Analysis

Hannah Starkey

The use of reflections in this photo as it gives it a unique eeriness even though the lighting is very high key. The lighting is also another aspect here having the white curved wall and mirror reflecting light. The amount of white shown is excessive and makes a good photo. The roof is curved giving the photo an usual framing as we often see basic rectangle ceilings (is there is one). We can see one person on both sides of the mirror however the person on the left we cannot see her on the other side of the mirror I think this is also another reason the photo seems so eerie as she as the older lady is clearly staring at herself with a motionless look on her face. Also the  younger women is pressing something against the mirror it looks almost like a flower. The older women is also wearing blue just as the younger women however covering it with a white coat.

It looks as if the older lady is somewhat related to the women on the right whether it is her future older self, this would explain why we cannot see he on the other side of the mirror or it could be her mother or grandmother. I’d like to think it was the first one as it would explain the eeriness to the photo as when you’re young growing old can often seem like a scary concept. It would also explain the fact that they are both wearing blue. The fact that she is touching the mirror its almost as if shes looking through a mysterious window through time. The fact that Hannah Starkey’s photography is very much cinematic based this could be the case.

I like this photo as it draws my attention. It also has a cinematic edge to it that I really like. It looks like a quirky american diner. I like the hidden meanings there could be behind the photo. The photographer hasn’t said much about the photo, the photo itself doesn’t even have a title. All we know is the date it was taken which was May 1997.

Anna Gaskell

When looking at this photograph the colors and the image itself is very striking. There’s yellows, blues and a very bright orange. This shoot most probably took place at sun down as the main subjects face and the others hands have a glowing orange to them. The emphasized colors go hand in hand with the Alice in Wonderland themed shoot as that piece literature is all about magically, fantasy, scary but amazing land  where Alice is trapped. There is a helpless to this photo, this aspect gives the photo a dark and eerie tone. The hands have also become almost like silhouettes making them look mysterious and evil. You could relate them to branches I got this idea as I saw the tree also a silhouette in the background.  The main subject has also been focused on and placed in the middle almost dehumanizing the hands surrounding her.

I like this photo as the artist is showing Alice in Wonderland something most people can relate to yet using that to convey their own message. The way it has been shot is very striking and causes the viewer to take a double take as it is quite violent photo. All of Anna Gaskell Alice in Wonderland work is untitled. It has been decided by others that the photos could be a potent metaphor for the anxiety and confusion experienced by children on the verge of adolescence.