Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Questions


I have 3 slight variations of one shot. The one on the left is the first one, and the two on the right have yet to be color balanced. Which one has a more interesting composition? I can't get rid of the shadow on the far left of the original, because it's from a wall.







Bill posed:

Why would anyone else care about pictures of your family? (paraphrased)

Why would they? I am interested in that change that takes place in the family dynamic after you left home and then start returning as a guest in that very home you grew up in. I am also interested in the physical change that takes place. I think that is easier to see.
Are these two separate ideas?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Sarah,

I think the image on the left is the better composition. In the other two, it is difficult to discern what the subject is, especially in the bottom right. The edge of the desk that is creeping into the foreground on the right side competes with the cane for my attention. In the image on the left, the carpet in the background is on an oblique angle that directs my eye towards the cane. In the other two, the carpet in the background is parallel to the top and bottom of the picture, rendering the composition more stagnant and confusing the subject.

I think that change in the home and those that dwell there is a fine subject. In the end, however, just as the home is changing, so is the lens (you) that you are looking at the home through. So in this project, you are simultaneously describing your former home and the way that you understand and feel about that former home.

Anonymous said...

...and revealing to the viewer what your concept of home was and what it is now. Has that concept changed? How?

Kevin said...

I would say the bottom right is your better composition. First, I like the lower angle of the images to the right. The angle in the left-most feels more like a snap-shot to me than a carefully composed picture.

Then, the bottom right has the door on the right, it helps to give the image context. It conveys a sense of home and the warmer tones of the oak make the picture feel warmer. with the other two compositions, which don't have the door, all you see is an empty staircase with a very stark wall. That shadow to the left is pretty distracting, and if you crop it out it makes the composition even weirder...

Good fun!