2nd Period - Critical Analysis 2

10/29/2021

Today you will write about an image by French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson. Cartier-Bresson is considered a master of composition, and his photographs may be summed up through a phrase of his own: "the decisive moment," the magical instant when the world falls into apparent order and meaning, and may be apprehended by a gifted photographer.

Pick one of the 3 images above to write about. These were all created by Cartier-Bresson. Think about what you have learned this week regarding composition. What makes these images successful? Are they utilizing the rule of thirds? What perspective did the photographer choose to create the images? Is the photographer making a good use of the frame?

Your analysis must be 4 paragraphs, 5 sentences minimum per paragraph. Remember to post your analysis as a comment to the blog post that corresponds to your class. If you post your analysis to the wrong class post, it will not be graded.

If you do not finish your analysis in class, you must finish and post your analysis before class on Monday, 11/1/21.

Refer to your "How to See" handout for analyzing a photograph--

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

Your analyses will be graded on:

meeting minimum length requirements
depth of organization
evaluation of the content
grammar/punctuation

Brookr Kapoor

10/29/2021 07:10:32 am

This image is really interesting. It almost bothers me because everything is out of place. It looks like this picture might be a village that flooded. That ladder in the middle next to the guy running is something that is not pleasing to my eye. There also seems to be words on the fence, "Rallowsky." Which with further research (Thanks Mr.McCauley) Rallowsky was to advertise a circus.
The black and white filter of this photo almost adds mystery to the vibe of this photo. The running man in this photo is unknown and unidentifiable. I'm not sure where he's going, what he's wearing, his feelings or attitude simply because of the colorlessness of this photo. I do like how this photo has the reflection of the man running and the outline of the puddles.
The only background I have on this photo is that it's based in France. Maybe this town flooded? Rain storm? It's hard to tell. The Rallowsky on the fence is advertising a circus. So maybe there was a circus and then is flooded? There also seems to be a pile of wood, maybe it rained on the fire.
I both like and dislike this photo. I think the color scheme is nice and I like how inconclusive it is. However, I don't appreciate the disorder of this photo and would like it to be more symmetrical. I think the photographer succeeded at creating a mysterious piece that could be interoperated many different ways. Overall, not a bad photo.

Owen Alvares

10/29/2021 07:11:44 am

In the image there is a person running off of a horizontal ladder that's in water the person is blurry as if they where running. In the background there is a metal fence with a man behind the fence watching the man running off the ladder. there is a pile of bricks on the inside of the fence. there are also some buildings in the background. the water is reflective which makes my eyes go up and down following a zigzag pattern as if I were trying to find any differences.

The picture is taken from what looks to be a standing height. the metal fence top bar runs along the top line in the rule of thirds. there is some garbage that's partially in the water in the rule of thirds intersection on the bottom left corner. the refection of the man is in the bottom right intersection.

there is an ad in the background that is somewhat hard to see. the ad says "railosky" in all caps twice. The image is black and white which to me gives a sad picture feel to it even though there is not a lot to be sad about. there is some fog behind the man standing behind the fence it gives of some sort of sad feel but not much.

The image makes me wonder what it would look like shot regularly on a fast shutter speed camera and color in the background. The whole picture is somewhat mysterious because there is almost nothing that is relatable the only thing would be the sillouets of the two men and the roof lining but everything else makes you think where, what, why. in the very far distance you can see what looks like a clock tower but I cannot tell the time on it its a little blurry. the image make me wonder what its about.

Alexis Block

10/29/2021 07:14:02 am

This image is capturing an empty staircase, in what looks like a close to empty alleyway. There is one biker that is going pretty fast riding past, because you can see the blur. The image is also in black and white. The black captures all the dark parts of the image. But, it looks like it's in the daylight because the image is more of a light gray instead of a dark grey from the outside. You also can't see the face of the bike rider because they are riding so fast and it's blurry around their body.

The image is pleasing to look at and shows the rule of thirds because the biker is the main part of the image. The angle this photo was taken is on top of the staircase because you are looking down on people, like a bird's eye view picture. The edge of this image is on the wall near the stairs and right before the person exits the image. That is the edge of the frame, which does not have much empty space. There is a little bit of empty space near the person riding the bike, because it would be too crowded if there wasn't empty space.

There could be a story told in the image, talking about how people like a time to decompress. The time this person gets to decompress is not to be around lots of people, so he or she rides their bike to work in empty streets so they don't have to deal with people. I think the artist's intention of this image is to capture peaceful silence but yet still hectic life. I think this image is interesting because it kinda represents my life. It shows the peaceful nature around everyone but, yet we are still very busy and have many things going on at once.

I like this image a lot because it shows the everyday life of any normal person. This shows how you need time to yourself and to decompress from everyday things. I also like how it is in black and white because it makes you focus more on the idea of the picture and not the colors. Normally i'm focus more on the colors of an image but because there isn't color, it makes me focus more on the general idea of it. This image is very pleasing to look at and I would like to see more of this artist's pictures.

Will clanton

10/29/2021 07:15:52 am

Image #1
The image is of what looks to be a circus that is flooding. The water on the floor causes a reflection for the man and the ladder seems to be stopping the water almost. The scenery seems very dark and gloomy, and it seems like the guy running is trying to hurry and the guy in the background looks to be hunched over and almost depressed.

The rule of thirds is being used in that the man is in the right of the photo and the ladder is on the bottom of the image leaving a lot of blank space in the image. The angle seems natural and not too high or too low. I personally feel like the image isn't fully framed because of the water and blank areas in the photo.

I think the story being told is that something might have happened and the man is running to try and he but it's also a rainy day and the floors seem to be covered in water. The Railowsky poster seems to be an indication that it is actually a circus. The story is dark and scary, almost like something bad happened.

I don't like the photo because it just seems bland. Not that it's a bad thing but it's just kinda interesting. It seems like it's showing bad things happening at this circus so it's not very helpful.

Kaleb Yu

10/29/2021 07:18:23 am

The image I chose was the second image, the one with the stairwell. The photo is from the bird’s-eye-view, looking down on what looks like an alleyway. It feels a bit melancholy to me, which I honestly don’t know why exactly. Maybe it’s the black and white filter, or maybe it’s how empty it is, with the exception of the biker of course. It looks like there’s light coming into the alley from the left side, with the majority of the corners having shadows. The biker is going towards the light, so that might represent hope. Who knows, that just might be me.
The composition of the photo is obviously black and white. Very monochrome. It consists of one subject, the biker, but draws the viewer (or at least me) into the spiraling stairwell. The photographer uses the rule of thirds method really well in this image, drawing attention to both the stairwell and the biker respectively. I also feel like the bird’s-eye-view adds more depth to the image. I can’t really put it into words, but it almost feels like I’m actually there, looking down from the top of the stairs.
As I mentioned before, I feel a sense of melancholy from the black and white colors, but also a sense of hope when looking at the lighting. The way the biker is moving towards the light solidifies my thinking of the photo portraying hope. Hell, it even feels somewhat nostalgic to me. For context, I visited France 2 years ago, and I vividly remember the way the buildings were so close together; how there’s little room for cars and is littered with the hustle and bustle of restaurants and markets.
Overall I really enjoyed evaluating this photo. It really helped me understand the thought and effort photographers put into their work, and how their work can really connect to the viewer. My only complaint is the biker being blurry, but who am I to judge?

kendrick deluna

10/29/2021 07:20:58 am

The picture I'm writing about is the man riding through the street on his bike. The picture gives me a fast feeling. This picture also makes me feel dizzy because he his blurry and going to fast for the camera.
The picture is a clam photo for the most part. It has stairs and bricks all over the place. Then you have a man flying down that brick road which gives the picture life. It looks like the man is going around a curve because the angle of the picture makes it look like that.
I don't like this picture because it is black and white and it seems just so plain. There also isn't much going on and there are a bunch of lines all over the place. My eye tends to stare at the middle of the picture for some reason then the man on the bike.
If i could shoot this picture i would shoo it across the street at abbugs eye view, to make the stairs look big and to make that guy on the bike look huge. I feel like that picture would also come out as a cool picture from a different view. I would definitely add color to the picture to bring life to it.
The picture has many lines and shapes all around the photo. There is lines in the bricks that make up a square. Most of the lines are straight lines but there also are some curved lines as well. There are vertical lines in the post of the stairs that give depth to the picture.

Heath Bryant

10/29/2021 07:21:40 am

The image is of a man riding on a bike. The image is black and white. This is a very dark image without much color. The biker is on the street with lots of buildings around. This image was taken from the top of a stair case.
The photographer took this photo from a birds eye view. This image makes the biker blurry because he is in motion. The blurriness contributes to the darkness of the image. The lines of the image kind of bring you back to the biker. The street curving and the end of the stairs both lead you to the biker. There is some negative space where it only is the sidewalk.
The image is a calm image with no color. I think that the image is of a man headed to work. I believe that the stairs being the most noticeable thing in the picture was purposeful. I think that the stairs are meant to show the struggles in a day. This is A very beautiful image.
As I said before this is a calming image. I believe that it could have many interpretations. I like this photo because it is a very bland image. I think the creator was successful with this photo. Making people toffee a certain way.

Georgia Martinez

10/29/2021 07:23:35 am

I picked the second image. It depicts a staircase with a man on a bike speeding by down below. The staircase is a square spiral with metal railings. The man appears to be dressed in all black, and even wearing what looks like a hat and gloves. The man is blurry and very clearly in fast motion. He’s riding on a brick road that looks like it's been worn down over time. There’s a stone building and brick building nearby too. It is completely black and white which gives it a sort of old-time feel. Even though it is a black and white photo, it isn’t heavily shadowed.
The photo is taken from a bird’s eye view from the top of the staircase, and the spiraling staircase leads the viewer’s eye down to the biker. The biker is clearly the subject of the photo, and the artist used the rule of thirds by putting the subject in the leftmost third. The subject definitely doesn’t fill the entire frame, it is mostly taken up by the stairs in the foreground and the biker is more in the background. I think the image is pleasing to look at. There aren’t any jarring aspects of it to look like and the viewer’s eye can easily flow all around the photo.
When I look at this image I kind of make up a story of someone looking down their staircase and seeing the world fly by them. It sort of gives a perspective on how there are so many other people’s lives that you only catch a glimpse of, and you will never know the full story. There is no way to know where this man is going, or if he is in a rush or just having fun. There is no way to know why he is dressed how he is or anything about him. It is an interesting perspective to only see such a small glimpse of this man and his life as he speeds by on his bike.
I do like this photo. I liked it the most out of the three options. I think it is a very successful photo and really allows the viewer to fully explore the depth of this photo in all aspects. I think it gives a unique perspective on the world and all that happens in it, even though it is such a simple photo. I also liked how it’s black and white, it added to its simplicity.

Krish Puri

10/29/2021 07:24:09 am

Within the scene, I can see a man who appears to be running. The ground appears to be covered in some sort of liquid water. We can tell this because of the reflection of the man running and the reflection of the fence behind him on the ground. I also see the words “Railowsky”. The air appears to be hazy and foggy, so the setting might be outside a factory where it has just rained.

The image is appealing to look at because of the reflection of the image of the water. The point of view is from a normal perspective and at eye level. The frame being used is the camera itself. The man running is using the rule of thirds. The “Railowsky” sign uses the rule of thirds as well.

The theme of this image is that there is a story behind every image. For example the man could be running because he is late for a meeting. The group could be flooded because it rained a lot. The building with a tall spire could be a church. It could be hazy because it is a factory.

I like this photo because of the reflection of the top half of the picture. I think that it adds an extra depth to it. It also adds a special and unique twist to a simple everyday image. The horizontal orientation gives a vertical depth. This photo is a success.

Dorganator

10/29/2021 07:25:10 am

The rubble and dirty looking sign contribute to a theme along the lines of run down or low quality. Furthermore, the people are dressed seemingly to imply there is a chill. Coolness usually represents starvation and famine, for anything, not just food. The empty sky and the fence top in the backdrop is also out of focus and looks incomplete, which only contributes to the low quality conditions. Because the people are dark figures they seem even more sad and ignored. The theme or mood is obviously trying to be more cold and starving than explicitly just poor.

Obviously, as it is likely the main subject of the image, the man is running. Whether he is running from or to something is unknown. Given that he is running through the water, it is clear the man does not care to get cold and has a very strong sense of urgency. The blur adds more to his urgency as it makes him seem fast and quick. Because he is centered on the rule of thirds lines he stands out a lot and is definitively the main article in the image. However irrelevant it may be, the clock tower is very well placed and greatly contributes to making the image appealing to look at.

The most obvious thing in this image is the reflection of all the things in the water. Although it is unclear what the reflection is meant to be, it is a great use of resources and elements. Without this the image would just be lost to the masses of other cold images. It is the reason this image stood out amongst the others; it has more layers and uses them best. The symmetry the reflection provides and the extra space make it a really solid image.

This image is very good. Upon first looking at it, the image seems lame and doesn’t do anything to break the mold, but it is definitely not a bad photo. It grabs the consumer’s attention, especially next to other images like it. This photo uses the rule of thirds, negative space, and even just good camera work to contribute to its theme and appeal. Most of all, this image is very good at conveying its theme and message alongside being not a bad photo.

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