Portraits

Intimate

Composition: Since this was for the intimate prompt, I wanted to capture the figure while he was laying in his bed. The perspective was meant to be zoomed and in somewhat of an intrusive distance. By doing this I wanted the viewer to feel the same closeness to the figure as I did while I took the picture. 

Method/Motivation/Concept: It is rare that Anthony really smiles in photographs. Anthony is a somewhat reserved person; private and quiet. My goal with this photograph was to reveal the "real" Anthony. I tried to make this photograph appear to be candid, and in a sense it is. He is not smiling because of something that was intended to be funny, or because he was happy, but because he was uncomfortable. I told him to lay down and pretend he was asleep, which is what made him uncomfortable. For me, this photograph was a success because it represents the Anthony that I know and with that the reasons why I adore him.

Context: Knowing the relationship I have with Anthony, this photograph brought about the importance of the photographer and subject bond. I think it brings about an appreciation for photographers that can make the people they're photographing comfortable enough with them to take their picture. I've known Anthony for a long time and yet he was still uncomfortable with me taking his picture, and I would have been the same way.

Interpretation: Someone thought that this photograph was taken in the morning light. It was taken in the evening when the sun was coming through the window. Since they saw it as being in the morning light it was perceived that the figure was happy and ready to start the day. Someone else commented on how dark the face is.

Evaluation: This image was hard to capture and edit. There was already contrast with the face and the background, but not a lot when it came to the shirt and the background. I tried to bring out the detail in the subject and background. I will probably redo the edit so that the face is not quite so dark.

Extension: Looking back this photograph is an unintended recreation of an image I had taken with my phone. There are many similarities and I find it interesting how similar he looks in each photo. I did not tell him how to pose, other than to lay down. In both images he is laying down the same way, with the same facial expression.

Midday

Composition: I thought it would be interesting to take a portrait where the figure was important to the image, but it seems to be more about the landscape. To do this I used the portrait format instead of a horizontal landscape. 

Concept: It is overwhelming to decide what to photograph when walking around a place like Washington DC. Although I had to take photographs of people for this assignment, I could not get away from wanting to take photographs of all the buildings. It became impossible not to see the way that people interact with the space they live in. With that, I captured the chaos of city live and the way that people live within the environment they created. 

Method: This image was supposed to be taken in midday, although it does not look like it. The sky had an overcast and the buildings blocked most of the sunlight anyway. There were other shots I had taken with this background, but this one turned out better than the others. I told the figure to stop looking at the camera and pretend to be walking. I think that's what also reinforced the idea of the portrait being about the city and not just the figure. 

Motivation: In a way this photograph is a candid moment of what was happening at the time. I really wanted to go to The Mall and take photos, but there was a problem with getting the images from my camera onto my external hard drive. I had not planned this photograph until we were walking to a store so I could buy a memory card. It was really cold out and neither one of us wanted to walk in the opposite directions to go to The Mall.

Context: I think that it is uncommon to see a portrait with this crop and focus. I'm hoping to bring about a different perspective of what a portrait is. 

Interpretation: This photograph conveyed a more sober emotion than the first. Someone mentioned they thought the figure was sad. It was also mentioned that this photo had balance, referring to the dark jacket and dark car and then with the cross walk creating a dividing line, almost horizon-like.

Evaluation: I am not completely happy with the editing process for this photo. It was hard to create mid-tones and contrast. The sky had almost no detail and the face was really dark. But, I think the overall composition/elements of the piece are successful in creating a balance. 

Extension: I think this image would look better bigger, maybe poster size. It could be the start of some kind of city advertisement. 

Intimate

Composition: The focus and background elements are important for this photograph. The focus of the foot and the blur of the figure create two focal points. The lighting also makes this image visually exciting, which I hope catches the viewer's attention. 

Concept: This is not the first time I have taken a portrait by using the person's feet to convey emotion or capture their likeness. With this photograph I wanted to capture the person's identity. I have unconsciously started to enjoy photographing people's feet. I find it to be an interesting way to identify someone. 

Method: I tried this shot two different ways. First, by having the foot be out of focus and then with the foot in focus. I also wanted to keep the background to be as minimal as possible so that all of the focus was on the figure.

Motivation: My goal was to again show the relationship between the photographer and subject, but also to bring about a different way of seeing people. 

Context: By using the foot to identify someone I am hoping to bring about a new way of seeing people, and seeing them in an intimate way. I like the idea of using a part of the body that is not perceived as beautiful or attractive and using it to convey things that are supposed to be beautiful (face/appearance and emotion). 

Interpretation: The first reaction to this image was, "eww, that's gross". However, people liked the perspective of the figure and how you could still somewhat see the emotion through the face and other body language. 

Evaluation: The fact that most people think of this image as disgusting makes it a success. I wanted to make people feel sort of grossed out in order to see people in a new way. What makes it successful is that it is "gross", but hard to not look at. 

Extension: I think that this image has already become apart of the beginning to a series. Although this is a new perspective of the foot, I have taken a few photographs using someone's feet to portray their likeness/emotion. I feel that this image could continue that series and be a starting point for a different point of view. 

Stranger

Composition: For this image the background is just as important as the figure. It was necessary to show more of the background than the figure to convey the concept. 

Concept: Washington DC, like other urban areas, has homeless people just about wherever you go. The point of this photograph is to show the isolation of the homeless and how they are detached from society.    It is sad to think about living in such an isolated state, especially after seeing how busy the city is in "Midday".

Method: I wanted to keep this photograph as candid as possible. I felt guilty for taking this man's photo so I made sure to keep a distance so I would not be seen. I think it was successful in conveying my idea.

Motivations: I was skeptical to start taking photographs of strangers and especially the homeless. However, I could not convince myself to not take their picture. In a sense I felt as though I was helping them by exposing how they live since I could not offer material things to them all.

Context: Majority of the photographs I took for the strangers prompt were of homeless people. I can definitely relate to the struggle and controversy of photographing people like this man. It was hard to separate the reason why I was going to photograph them from my emotional response of seeing them. 

Interpretation: People pretty much got the concept of this piece as it is straight forward. Someone said it was interesting that the person is not looking at the camera as it adds to the idea that they are isolated. 

Evaluation: In addition to the figure not looking at the camera, the background contributes to the idea of the photograph. The figure does not stand out, but rather blends in with the bushes and other surroundings. 

Extension: Before I took this photograph I thought in some way I could contribute to the homeless by taking their photograph instead of giving them money or other material things. I sort of saw this image as being a part of a series where I could expose the way homeless live to better there quality of life. By raising awareness I could possibly show the importance of community service via soup kitchens, second hand stores, and other places that give to the unfortunate.