How do you feel when you look at these pictures? You will think the upper one has a dark atmosphere and the bottom one is more blithe and bright. You may think the children in the dark are in somewhat bad situation, and those in the bright one are in happiness. But I suggest here that what is seen in the photo is not only about the situation they are in but also about photography itself. From now on I'll explain it to you by comparing these two pictures.
What we need to do first is to see where the children's attention is. In the photo called "Village School", we can tell that most of the children are staring at the camera. However, in "Children's Puppet Theatre", we see that the children are astonished by other things since they are not looking at the camera. That's why they are not looking at the camera.
Then we need to think about is where the pictures were taken. The upper one was taken in a classroom, and the other one outdoors. Of course people have more things to look at when they're out. But in a closed area, there are fewer things to watch, so in the first picture the children are mainly looking at the camera.
The last thing to consider is the time in which the photos are taken. "Village School" was taken in 1934 and around that time cameras are not common products, which means cameras could draw people's attention and at the same time could create a tension, since people are curious about and scared of what they don't often see. In contrast, cameras became more common in 1960's, when the other picture was taken, which means cameras drew less attention.
These three factors can create the atmosphere of the pictures, regardless of what the subjects really feel. When we see a picture, we're inclined to believe that the image was made only by the subjects' feelings but we should consider photography can create a tension on its own. If you think about the time you take a picture in a photo studio, you'll understand this. So next time you appreciate a photo, you also need to consider it.
Good writing! I liked your response to the two pictures.
ReplyDeleteYou stated that what you see from the pictures are not quite what the underlying meaning is. I like your essay in that you seem like you've pondered seriously about the pictures. As a result, you were able to draw such conclusion with reasonable details. You supporting details show succinct contrast and deep analysis.
Well-written writing! Good job :)
It was great that you compared these two photographs with three main categories: figure, the place and the time. It was very clear and easy to read.
ReplyDeleteHowever, In the second body paragraph, when you considered the place they taken, you only stated the first one and missed the second photo. How about trying to relate the outside background and the mood of the picture, on the contrary to how the closed space affects the mood in the first one.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your essay with us :)