Use C.E.L.L. to help you describe and analyse images. Be prepared to discuss…

Composition : layout, structure, depth, rule of thirds, balance, symmetry, diagonals etc

Exposure ; over exposed, under exposed, sharp, blurred etc

Light : Natural, artificial, harsh, soft, overhead, side etc

Lens : wide angle, telephoto, standard, macro, fish eye, focal length, focal point, depth of field, foreground and background etc

Dorothea Lange

My initial feeling for this image  is that i am interested in it and feel connected to it. I feel emotionally connected to this image as it tells a story and . The image is dramatic and immediately stood out to me due to the contrast between light and dark. The placement of the people in the images makes it have more depth and not just be a pointless photo. The photographer has placed the woman in the center, breaking the rule of thirds, so that she is the focal point to the image drawing your eye to her.

Daniel Joseph Martinez

I didn’t have an immediate positive emotional connection to this image however i was intrigue by the image as it is an abstract photo and different to normal portraits i have come across. This image contains leading lines by he scar on the mans head and leads my eye through the image. my feelings towards this image is sad as it makes me think something bad has happened to him to need an operation. the use of colour blue also indicates a cold tone to the photograph.

Cindy Sherman

I immediately didn’t like this image because the photo looks as though it is fake and the stance the woman is doing makes me feel uncomfortable. i also do not like the clashing colours that make the image bold. i feel that the whole image doesn’t fit together and there is no story behind the photograph. The photograph is breaking the rule of thirds and is in the centre of the image to capture your eye however due to the lack of depth i am still not drawn towards this image.

I like this photo as it looks very artificial but for a reason. The way she is positioned and the exaggerated colors make her look almost like a doll figure.  When looking at her eyes, they are glazed over and looks as if there is no life in her. I think this picture represents the materialistic things that have taken over her life like the makeup and the crown she is wearing. She is more caring for the way she looks and the things she has than the way she acts. This is the reason why the colors are so saturated. Surrounded by materialistic things she looks dead.

I do not like this photo as it almost looks like a painting  or a drawing. I also dislike the position she is standing in as it looks awkward and nothing like how a child would stand. It is also too perfect for example her skirt matches the green of the leaves and the background is symmetrical. The perfectness of the photo shows that it is artificial  however unlike the photo by Cindy Sherman it is artificial but I do not see the purpose. The child is not acting like a child.

This photo interests me as the man in the picture looks like some kind of war hero with his old fashioned coat,  scarf, haircut and pipe in his mouth. He also looks very serious. I like the long distance blurry background as it gives you an opportunity to see the range in which the picture captures without loosing the focus of the photo (the man with the pipe).  Also the man looks like he is day dreaming even though someone is quiet clearly speaking to him. Maybe he is having a flashback from serving his country.

 I like this photograph because it displays a sense of power to it.  For example: The man shows influence in the photograph and therefore we as the viewer should almost feel nervous in his presence.  To back this up, the man has got two young men behind him who convey a protective nature  over the man, therefore the man clearly has influence over these men.  This puts an imposing emotion on the viewer that makes us fear this man’s presence.  Also, the paintings in the background show stories of the past, showing that the man is knowledgeable but also has some level of authority over history because he can look back at history the way he wants to.  Also, the fact that the man has valuable ornaments emphasizes the man’s wealth in the sense that, these possessions, no matter the value of the currency, the value of the ornaments wealth will stay the same.  This emphasis of wealth and power make us feel wary and uncomfortable.  This is backed up by the fact the man is staring at the lens sort of challenging us.

I don’t like this photograph nor do I like it very much either.  This is because the feelings of pain and other similar emotions in my opinion aren’t particularly well expressed.  This is probably because the photographer wanted to communicate the idea that the man who we can’t see his face, generally tries to hide his pain.  However the fact his wound is being displayed in front of the camera shows he clearly isn’t successful at this. This makes us feel sympathetic towards this man with the fact that he is trying to hide his emotions probably because that he has no one to talk to.  However because we don’t see much of his face we can’t make a judgement of who he is so it is quite difficult to feel sympathetic in that respect.  Therefore I feel this photograph is confusing which is why I am not particularly enthusiastic about it.

I don’t like this photograph because it expresses negative feelings to the viewer.  For example: the woman is looking away from the camera. The fact she is doing this suggests she lacks in confidence to do so and therefore is afraid of interacting with us.   This makes the viewer feel somewhat guilty that we can’t do anything to help her.   Also, this is emphasized further with how the 2 children are cuddling into their mother’s shoulders. Children are often associated with happiness and joy, however the fact they are turning into their mother’s shoulders suggests the hostility of the setting that they are hoping to receive some sort of comfort from their mum.  However we know that the mum feels the same way as her children and so this comfort from the mum allows us to understand that it is a hollow, temporary comfort that doesn’t fix the problems.  It also makes us understand how the mum longs for someone to comfort her too.   Therefore this negative theme makes us feel sad, and makes us want to help but we can’t.

Photograph Analysis:

• The one photograph I chose out of the ten that I really like is the last one. The obscurity of this particular image really interests me. I also really like the perspective at which it was taken at; the main focus, the focal point is on the man’s head where the scar is because my eyes are instantly drawn to this. I like the simplicity of the picture; there isn’t a lot going on and the colours aren’t too loud. This photo tells a story therefore is intriguing.
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• However, the image I dislike out of the ten on show is the second. For me, there is too much going on, too much for my eyes to try to focus on. I think it is a good image for its purpose, perhaps it’s adverting for an office or an agency of some sort but for me I don’t like its set out. It’s too serious and I tend to like causal, fun-looking images with lots of colour but this photo is quite dark in colour.
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• The third image I have picked out to analyse is the second one that was displayed to us. This image is of a young lad sat in the foreground of a police car with a hoodie on. This photograph, to me, seems very cultural and that it has a hidden meaning behind it; why is the kid sat by a police car? Is it intended? Is it set up? Or is it a ‘happy accident’? I’d like to know more about this image but the overall look of it, its environment seems to be focused on a particular lifestyle.
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