Conceptual Photography

1) How would you rate the images you selected in terms of photographic quality (appropriate focus, good exposure, strong composition, etc.)

2) Are there any photographic characteristics that seem to be more prevalent in this group of images?  Examples might be "moody" lighting, image blurring, long shadows, etc.

3) Are there any conceptual characteristics that stand out as more prevalent than others?  Examples might be death motifs, supernatural events, sunlight, children, etc.

1. The picture of the boat on the water is our favorite because of the bright exposure and the main focus on the boat. The picture shows very good depth, with the foreground, and a background. The closer the object the clearer it is. The colors of the image are blues and greens which makes the red umbrella pop and stand out in the picture. 

2. In the image with the couple on the boat the image has nice blurring to it. The background is more blurry and there is a reflection of the boat, trees, and people in the water which adds a nice long shadow almost. The sunlight is also hitting the boat, which makes the focus also go to the boat. In the sunset picture the sun is so bright that it contrasts nicely with the dark boat underneath it. The picture of the buried telephones the focus is very good. One telephone is in focus, and the background is heavily blurred. 

3. The image of the man on the train tracks has a death motif and a christ motif. The man is pictured to look like christ hanging from the cross. It is very symbolic and has a lot of meaning. The image of the sunset symbolizes life and rebirth. The picture of the girl and the hay stack has a death motif and has a creepy almost eery feeling to it. The boat image has a serene feel to it and is very calming to look at. 

4. The picture of the man on the train tracks is telling a story of sadness and hurt. This man is committing suicide and has probably been severely hurt and is in a lot of pain. He is pictured lying on the tracks in a form of christ when he was on the cross preparing to die. This man is in the same position, just waiting to die. In the image of the couple on the boat, the two lovers are taking a romantic boat ride and are enjoying each others company. With the darkness behind them maybe they are moving toward a better relationship, because they are sailing into the lighter part of the picture. Symbolizing new life and new love perhaps. 

Balance, Contrast, Depth, Pattern, Symmetry, Texture

Critic

Photographer: Montse Grillo Tenerife in the Canary Islands 

Purpose for National Geographic of a really good turtle. 

Describe the image in detail.  The image is of a close up of a sea turtle. The viewer is able to see all of the details of the turtle. The bright blue ocean is a nice contrast to the turtle. The sun beams are coming out from being the turtle which makes it look almost angelic. This turtle is beautiful. 

Decipher what you like and dislike about the photograph. I love the extreme closeness of the photo. However, there are some bubbles to the left of the turtle and they bother me. If the bubbles were not there the photo would be perfect. It just distracts my eyes. 

Focus-The focus is directly on the turtle. Around the edges of the photograph are where it is a little blurry. This allows viewers to directly look at the turtle instead of wondering around the photograph. 

Dust and other technical distractions-The photographer captured bubbles and particles in the water, but this was probably not intentional. However, it would be really hard to avoid in the ocean. 
Color-The colors are in your face and bright. The turtle is a darker color but the ocean water is bright and blue and calming. It makes the viewer happy. The contrast between the two colors are nice. 

Lighting-There is a lot of lighting in this picture. The turtle has some shadows but not many. The natural sunlight is shinning down around the turtles frame. The water is bright and blue which makes the shadows okay. 

Exposure-High exposure was used because there is a lot of light in this photograph. The photographer was intentionally trying to bring in as much light as he could into his picture. 

Tonal Contrast- The lightest part is the sunlight behind the turtle and the darkness is under the turtles belly. This is a nice contrast between light and dark colors.
        B. Normal contrast, equal amounts of pure blacks, pure whites and gray tones. But almost high contrast. 
        

Critic

Describe the image in detail. The two bodies found deep in the rubble are still holding on to each other. The couple was killed in Savar Dhaka, Bangladesh on April 24th 2013.The man in the photograph is covered in dust and dirt from the accident. A trail of blood is leaking from his eye resembling a tear. The woman's head has fallen back and is disappearing in the darkness. 

Decipher what you like and dislike about the photograph. I really like the photograph because it really grabs peoples emotions. I feel like it is a little bit too much, however. I don't enjoy looking at this photograph for too long. But, it is showing the devastation of this day. It shows that even during the bad, love still triumphs through. These poor people loved each other and even when they were dying tried to hang onto hope by wrapping their arms around each other. 

Focus-The focus is on the dead couple. THe poka-dotted blue fabric in the left corner is blurred. The reason for this is that the attention is on the couple not anything else in the photo. They are the main focus because everything else is not in focus. 

Dust and other technical distractions-There is a lot of dust and debris in the photo but the photographer did not intentionally put it there. 
Color-The photo has a lot of nude colors because of the debris and dust. The splash of pink and blue help to keep the eye focused. The whole picture is beige except for the little bit of color that was in the frame. 

Lighting-The lighting is from the sun shining down into the rubble. This keeps it natural. The light is also right on the couple. Which helps keep the focus on them. The darkness around the couple is significant because it is a sad photo and the darkness helps to emphasize that. 

Exposure-The photo looks to have low exposure because the photo is relatively dark. The exposure only allows in a little bit of light which happens to be on the couple. 
Tonal Contrast-The light part of the picture is on the couple. The dark parts are around them. They are "seeping" into darkness.  
        B. Normal contrast, equal amounts of pure blacks, pure whites and gray tones.
     

Triptych

Erase