Diana Markosian is an American and Russian photographer, of Armenian descent, but I am only going to focus on one piece of her work for this project, which is the photographs she took when in Cuba, all about the tradition of quinceaneras.
A quinceanera is a lavish and grand celebration of a girl’s 15th birthday, where she wears an (often elaborate) princess-style dress and has a big procession to celebrate her journey into womanhood. It is a big part of Cuban and Latino culture, which is why I chose to use it for my case study.
The images below are from Diana Markosian’s trip to Cuba, and I like them because of their vivid colours and the clear sense of cultural pride that they portray, and when researching them, I found that these quinceaneras are very much a part of the Latino shared cultural identity.
TECHNICAL- This image uses natural light and a warm tone as it was taken during the day. It has a high saturation and is very vibrant, which helps to provide a contrast between the red and white of the seat and the girl’s leg in the centre foreground of the image. There is no motion blur, which shows how it was taken with a fast shutter speed to capture a single moment in time.
VISUAL- The image has a good composition; the main focal point is the foot, which is in the centre of the image to lead the eye directly there. The texture of the image is smooth, shown by the reflection in the back of the seat, which demonstrates how the material of the seat is smooth.
CONTEXTUAL- This image was taken as part of a series of images to demonstrate the significance of quinceaneras, which can be seen through the extravagance of the car (a vintage Chevrolet) and the shoe: glitter, heels, gems. However, the image also shows how Cuba is a relatively poor country, as the ground in the bottom left segment of the image is dirty and scuffed, showing the contrast between this one ceremony and the rest of these Cubans lives.