straight to the little girl. All of the neutral colors help make the white in the cream and blindfold pop, the most compelling parts of the photo. I think that color pallet aids to the dark and curious nature of the photo.

Melena Nicholson - Week 8

This is a photograph taken by Diana Arbus. The subject is an elderly woman in a wheel chair. She holds a scary mask of a witch in front of her face. Her other hand lays still on her lap and she has a white blanket tucked around her legs. The subject is placed in the bottom left corner of the frame. It is black and white and the framing is crooked. In the background is a building, I like to think it is her nursing home, and there is a tree trunk framing the right side of the picture. There is a shadow of the tree's trunk and branches on the building that shows the viewer the tree must be losing its leaves. There is also a few dead leaves on the pavement behind the woman. The bare tree and dead leaves compliment the mask to make the image feel like Fall and Halloween time. The shift in the picture also gives the image a creepier feel. Placing the wheel chair at the edge of the bottom left frame and tilting the scene counterclockwise makes it look like the wheel chair is about to roll right out of the frame.
This is my favorite Diana Arbus photo because i love the relationship between the old woman and the old face of the witch mask, the balance between the white hair and the white blanket, and the eerie tree shadow and counterclockwise tilt of the scene. All of this makes this picture have a great, dark Halloween spirit.

Jenny Reece- week 8

I really like the simple color palette that this photo has. The colors are very light and classic, which I think works very well for this particular theme. The tree branches and leaves on the top of the photo are so small and detailed that it reminds me of a painting. Actually, the entire photo looks like it could be a painting. Even though the photo is kind of cliche and cheesy, I really like it. The wedding dress on the woman looks like it's glowing and vibrant. I also really like the depth of field in this one too. I like that there is more space in the front and the shadows on the ground kind of lead you to the subject, which it the couple. I also like the the only color that is really saturated and highly noticeable are the green bushed by the fountain. It kind of frames the photo together. I don't think the photo would have worked as well if the groom was wearing your typical black suit. Basically this photo is a highly classic shot, but i think the color palette is what makes it stand out and work so well.

Jonathan Pivovar Week 8

This photograph was taken by Peter Funch from "Babel Tales".
The body of work consists of hundreds of photos taken at the same time of day, in the same place, over many days of subjects in similar situations, of similar colors, of similar interactions all seemingly happening at the same time.
The photos are all digital and manipulated to remove those who don't fit from the scenery and replace them with those who do.
This photo is entitled "Pantone Pantomime", the photo is filled this blue tones, orange, green and yellow.
Blue and orange play the most punchy roles in this photograph, but i mind myself being drawn to the yellows before ending on the green, which seems to blend calmly within the chaos of all the colors.

Jessica Leep - Week 8

This photo is part of the series Schisms by Barbara Crane. In this series, she compares the patterns created in nature side by side. The golden brown color of the tree compliments the blue of the sky. the mass of clouds on the left mirror the mass of the tree on the right. The sun on the bottom left corner balances the sun shining through on the top right. The patterns on both sides of the image mimic each other. All of these elements together create a sense of balance and peace while creating an interesting, beautiful image.

Heather Peterson- week Seven

This photograph was taken by Nancy Fina, an Italian fashion and advertising photographer who works between New York and Milan. She compiled a series of this model engulfed in a variety of lush, green backgrounds that push dimension and texture. Here, and in the other photos, her skin and clothing melt into the background where the viewer is left with the vivid green that complements the vivaciousness of her violet red hair. The lighting brings out the immediate detail of the spider webs leading the viewer into the porcelain skin of the model which mimics the fragile glass ball she holds in her hands.

Vanessa Vasquez-Week7

This photo was taken by George Ciardi. This photo really caught my attention the moment I looked at it. I kept looking at other photos, but kept coming back to this picture. I was intrigued on how it has a really cool glow reflecting from the christmas lights hanging behind the window. The butterfly details, and the small statue figures make the picture interesting and fun to look at. I like how this photo was taken at night. If it was to be taken during the day I probably wouldn't be as interested. I like the composition and how it's centered. The angle is very straight forward, which looks really good. It makes the subject very clear. I also enjoy the color scheme. Even though it was taken at night the colors are warm probably due to the christmas lights and street lights. Also the framing looks like a frame within a frame which is cool. I'm glad I came across this photographer. I will definitely be taking a closer look and hopefully get inspired!

Jessica Leep-week 7

This photo by Laura Letinsky shows a simple everyday scene. Everything here looks warm and comfortable. The bright orange of the is the most bold color in the image so it easily becomes the main focal point. The way that the woman is looking at the camera makes it seem like she is comfortable with whoever is in the room with them. Also the fact that the man is not looking away from her strengthens this feeling of comfort between them and the viewer.

Sam Tadelman- Week 7

This is a beauty/fashion photography by Stephen Eastwood. I love his use of monochromatic colors and how almost everything in this photo is gold; even her hair seems to have a gold tint to it. Also, the composition and placement of her hands works perfectly to show her fingernails against her face. It was also smart to choose a darker/golden-skinned woman to be the model.

Sam Tadelman- Week 6

I found this photo while on stumbleupon.com. This is where I like to find a lot of the photographs that I look at because they are very random and diverse. Because of that, though, I am unsure who the artist is. The photograph first captured my eye because of the complementary colors. Also, the gradient of the blue is very intriguing. I love how the background seems almost like it is photoshopped in and the girl is just floating in space. All together I think the composition and the juxtaposition of her hair is quite elegant. The only thing that bothers me about the photo is the two red roses in the background.

TeRuki 7

This image by Richard Mosse is shot in the eastern congo using infrared film as part of a series called Infra. The images in this series have not been digitally manipulated. This photograph is mostly complementary and the pink landscape creates a creepy and surreal mood that contrasts with the cargo green uniforms of the soldiers. I really like how the shape formed by this small army of men mimics the line of the horizon in the background. This color contrast makes the subjects of the image stand out and apart from their environment.

Benjamin Leaf - Week 7

These are two photographs of Fred Rogers taken by Dan Winters. We looked at a lot of Winters' photographs in Photo I and came to the general consensus that a lot of his images are excessively sharpened and manipulated, but some of his portraits that featured more subtle digital processing were pretty terrific. The images above are a combination of two separate photographs; check Winters' site for the individuals (which are in MUCH higher quality).

In the first photo, Rogers is illuminated by strong artificial light made to look like a shaft of light in a forest. He is surrounded by darkness in the lower half of the frame, while the upper half contains what looks to be a distorted horizon line and a forest. The photo features an interesting play on complementary colors, as the red and green take up completely separate parts of the image and serve different purposes. Rogers' red sweater really pops with color because of a combination of the high-key lighting, black background (which increases contrast), and red color (which moves toward the front of the frame). The forest serves as an almost illustrated, muted backdrop because of its under-emphasized, diffused lighting and desaturated color.

The second image is a simple but elegant straight-on photograph of Rogers' iconic vivid red sweater hanging on a monochromatic background.

As an aside, many of Winters' portraits feature the film lines (of his 4x5 negatives? I believe they are large-format...) displaying Kodak VC 160.

Melena Nicholson - Week 7

This photo by Peter Essick has a great composition of a few small country houses amongst some bare silhouetted trees with a low horizon line behind them. Above the horizon line are four silhouettes of smoke stacks jutting up into the sky. One is spewing out dark smoke and behind the other three is more clouds of gray smoke enveloping most of the sky in the picture. The sun is blocked by the smoke and the sky is a weird yellow brown color, with only a little bit of blue in the top left corner.
The ratio between the amount of sky and the amount of ground shown in the picture really puts the viewers focus on what is going on in the sky. The smoke seems to be filling up the sky and blocking the light from reaching the earth. The houses are stuck in the shade and it creates a doomed feeling for the small civilization in the scene. The smoke has a sickly yellow brown tinge to it. It is complemented by the blue in the sky. The ground is black and neutral. And with the glowing sky behind it it looks as though the ground is on fire. The picture looks like some kind of man made hell. Sending out a message about pollution and what it is doing to our environment.

Sarah Lawhead- Week 7

This photo was taken for the Daily Herald by photojournalist Brian Hill. I find the composition of this photo very interesting because while there are many things in in the foreground and background which have potential to make an overly 'busy' image, the photographer zoned in on the subject of the photograph by darkening everything around the little boy. There is a line which starts in the lower left portion of the photo (by the handlebars) and travels on an upward diagonal leading us to center of the photograph. Then, the boy is reinforced as the subject by the framing of the branches which fall around his body. The obvious distance and barrier between the subject and the person taking the picture are representative of the little boy going on to another world (an afterworld) in which he is taken away by a caring being. Even the trees seem to be taking him. The bridge in the background reminds us of his former journey, and a bicycle is representative of his childhood. The darkness of the foreground and background speak to the fading of his former life, and the highlight of his skin to the light he is approaching.

Andrew Hachmeister Week 7

This is actually a photo of one of my good friends Dirk Muller, take by my best friend Blake Fights. I didn't think we had to choose someone famous or professional. Just a picture we liked alot. I really enjoy this picture because of the focus, being the model. I think fashion photography is so amazing, and it's what I want to do. The color is so little but makes the picture so much better. It's very contrasty which I love. I just love this picture because of the composition. In my opinion it's amazing.

jonathan pivovar week 7

Photo by : Robin Schwartz

A moment captured of a little girl, content while a lemur jumps in front of her.

What is most amazing about this photo, besides the content, is the simple combination of colors. The teal of the girls shirt/pants, and the book on the table with the same color, the padding on the bench seat to the left, the flower pot, the combination of items with similar blue tones, the blue molding surrounding the windows, and the reflection of the girl clothes bouncing off of the glossy black stands which support the counter. then there is the wood coloring and the beige/tope(sp?) of the walls and fabric, and finally the subtle black from various items and shadows.

Oh, and the monkeys are pretty cool too.

roland coniglio-week 7

this image is by Jay Maisel. i really like the relationship between the red and the blue. i know that red pulls you in and blue kind of pulls away, so having the blue in front of the red background is very unique and interesting to me. it keeps my eye focused on the man in blue. i also love the way this picture has a type of mystery too. you know its a worker, maybe, but you don't know what type, or where the work is being performed. its a picture that leaves the viewer with questions, and no answers. i really enjoy Maisel's work, his perspective is quite unique to me. its a type of abstract. it allows each viewer to make an assumption about the shot. but without know what is going on, each person is both correct, and incorrect. which is truly fascinating to me when it comes to photography!

Tricia VanGessel - Week 7

This photo is by Alex Prager. After Natalie showed us some of her work in W, I checked out her website and had a hard time deciding which photo to choose! This specific image is from her series, The Big Valley. All of her photos have an extremely cinematic and glamorous feeling. I was drawn to this one over the others because of the completely solid black background and the balanced composition. The black only enhances the vibrancy of the colors. We can easily focus on the center of the photograph and not anywhere else. The headlights of the car form a triangle with the subjects body leading us through each point of highlight.

Vanessa Vasquez-week6

This photo is by Bruce Percy. This photo caught my attention because I really enjoy looking at night photography and photos that look surreal. I like how vibrant the hues are even though he used natural light. The only other light source was a street light which gives off a red/orange glow to the photo. The dark cloudy sky really makes the photo because of its contrast and texture from the clouds. You can also clearly see the texture of the tall grass and brick wall behind the grass. I appreciate the composition, and I like how the light pole splits the landscape, and gives it a sense of it being balanced and symmetrical. I love how night photography really gives a direct emotion and expression. To me I sometimes feel that when I look at pictures that were taken at night it gives off a deeper, and more personal expression than a picture that was taken during the day. Pictures that are taken during the day have brighter lightning which gives off a more happy vibe.

 This photo is also by Bruce Percy. I'm starting to really like his work! When I looked at this picture I realized it is mono-chromatic, which in this picture I really love! The tones in this photo are reddish-brown. The lighting looks natural and the colors seem to make the light look warmer. The composition is strong. It feels personal and I feel as if I'm there with her. I noticed that the young girl has a strong stance. She looks very mature and confident for her age. I really enjoy this picture I think its a wonderful portrait.

Andrew Hachmeister - week 6

This is a photo of Annie Leibovitz. It also includes the famous, Steve Martin. It was taken in Beverly Hills in 1981.I really think this photo is so interesting to look at. The first time I saw this from afar I didn't even realize there was a person in the picture, let alone it being Steve Martin. I first came into contact with this picture in my Photo 1 class.

Annie Leibovitz use of color to me in this photo is so eye catching to me, because it looks like a standard black and white photo but it has the skin tone of Steve, as well as the slight brown tone of the framework around the painting itself. Which is a brilliant move because the picture is intended for the attention of Steve Martin and his face is the main focus due to the lack of color surrounding him.

As well as the composition of this photo is amazing to me, because it could have just been cropped with him standing in front of the painting. Annie wasn't going to have just any standard picture, So including the white ruffled sheet on the ground as well as the light fixtures above, adds so much texture to the picture as well as it keeps your eyes continuously moving.

Melena Nicholson - Week 6

In this photograph by Florian Ritter there is a path curving into the middle of the scene from the center bottom. It curves slightly downward between old brick and stone buildings. The architecture appears to be oriental. The path looks eroded and the buildings look faded and a little worn. A man walks down it with a hat on and his hands in his pockets facing away from the camera. His dark figure mimics dark architecture of the building on the left. There are green mountains in the foreground and many crossing telephone wires above that mimic the shape of the mountains.
The dark sky gives the picture a very serious and moody tone. The lines from the telephone wires play off the sky like lighting giving a lot of tension. The buildings and the path make lines to draw your eye near the center of the photo. The buildings and ground are very monochromatic reds and browns and they contrast with the green mountains behind them. The image is low in saturation with varying values of black and light grays that really make it look dark and mysterious.