5 CRITIQUES
This image shows 6 older people, gathered around a building. There is a dark doorway in the center of the picture, with 3 people inside and three people leaning up against the wall. Some are wearing plaid, others are wearing plain tshirts. The building is made of cracked concrete, with parts of brick showing through.
This image that Paul Strand has captured reminds me of what people would do in the old days. The old fashioned clothing and rustic looking building looks like this was taken a long time ago. Overall, it makes me feel calm because of the peoples faces, and their body language. Texture, movement, and contrast is used in this picture. Texture is shown in the cracked walls of the building, and the dark doorway contrasts against the light colored walls. Lastly, this picture has movement because of how many people there are. Your eyes wander to the dark doorway, to one person to another. |
Here shows a short and stocky light house. It looks to be light colored brick, with a black top and windows on the sides. To the left of the lighthouse there is a small shed, and a bigger building that is cut out of the frame. In front of the building there is a damaged wall that is white.
This picture makes me feel sad. It reminds me when I would go down to the beach alone to just walk around and clear my head. I would always walk down by the harbor close to the lighthouse, so it brings back a lot of sad memories and thoughts. This image has rule of thirds, medium DOF, and texture. The lighthouse, which is the subject, is not centered, it is off to the right. This has medium DOF because the buildings are clear and the clouds are still recognizable, but out of focus. Lastly, this has texture because the outside of the shed looks like rough wood, as well as the small bumpy bricks that make up the lighthouse. |
Here is a landscape picture by Paul Strand. This photo was taken from up above, so you can see a big part of what looks to be an island. It is in black and white so its hard to tell, but it looks to be a mix of the ocean meeting the sand and land. In the foreground, a couple horses are standing together in the water.
This photo reminds me of Greenland. I have never been, but this is what I imagine it to look like. From looking at this, I feel calm. The overall emptiness of the image doesn't affect me, just makes me feel calm. Contrast, movement, and expansive DOF is shown in this image. The dark land contrasts against the light sand and water, and you're able to see all of that because Paul used expansive DOF. This image definitely has movement because there is so much going on. The land is very textured, created curves for your eyes to follow, as well as the horses throughout the picture. |
This portrait shows a younger looking man with a serious look on his face. He is standing up against a wooden fence, and he is wearing a knit top under overalls. His hair is parted in the middle, and pushed back. Because of his facial expression, this picture gives off a dark mood. It makes me wonder what this boy is thinking, and whats going on inside of his head. Since this picture is so plain, it makes me feel empty inside. This image has examples of simplicity, and contrast. It is simple because it is taken close up, and has a simple background. This black and white picture has contrast because the man has darker skin, and he is standing up against a lighter colored fence.
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This is a picture of a wall, decorated with doors and a balcony. At the top center, there is a balcony with an iron railing. At the bottom, there are two doors, with piles of baskets near them. The wall is rough, graffiti'd with words. This image makes me feel musty and old. The black cat gives off a weird vibe, like its up to something. It reminds me of what buildings would be like in the old days. This picture has movement and texture. Your eyes go directly to the dark door, then the other doors and balcony, and then you finally notice the cat at the bottom. Texture is shown because of the damaged walls, and the woven baskets.
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THE PERSON BEHIND THE CAMERA
Paul Strand an influential American photographer and filmmaker born October 16th, 1890 who was born in New York but his creativity led him to many other places. At the young age of 17 Paul Strand took a photography course where his interest in taking photos sparked. Although, that wasn't the only thing that kindled his interest. Alfred Stiegitz's "291 gallery" in New York inspired Paul and many others. Paul Strand actually made a short film called "Manhatta" of the city he lived in 1920. In 1930 he got very into and interested in documentary film. Back in 1920 he began to get more interested in regards to intertwining art with politics. He had very strong political views so what better way to express them by putting them into his work. Paul very well earned the title as a "Master of early American Modernist Photography". His creativity though led him out of America and into Europe and Africa. He decided to stay in France where he photographed landscape, portraits, architecture and abstraction. Paul married Rebecca Salsbury in 1922 and enjoyed taking unique portraits and photos of her. Later he divorced and married Virginia Stevens in 1935. After that divorce he married Hazel Kingsbury in 1951 who he stayed with until death. Paul Strand was a very influential photographer who was able to show the world and the people around him the effectiveness of art while promoting social change. The quote, "The artist's world is limitless. It can be found anywhere, far from where he lives or a few feet away. It is always on his doorstep." by Paul Strand really does help sum up the atmosphere and idea of his photography. Paul definitely did not just stick to one place and photograph there. He literally went all over the world. He went to places in Africa and places in Europe. He was not going to let boundaries get in the way of his photography and the way he expressed and showed his life. Strand once said something along the lines that he wanted to photograph people in their everyday life. He did not want to change what they were doing for a photo. He wanted to see them where they wanted to be making expressions that they already had. Paul Strand wanted real emotion which was something that made his photography so appealing to many people.
FORMAL CRITIQUES
This is a photo of a horse at Ava's barn inside his stall. This photo replicates Paul Strand's photo of the horse that was also in a stall looking out the same way that this horse is. The same kind of emotion is portrayed in this photo as in the original done by Paul Strand. To me both photos show contentment and tranquility. This is because horses are such innocent creatures and they are so majestic looking. They bring peace and happiness. The stall that the horse is in reminds me much of Paul Strand's photo because of the rustic appeal it has to it. There are many elements within the photo. For example, there are lines, framing , and texture. The lines are diagonal and run all through the stalls walls. The framing is present where the horse head is. His head is sticking out of the stalls window and frames the head of the horse very well. The last element I noticed was texture which is in many places of the photo. In the bottom right there are some rustic stains that add a bit of texture and also in the left side of the photo there is a sticker that is quite faded and adds an amount of texture to the photo. In conclusion, this photo's content reminds me much of something that Paul Strand would photograph.
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This photo is of Ava who is wearing overalls and is standing in front of a wooden fence just like Paul Strand's famous photograph called "Young Boy". The background is quite alike and the facial expression and mood is also very similar. This photo along with the original makes me feel almost empty because of the expression in the original and in my own. The clothing to me says a lot about to photo and the time period. Through the details within the photo you can assume what the models lifestyle is like and what time period they are in. There are a couple elements like lines, texture, and a sense of unity. The lines you can see are on the fence. The texture also comes form the fence and the blemishes that are all over it. The unity is shown through the very similar theme of the overalls contrasting with the fence and the worn out appeal that they both have. While shooting this photo I came to the realization that I really do enjoy taking photos of people and capturing their emotions just like Paul Strand did.
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This photo replicates the photo that Paul Strand took that was of the men standing at the wall. This photo that
i took has some key points to it that reminds me of the original Paul Strand photo. The expressions that are all of the people's faces are very bland and almost sad looking. This photo truly reminds me of the time period that Paul Strand photographed for, because of the emotion. The outfits are quite similar to what people would wear in the time period of the original photo. Some of Paul Strands photos would have a dog in them so in my photo I had a dog just to include more of Strand's style. Although the background is not the same as the original photo there are a few things that include the industrial side of Paul Strand's photos like the pipes on the left hand lower corner and also the rustic looking fence. This photo makes me feel curious as to the lifestyles of these people just because of their expressions and their clothing. The elements in this photo are proportion, lines, and framing. There is proportion within this photo because of the different heights that are captured. If you look at the left and move to the right the people go from tall to short which helps also gives you a leading line. There is framing with Ava and the girl just to the left of her. They are framed in between the fence and if you look down at the dog, he is also framing them. |
This photo is more of an industrial photo and it replicates the industrial side of photography that Paul Strand had. The wheel is very old and rustic looking just like most of Paul's photos. It is also very zoomed in and is the center of attention. A few of Paul's photos were the same way. He had one focus in the photograph just like this photo. This photo represents to me the turning point in history when there were many new inventions and ideas going around. This is one of my favorite times in history which made taking this photo even more fun. Within the photo there are little details that bring out the rustic and Paul Strand kind of feel. If you look to the right of the photo you can see a spring which adds a little bit of detail to the photo. Not only do the parts of the cars wheel add detail but the ground which contains many sticks and a dirt surface. This gives the photo a more Western feel. Most of Paul's photos had quite a bit of Western ideal within them. The elements that i notice in this photo are forms, space, and color. Forms and space are much alike in this photo because with form you look to the spring which is an object that brings space into the picture. That is where the element of space comes in, from the little details around the spring. The last element I notice is color. Now although the photo is in black and white there are different shades available. In the right corner you can see how to color is more of a white shade, this is because of the sun.
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This last image replicates a photo that Paul Strand took of a child whos facial expression is bland and their body language speaks of unease. This photo has the same kind of effect. The body language shows discomfort and the expression is hard to read. The girls outfit is much like the one in the original photo. They are both wearing a pea-coat. Although the background is quite different the same sort of feel is yet still in this photo. There is a rustic looking wall and fence behind the young girl which contributes to the effect of the same time period that the original photo was taken. This photo make me feel very mysterious because of the expression and body language. It's almost a mystery in itself. The girls hair is messy which makes you wonder about the little girls lifestyle and if she has to work or if she has time to play and enjoy her childhood. The elements in this photo are emphasis, proportion, and texture. There is emphasis on the girl because she is the main subject in the photo. Proportion i used when you compare the size of the girl with the sliver of fence that you can still see above her. This gives you a sense of how tall or short the girl is. The last one is texture which is noticeable on the girls jacket which has a textured pattern.
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