Period 1 -- Critical Analysis #19

4/10/2017

Today you will be writing about a photograph from artist Brandon Thibodeaux's project When Morning Comes.

Write 5 paragraphs, 5 sentences minimum per paragraph. Remember, refer to your "How to See" handout for analyzing a photograph--

Describe specifics.
Describe form.
Describe the content.
Evaluate the image

Read the project statement before you write:

WHEN MORNING COMES
When Morning Comes is a reflection of life in the Mississippi Delta. I first traveled to the region in the summer of 2009 because I needed to breathe after my own troubled times. I was in search of something stronger than myself and attended its churches not to photograph but to cry and be redeemed and to just be a part of the place. I was there to listen as I prayed for a revelation.

Over the past seven years I have witnessed signs of strength against struggle, humility amidst pride, and a promise for deliverance in the lives that I’ve come to know here. This is a land stigmatized by poverty beneath a long shadow of racism. I do not wish to overlook this fact but rather look between it for evidence of the tender and yet unwavering human spirit that resides within its fabric.

I photograph in five communities that span roughly 40 square miles of the northern Mississippi Delta. Villages with names like Alligator, and Bo Bo, as well as the country’s oldest completely African American city, Mound Bayou, where in 1910, a New York Times headline once declared, “no white man can own a square foot of land.”

In what began as a journey for personal exploration is found a narrative of another man’s faith, identity, and perseverance. I see the strength of a single man while acknowledging the machine that replaced thousands, the flight of childhood innocence grounded by the scar of life hard lived, a living room altar to a symbolic president and a toppled white king in a conquered game of chess.

While this work makes specific reference to the rural black experience, I am reminded with every visit that these themes of faith, identity, and perseverance are common to us all. These are the traits of strong men. And maybe that is the lesson I was looking for all along

Alexis Parsons

4/10/2017 06:30:47 am

In this photo there is a tree with string lights hanging off it. the tree is infant of a building that looks like a cabin. this cabin looks like its in the middle of no where. the string lights run from the cabin to the tree. this photo looks like it was taken in winter because the tree looks bare.
this tree looks short. it looks like it could be a fruit tree. the tree is almost as tall as the cabin. the lights run from out of the frame shot. they run from there to around the tree.
the area around the tree and cabin is grassy. there are some bushes that run up the side of the cabin. there is a big tree behind the cabin. there are more trees behind the cabin in the distance that look like there a forest.
the cabin look old. it has an ac vent on the outside. the whole cabin is elevated by support beams. these beams are used for preventing floods. the windows have screens on them that are breaking off.
these lights look like there christmas light. they are most likely white as appearing in the photo. there is a black and white photo philter. the lights arnt flashed very big so it was most likely taken with a slow shutter speed.

Raven

4/10/2017 06:34:28 am

This photo by Brandon Thibodeaux is a photo of a twig tree in front on a trailer home, the tree is covered in lights. The colors use in this image are black and whites. This was not studio set-up, the photo was taken in early morning.

This image is under and over exposed. the lights on the tree would to bright and some of the darker parts of the photo are dark to black. The image is focused on the tree, I believe, it is a little hard to tell. The whites are white in this image. The photo is a little fuzzy in some parts, but no real big pixelation.

The photo is pleasing to look at, there is nothing crazy going on, it’s a very calm picture. the point of view is eye level. The lines on the house direct your eyes to the tree. The focal point is the tree, mainly because it’s bright, from the lights on it. This image is not symmetrical, and its not really balanced.

The story told by the photographer is the he went on a journey to the Mississippi Delta and was going to black communities, and seeing all the struggles that is in there every day life. I don’t really see how this photo fits in with Brandon Thibodeaux story and why he went and took these photos. The photo is pretty. This seams like an every day photo. What I mean is that the story behind the photo would be a story I would ever think of to be behind this photo.

Over all this is a well composed photograph. Brandon Thibodeaux did a good job, but I still don’t get how it works with his story. Other then that, I did like this photo.

Olivia iskander

4/10/2017 06:35:18 am

This image is of a tree in a backyard that seems to be lit up. The picture is in grayscale, so the colors are being used are black and white. The lighting is lit up but just around the tree area. The objects included in this image are, the tree, house, and christmas lights. In the image not much is happening but that doesn’t mean it has no symbolism in it.

The image looks perfectly exposed. The image is in focus especially around the house and the tree. The color is correct because the whites look white in this image. There is no pixilation, as far as I can see in this image. The composition is also pleasing to look at.

The rule of thirds isn’t being used in this image because the tree is in the middle of the photo. The angle the photographer took the at was just above the tree so you could see the house. The focal point in this image is the lights and the tree. The focal point is framed by the house and grass around it. The lines are in the branches of the tree and they direct you’re eye towards it.

The image is asymmetrical but is very close to being symmetrical. The subject has extra space in the frame. At the edge of the frame is the rest of the house which the frame crops off. The negative space in the image is all the grass where nothing is going on and the positive space is the tree with all the lights. The themes/ideas in this image is everything is black except the tree which could represent happiness and joy.

There is a story being told in this image and I do believe that everything attend the tree is sad and unhappy and that the “tree” is being showed happy and giving. The artist made the image to show how he feels about it. The image doest remind me of anything that happened in my childhood. It also doesn’t question or challenge my beliefs. I think the image is extraordinary! I do like the image and think its cool and different.

Zachary Perkins

4/10/2017 06:36:35 am

In this image, there is a tree with christmas lights in the middle of the frame. There is also a building in the background with christmas lights on it as well. The building looks like a mobile home, and fairly old. The scene takes place at night. The christmas light look really bright because of the darkness in the image.
With all of the different measures of light, this image looks perfectly exposed. Everything in the image is in focus. This photo is in black and white colors. This photo was taken with adequate resolution, so there is no pixelation.
The point of view of this photo is from his journey for personal reflection. The main focal point of the image is the tree in the middle of the frame, and is framed by the house in the background. The lines in the image are the branches of the tree, which lead your eye from the outside of the tree to the center of the tree. The negative space in the image is the house, and the other trees that don't have christmas lights on it. The positive space in the image is the area taken up by the tree with the christmas lights.
The main ideas I see in this image are faith and perseverance. The story that is being told in this image is that the photographer witnessed signs of strength against struggle, and is a land stigmatized by racism. This image resembles the themes by the lights in the darkness. The christmas lights really stand out from the dark and gloomy night. This can also resemble perseverance by the people being represented as the lights, and they stand out from the rest of the image.
This photo is very interesting. I really like the image because the quality of the image is great, and the ideas really match with how the photo was taken. I think that this photo will be successful because of how much the ideas are represented and shown in the image. Hope, faith, and perseverance are the three main words I see when I look at this image, and the photographer's story behind it really puts emphasis on these themes. This image proved to me that when struggle is much stronger than strength, there is always faith somewhere in the mix.

William Oliver

4/10/2017 06:38:54 am

This photograph but Brandon Thibodeaux is of a tree with christmas lights and a trailer house in the background. The tree is in the middle and is covered in christmas lights. The trailer house looks old and worn down and only one window has light from it. There is a taller tree coming out from behind the house. This photograph is is black and white and most everything is pretty dark except for the tree wrapped in the lights.
This photograph seems to be correctly exposed for what it is trying to say. The image is in focus and is in black and white. I think the fact that it is black and white is very important in what the photograph is trying to portray. The resolution is adequate. The photograph seems to be correctly made.
This image is focused on the tree that is lit up. Most of the photograph is dark and so the lights draw your eyes in. There is not rule of thirds being used because tree is in the center of the compositions. The trailer house does extend to the right and so that draws a little more you your attention to that side of the photograph. There is quite a bit of negative space, but I think that is useful in this photograph.
I think that the light shining through the darkness in this photograph shows that even though there is not a lot of money the people are still spirited and are joyous. The worn down trailer house in the back helps show how poor they are and how they still have lights and excitements. This reminds me of my friends ranch in Graham, TX where we go dove hunting every labor day. The trailer house is worn down and looks a bit like this one, but they hung up a bunch of lights and some of my fondest memories are at this trailer house. I think this photo graph is noteworthy and gives you something to think about.
I do like this photograph because of its meaning and memories it brings to me. I see this and I think about what Thibodeaux is trying to say. I also think about all the fun times I have had at a trailer house just like this one. I think this photograph is successful because it portrays what Thibodeaux is trying to tell very well. It show that even though there is poverty and darkness around them the light shines through.

Julian Gauntlett link

4/10/2017 06:40:01 am

This image is of a leafless tree with almost like christmas lights scattered on the branches. It has a brick or a block of stone below the tree and has a house with the light on in the background. The colors are grayscale which is shades of white and black. The lighting is dark shadows. There is a huge tree in the background swell. It seems like a small 1 story house which the people inside are not that wealthy. The lights really standout in this photo and really attract your eyes. There is lights all over the tree and just a small window in the house. It looks like a cold and dull night.

The image seems a little underexposed but it is in good focus. The color is in grayscale but does look correct. Theres is no pixilation that can be seen, and theres a adequate resolution.

The composition functions quite well and the lights that are emitted in pitch dark makes them pleasing to look at. The rule of thirds is not being used in this photo because the tree is centered. The point of view is from right in front of the tree. The focal point is the glistered tree and it is not framed. The lines in the house direct your eyes to the focal point which is the tree. The image is symmetrical lining the tree up in the middle. The subject does not fill up the image and the background is also a big part of the image. The negative space is the space around the tree and the positive space is the tree and its lights.

It is someone who has traveled to the Mississippi Delta who has had some troubled times. This person knows this place has a bad history of racism but he tends to look past that. I think that the artist made this photo for the fellow people that live in the Mississippi Delta to look past all this racism nonsense. This image was in grayscale for a reason. It questions many political and social beliefs but thats why it stands out. This image is defiantly very interesting and would like to hear from the artist about it.

I really am starting to enjoy this image because of the mystery that is behind it and I really think it is quite successful. It brings out many ideas and thoughts about the world in just one photo.

Grant Kahl

4/10/2017 06:40:32 am

this image is a trailer. not a new looking travel trailer, but a stationary home on wheels. these are notorious for being the homes of the elderly or the poverty redden lower class. what we now from the photographer is that this was taken in Mississippi in an old secluded town with a main population of blacks. knowing this we can infer that these areas have low incomes however there is something else there.

Not only does this photo have a trailer but lights. light is precious. we need it to see, but it stand for ore than just sight. here in a secluded town in mississippi the lights symbolize the cultural unification f these areas. even though they may be poor they still celebrate. the lights can represent hope. hope that thing will get better. hope that people will come together to celebrate their culture and traditions.

looking at this photo you might see a shabby house with some thrown together lights. but to me it looks like a home of love and compassion. it shows that people don’t need luxury to live they just need each other. i think that the photographer knows this. in the description she says that she is going through troubling times. by going here she can see the beauty of a tight community regardless of income.

The photo itself isn’t anything special. it is black and white, has no specific details. just over its a plain ictus. the beauty in it lays deeper where he mind wanders and the soul questions. the questions of life, community, and race. wherever or whoever you can attain enlightening ideas from this simple photo.

Overall i like this photo. it is simple, easy to look at, and contains a good message. the photo really touched me. i don’t know why but i feel like there is always something deeper

Preslee Vanlandingham link

4/10/2017 06:40:55 am

This image is of a dead but brightly lit bush/tree. It is surrounded by a flat, barren land with the exception of a trailer-looking home. Its converted to black and white and that makes the tree brighter against the darker background. Nothing is happening but the light radiating off the tree. This is correctly exposed for a darker setting while including contrast.
The majority of the image is in focus because the photo isn't cluttered with subjects. The whites on the home has a grey tint so the color isn't correct. It has adequate resolution and little to no pixelation. The composition functions as a centered subject. Its pleasing because the subject is transparent in certain areas.
The rule of thirds isn't being used. The point of view is a low but straightforward look at the subject. The angle is slightly tilted upward. The focal point is the tree framed by the house. The tiny lines on the ground take a part in directing your eyes but the subject is demanding so there isn't much line work needed to direct.
The subject is symmetrical to the photo but the background isn't. The subject does not fill the frame but the extra space helps the theme of the photo. The frame crops off the whole house and the land surrounding. The positive pace is the tree ad the negative is the background.
The determined theme ties with the background information with the image. It's lonely, peaceful, and barren. There's a certain comfort to light, and in the middle of the dark land, the light somewhat protects the house. "When Morning Comes" is a fitting title for this image because they both include constant light. Its hope too in a way, and the dawn has represented hope many times before. Especially with a haunting racist past, light and hope is predominant in the land specifically.

Caden Fincke

4/10/2017 06:45:41 am

The image is of a dead tree without leaves. The tree has strands of white lights on it that connect to an old one story house behind the tree. The house is elevated by wooden planks and has shrubs growing next to it. The only light is from the christmas style lights on the tree and house and a window that has light coming from it. The photo is in black and white with the house appearing grey and the grass and background black and dark grey while the tree is illuminated white and light grey.
The image appears to be properly exposed at least for the subject as it is very hard to tell if the exposure is right in black and white. The areas on the edge of the image are very dark and have heavy shadows since the tree is the only large light source. The image is in focus and appears to have an adequate resolution. The colors all appear to be correct, but I can’t be for sure as the image is in black and white.
The image does not use the rule of thirds, but it is not balanced nor symmetrical. Whilst the tree is in the middle of the image the house is at an angle leaving the image unbalanced. The photographer took the photo from a straight on perspective with the tree, but allowed for the house to be seen from angle to give the image more diversity. The focal point is obviously the tree as it is large, centered, and illuminating. It does not fill the frame and it does not having any lines that guide the viewer's eyes to it. The tree takes up the center of the image, but leaves a lot of negative space that the surrounding grass, trees, shrubs,and the house take up.
The image could be showing a man’s faith and perseverance trying to show through their broken interior. The light is attempting to illuminate his broken self as the tree is dead, but he is being enclosed by the darkness. The photographer could be using black and white to escalate this theme ad everything that encloses the tree is a dark color. The photo could be challenging how hard it is for a man to become new again in faith and perseverance as he is being confined by society. I think the photographer was successful especially in using the black and white elements.
I enjoyed this image for its use of color and lighting. The lighting of the tree and using that as the light source gave the photo a vibrant center that attracted my eye. Bright colors combined with the heavy shadows made a pleasing composition to look at. The use of black and white also not only made the image more beautiful, but escalated the story within the photo. I enjoyed this image as it used black and white and its source of lighting effectively as well as telling a successful story.

Patrick Behrens link

4/10/2017 04:09:36 pm

Brandon Thibodeaux’s image of a barren twig-of-a-tree defines simplicity. Nothing exciting occurs in the image. On the surface, the image appears bland and boring. The image features an all black and white scheme, and possesses little to no action. The image simply exists, as if embodying and fully accepting its insignificance. Yet, somehow this pure unadulterated insignificance brings beauty to the image, allowing for the true craft and diligence of the artist to shine forth.
Right off the bat, the image throws a tree directly at the viewer, obviously drawing the attention right to it (seeing as though it’s the subject). The chaos of light wrapped around the tree, as well, entices the viewers eye. One might not even notice the generator hooked up to the lights, or the horizon in the background of the image. The branches of the tree, in conjunction with the mess of lights, provide a necessary distraction from everything existing that with the exception of the tree itself. Interestingly enough, the light glistening off the tree provides light to the surroundings. This light gives just enough off for the viewer to make sense and observe the area around the tree.
This light stemming from the tree tells the story of a much larger issue. Our eyes instinctively go to the tree, for the bright and obnoxious nature of it. Nonetheless, if we chose to avert our attention from the tree, even for a second, we can easily see the surrounding area. This issue of stepping back to see the whole picture runs rampant in society. People get tunnel vision and only see what they wish, or rather, what the media tells them they have to see. People lose sight of the true problems running in the background and focus on a singular issue, allowing for that very issue to increase in severity.
The tree and background create a stately image by themselves. This message only adds to the pure beauty of the image. The insane ability for one tree and a simple rural background to put forth such a deep and timely message proves a huge artistic feat. This factor contributes to my appreciation of the image. The image provokes hours of thoughts and still pleases the eye greatly.

Simon Bruhn

4/10/2017 05:49:54 pm

The image is of a lit up tree in front of a trailer home. The image is in black and white, and contains lots of clipping from the lights to the shadows. The image has no motion in it. The image feels very static and permanent because of the lack of motion. The house also has a light on inside, which you can see through what appears to be the bathroom window. Unlike the rest of the image, the light inside of the house creates a feeling of life and that someone is living inside of it.

The image struggles to stay within an acceptable light level because of the limited light sources. The lit up tree can not illuminate the whole area, and so you have a very bright object and the very deep shadows in the background. This leads to some clipping with the lightbulbs and the shadows. The image is in focus, and even with the darkness they are able to use a small enough aperture that the background of the image is completely out of focus. The image does have adequate resolution, but it struggles with noise from the ISO in the darker parts.

The picture is pleasing to look at, with the tree as the focal point of the image. The rule of thirds is not being followed (at least not very strictly). The point of view of the image is from what seems to be about stomach height, and so it makes the tree and house seem bigger than they probably are. The lines of the siding of the house direct your eye more or less towards the tree and the lights. The image is somewhat symmetrical, though the house is slightly to one side of the image.

The house is somewhat run down, and the people that live inside it obviously dont have the best lot is life. It appears somewhat typical for what most people imagine of this part of the U.S. There is not much of a specific story, but the image plays a part in a story that applies to section of the U.S.’s population. That story is one of limited means. It is also one associated with biases and prejudices, both directed and emanating from those people.

I do like the image. It has a simple yet effective composition, and the way that his camera settings struggle allows me to sympathize. The image is not overwhelming, but it provides plenty to think about. One way he could improve the photo, however, would be to combine two photos to create a HDR photo (I would prefer this over my ability to sympathize with camera struggles). Also, I think the tree in the background could have been utilized more.

Ethan Austin link

4/11/2017 11:29:43 am

This photo by Brandon Thibodeaux shows a single leafless tree covered in Christmas lights in front of a mobile home. The mobile home seems to only have one light on that is visible through a samll window in the back of the trailer. The setting seems rural as the background is rather flat with trees on the horizon. In addition, the night sky is empty and the place seems to be either empty or almost empty. The photo is in black and white.
The image is correctly exposed for the most part. This is known because the whites coming from the light register to the naked eye. However, the shadow areas are a little underexposed and show an unregistered black. The resolution is correct as well as there is little to no pixelation.
The picture is pleasing to look at for three main reasons. First, is the object position. The tree is centered in the image making it the main subject material of the photo. Second, is the light displacement. Because of the tree in the middle, the majority of the light is concentrated in the center and fades out as you move towards the picture's frame. Third, is because of the use of lines. The photographer used both the lines from the home and the horizon to direct your attention to the center subject matter of the photo.
This photo gives off erie vibes to me. The first thing I thought of when I looked at this picture was the TV show "Stranger Things". This was primarily due to the dark surroundings and the Christmas lights on the tree. This picture made me think about what the back story of the image was. It makes me ask questions and more importantly makes me want to find the answer. Thus, this image was a successful example of a mysterious photo.

Kyle Meister

4/11/2017 01:27:30 pm

The image is of a dead tree. The tree is covered in lights. The background is of a wooden house. The bacground is dark black. The only light source is from the lights on the tree. The photo looks to be underexposed. The image is in black and white.
The image is underexposed at least on the outside and edges of the image. The main focus of the image is on the tree. The tree which is the center of the image, is properly exposed. The image is not balanced. The photographer took the image at a direct propertional position from the tree.
The main focus of the image is the tree, previously stated, and it does not fill the whole frame. The tree is in the center and leaves a lot of negative space around the tree. It doesnt fill the frame, and does not have any lines pointing to it.
The images this photographer takes represnts something that only the artist can internalize. The artist goes around taking photos of black communities. It began as a journey for the artist it became a narrative of another mans faith. The artsit saw the strength of a single man.
The artist work makes specific reference to the rural black experience, that reminded the artist of every visit that these themes of faith were common to them. I really like the work the artist had made. The image in my opinion looks really good. I like how the dark on the outside and the only lighrt source is the tree which is the main focus. And I like how the series of images have a real meaning to the artist who created it.

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Period 1 -- Critical Analysis #19

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