Assignment #8- Portrait

ICCA- 11/13/13

This picture is vey intense. It makes me feel scared and sad. The children in this picture look like they are running away from something. Judging from the smoke in the background, they may be running away from a bomb. They could also be running away from the men with guns who are walking behind them. The men in the background look as if they are in the war because they have war attire on and they are carrying guns. I think this picture is from a war and it looks as if it is taken sometime during the day. The picture is an example of Depth of Space because the children in the front appear larger than the soldiers in the back. This picture is very sad. The fear and sadness in the children's face is unbelievable. They look so distressed. I don't know how the photographer was able to capture something so horrifying.

Assignment #7- Photographer Inspiration: Cole Thompson

http://www.colethompsonphotography.com/OldThings.htm

Walter Astrada- Hunger in Uganda- 11/4/13

Photo Credit: http://walterastrada.com/portfolio/news/hunger-in-uganda/

Hunger in Uganda:

Describing:

a. This photograph was taken in Uganda. It looks like it is on a farm in the middle of the country.
b. There is one person in this photo, probably the farmer. However, I think the subject of this photo is the dead crop. This picture is a landscape with the ground, mountains and trees in the background, and blue sky. This picture is in the country because no houses or buildings of any kind are shown. The crops look dead or like they didn't have a good growing season.
c. I like the blue colors in the sky and then the tans and browns in the foreground. The lines of the crop are pointing up into the sky, draw your eye up. There is also a sense of space in this picture because the crops in the front of the picture appear larger than the mountains. Also the man in the back looks like a giant compared to the mountains.

Analyzing:

a. I have learned from this photo that the farmer probably did not have a good growing season. The crops look dead. What draws my eye in is the crops that are pointing up. They lead my eye to the man in the picture. They tell me that because the growing season wasn't very successful, the people may not have enough food to eat.
b. The man in this picture is wearing some sort of dress protecting him from the heat most likely. He is also carrying a bag on his back to collect the crops. Although I can't definitely tell, I am guessing that the man is in his fifties. I can't see the man's face but I'm sure he is tired and frustrated from working in a field all day.
c. There is a man in the background pointing at something. There is nothing else in the background but some trees and a mountain. It looks like it is about mid-day. The overall mood is almost despair because the crops look like they're wilting and they don't look like they can be used for much. I'm sure the people also feel disappointed to see how the crops have turned out.

Interpreting:

a. The man in the picture is probably trying to pick as much of the crop as possible. Due to the horrible growing season, he probably isn't getting much. The photographer is trying to say that in other parts of the world people are starving and their food supply is not enough to feed everyone. I'm not sure why he chose this angle. He may have done so to make the crop look bigger and stand out more, to possibly put emphasis on the crop itself.
b. I don't think he tried to leave anything out, unless there was more people or other things around that he didn't want to include. It may have taken away from the photo and make it more cluttered. In leaving out extra things, we were able to see what he really wanted to capture, which was the person and the crop.

Evaluating:

a. I personally liked this photo. Again I love the colors, the blues and browns. I thought the photographer captured the picture at just the right moment, with the man pointing in the background. Overall, I thought it was an interesting photo. I think the importance of this photo was the dead, wilting crops in the front. I think the photographer was trying to show that in some countries, food isn't plentiful and they have to live with what they have.

Walter Astrada Undesired- 11/4/12

Photo Credit: http://walterastrada.com/portfolio/vaw-project/undesired-missing-women-in-india/

Undesired "Missing"-

Describing:

a. Judging by what the woman is wearing in this photo, this picture was most likely taken in India, near some sort of water source.
b.There is a young woman standing on a dock in this photo. She is drinking water out of some sort of lake or river. The picture was most likely taken during the day, perhaps in the early morning because there is fog in the background. I would say she is most likely somewhere in the country, seeing that there are no buildings around.
c. The colors in this photo are dark and dull. The lines of the dock and the line of squares in the water create a sense of space, drawing my eye back towards the woman. The texture of the water is smooth looking, and the dock has lines on it, making it look rough.

Analyzing:

a. From this photo, I have learned that this women is obviously thirsty. Maybe there is a shortage of water where she lives, and she can only drink out of the dirty water. What immediately catches my eye is the woman drinking water. Her dark clothes stick out against the dull gray background. She's not wearing any shoes, and I don't know if it's because she doesn't want to or if she doesn't have any shoes.
b. The woman in this photo is wearing black clothes with a black headdress and scarf. The woman looks young, possibly in her thirties. I can't really see her face, so I'm not quite sure what she is feeling.
c. The only thing I can see in the background is fog, so I am not sure of what is going on back there. It seems like it is early in the morning, judging by the fog. The overall mood is surprisingly peaceful. The picture is simple, with not a lot of commotion going on in the picture. The colors and element of the water create a calming feel and mood.

Interpreting:

a. From my previous analysis, I think that the women just wanted a drink of water because she was thirsty. I think the intent of the photographer was to capture this woman getting a drink to show that in some countries getting a drink isn't as simple as going to the faucet. I think he was trying to say that we should be more thankful for things and not take things for granted. I think the picture was taken at this time because obviously the fog and colors of this photo are what made it so interesting. I'm not sure why the photographer chose this angle. I think he wanted to capture the lines of the dock so that it drew our eyes back. Also I think he wanted to capture the water and fog, and the woman on the right to represent Rule of Thirds.
b. It is clear that the photographer's main focus was the woman. I think he wanted to leave out any buildings or extraneous detail because he wanted to capture the simplicity of this photo. I think leaving out extra objects and detail helped accomplish the goal of simplicity.

Evaluating:

The video was quite shocking and I couldn't believe that things like this are actually happening in our world. It made me upset because innocent girls and women were being harmed because of a culture's way of thinking.
a. I actually really liked this photo. I thought the subject was interesting and the picture was very peaceful. The significance of this photo was to realize the importance of water and how much it affects us. I have learned to be more thankful for what I have.