Period 3 -- Critical Analysis #17

3/30/2017

Today you will be writing about an image from artist McNair Evans' series Confessions For A Son.

Write 4 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:

Summary
Confessions for a Son juxtaposes photographs I made in 2010 and 2011 concerning the lasting psychological landscape of my fathers legacy with images taken by him roughly 40 years ago to explore a complex relationship between father and son and the disappearance of an American, agrarian way of life.

Statement
There was no man that my father admired more than his father, and no one his father admired more than the man who raised him. With tenderness of heart and warm humor my father met everyone as his equal.

Upon his death in November 2000, I was exposed to our family businesses insolvency. Dad faced a series of devastating fires, bad crops, perpetual over-extension and high-interest loans. Five generations of familial and financial stability fractured. While the economic effects were immediately obvious, the emotional implications lingered beneath the surface for nine years.

In 2010 I returned home to photograph the lasting psychological landscape of Dad’s legacy. Retracing my father’s life, I used photography to comprehend its events. Visiting the farms where we hunted, his college dorm rooms, and his oldest friends, I photographed his family members and businesses while researching his character and actions. I could not equate these.

These photographs narrate my journey between isolation and acceptance. Initially confused and angry, I grew to know him as a teenager, college student, co-worker, life-long friend, and father who lovingly withheld business realities. I witnessed shortcomings and successes and found empathy with a man who faced so much in his life. His sacrifices cost the ultimate price, and accepting that some questions may never be answered, I grew to love him again.

These works share my emotions after his death, my search to learn more abut him in recent years, and a journey of acceptance and forgiveness. These pictures are my way of saying its OK. Everything that happened is done and it’s OK. They are my way of taking ownership of everything that I felt, and all the anger and all the shame, and saying, “Yes, I felt that, and it’s OK to feel that, and I still love you.”

Sarah Marshall

3/30/2017 08:33:03 am

This is a photograph by McNair Evans. The photograph is of a car with a broken windshield and a few holes in it. There is a book on the dashboard of the car that reads "CHURCH OF GOD GENERAL ASSEMBLY". The lighting is bright. I think the artist used bright colors to show that happiness and good things can come out of a bad situation.
The image is correctly exposed. The color is correct. The image is in focus. There is some pixelation. The composition is pleasing to look at because there is not too many things happening in the photo.

The rule of thirds is being used in this photograph because the subject is in the top 1/3 of the photo. This photo was taken at eye level with the dashboard of the car. The point of view looks was if the photographer was sitting in the back seat. The focal point of the image is the book. The book is rated by the broken glass whose lines lead the viewers eye to the book.
I believe that the story being told in the image is that there is good that comes out of the bad. I think that the photographer was religious because the book is about God. Since the sunlight is shining on the book, the image could be saying that you can get through anything with god. I like this photograph because it shows positivity and perseverance. It says that you can persevere and get through it.

Nick Perez

3/30/2017 08:33:28 am

This is a thought provoking image. It is a photo of a car with a broken windshield, and the windshield clearly has many holes in it. The windshield is shattered, and there is a book laying in the bottom. The image comes from a collection of images by McNair Evans, and this collection of images details the life of his father. The content of this image is beautiful as is the form.

The composition uses a unique form to achieve its goals. The rule of thirds is not used in the image. Evans uses the compositional element of line in the form of the windshield, and all of the intense, diagonal lines evoke a feeling of chaos and anger. The image is not framed in any sort of way. The leading lines in the image seem to be leading to the holes in the windshield, thus suggesting that the holes in the windshield are meant to convey a deeper meaning. Evans takes the image form a bugs eye point of view in order to put the viewer in the passengers seat so that the viewer can see what it looks like.

The image conveys a number of complex themes through metaphor and point of view. There is an underlying metaphor in this image; the broken windshield is akin to the terrible business decisions that the father made, and the holes in the windshield are the repercussions and broken relationships as a result of these terrible decisions. The photographer does a superb job of conveying this theme through point of view. Immediately when looking at the image, we notice that the windshield has holes and is broken. Next we see that this is taken as if from the passenger seat of the car. Evans is trying to portray the problems caused by ill advised business decisions through his eyes (he is the passenger in the car because his father would be the theoretical driver). Taking the photo from this point of view helps the viewer understand the effects that the poor decisions had on Evans life personally (cracks are problems and bad things) and what happened to his relationship with his father as a result (holes are representative of the poor relationship between the two). This image is exceptional in its ability to convey themes with so simple a composition.

The image by McNair Evans is both thought provoking and beautiful. I think that Evans does an exceptional job of incorporating his theme into the photo, and this makes the composition all the more interesting too look at. Evans brilliantly uses metaphor to convey meaning. It is amazing how so much is can be said through a simple image, and I think that Evans has perfected this form of storytelling in this image. All in all, this is a successful composition.

Peyton Nebens

3/30/2017 08:34:23 am

This photo is by McNair Evans. This photograph is of a interior of a older car I would say. And the photo is the interior and of the window of the car and it is shattered. I really like this photo. I like the lighting he used. It seems that the lighting is natural lighting coming into the car and its very pleasing to look at.

This image is in focus and it looks to me that the image is focusing on the dashboard in the car. Yes the color in this image is correct. I think the subject does fill the image up and the book that is on the dashboard looks like a book of god. Because on the side of the book it could be some type of religious book. I like this image it is very cool.

The positive spaces in this image is the dashboard in the car, the religious book, the radio in the car, and the shattered window. The negative spaces in this image are, The sky and whatever is outside of the car where he holes are opening up to the outside. I think there is a theme to this picture. Since McNair's father died the shattered window symbolizes something. Yes there is a story being told in this image, a very sad one though.

The story that is being told is of McNair's deceased father. The shattered window to me represents heartbreak and anger, sadness mixed together. I also think maybe what happened was he was angry that his father died that he smashed this car, and possibly this could be his dads car. Also he could of been very sad as well and then realized that he shouldn't of done that and regrets it. Or what could of happened was he was so unfocused and not paying attention to the road and couldn't think because of his dad that he ran the car into a pole or something. This photograph is definitely successful and I love it. It is one of my favorite photographs and one of my favorite stories.

Mouna Al-Hakeem

3/30/2017 08:34:45 am

This image is of an inside of a car. The photographer is using natural sunlight. It is using warm colors. There is book that has the church of God. The window is broken. The inside looks broken down.
The image has the right exposure. The image is in focus. All the colors are correct. There is no pixelation. It is in adequate resolution.
It is pleasing look at. The rule of thirds is being used. The photographer took it at a humans point of view. The image is not framed. The horizontal lines of the dash board direct my eyes to the book. The image is symmetrical. The image crops off the rest of the car.
The photographer is making these images in remembrance of his father. There could be a metaphor to the broken window. The photographer could be expressing how his heart broke after his fathers death just like the window being broken. I think this is a very nice photo because he expressed his sadness/ anger betaking photos of his father's legacy. This photograph is very successful.

Eddie Garcia

3/30/2017 08:35:00 am

This is an image that was taken from the interior of an old car. The interior of the car is still in good condition. If you look at the glass on the car you can see that it was somehow broken. you can also tell that the image was either taken in the morning or in the afternoon due to the position of the shadow. Under the windscreen you can see a book.

This image was taken from the first person point of view since it feels like you are in the backseat of the car. I feel like the shadow works as framing in the image. The edges of the shadow corner the book and the broken part of the windscreen which focuses the viewers attention. There is no extra space in this image. To me this image feels asymmetrical.

In the image i feel like the windscreen is a symbol for the families company. At one point it was running fine and well, but then mistakes were made and it crashed causing a lot of damage. To my this image feels noteworthy. There is not much to see in the image, and it does not really interest me too much. The image doesn't connect with the viewer too well, since i couldn't find something this image reminded me of.

I personally do not like this image that much. It seems vague and there is not much going on in the image itself. The windscreen seems random, and the book feels as if it was put there as a filler. I personally do not think the photo graph is too much of a success. There is not much activity and it feels random.

Bryce C. link

3/30/2017 08:36:46 am

This image depicts the interior of a car which window is shattered. The sun is setting which makes the appearance of the shattered window more spectacular. This image was taken and published by McNair Evans. The artist took this photo based around his father's passing and life before. The lighting is meant to lay out an "aftermath" tone to the photograph.

This image is describing the feeling and tensions of the artist himself. This tensions are due to his father's passing and the remnants he has left behind. These remnants are described in the statement as their family business insolvency. This main aspect of this image that depicts this is the shattered front car window. A better way to show this feeling is by having a second image with the car window not shattered and maybe the car driving up to the farmhouse.

The content of this image is very limited, although it tells a story of loss and the desire to have things as they once were. This image tries to describe as much as possible with the little amount of content that it possesses. The blue book also has a bit of symbolism. The book is giving the observer a small taste of the hobbies and lifestyle of the artist's father. All of this combined create a masterpiece of remorse, sadness, and acceptance.

You would think that taking these photographs would not bring any closure to the artist, but indeed it does. The main reason the artist took these images was for closure and creating his own way of saying its OK. These images bring that feeling of "its OK" straight to his heart. In his own words," Theseworks share my emotions after his death, my search to learn more abut him in recent years, and a journey of acceptance and forgiveness." These images are McNair Evans' own way of closing the door and feeling acceptance and closure.

Kyle Nevitt link

3/30/2017 08:38:01 am

This photo is of a crashed car. The windshield is bashed in as though a heavy rock or person fell on it. It is using the colors of black, brown, and clear. The lighting is using only natural light. There are no people shown in the picture.

The image seems to be correctly exposed. The image is in focus but it is hard to tell because of the broken windshield. The colors look correct but may not be because of the shadows being cast. There is no apparent pixelation. The picture has an adequate resolution.

The picture is in the point of view of the passengers seat. The focal point is the hole in the broken windshield. The image is fairly symmetrical with the glass windshield and the book on both halves and the air condition vents on either side. The rule of thirds is partially being used by the windshield and the book being centered. The picture is captivating because it is a car crash.

The theme of the picture has to do with the father of the photographer. The car crash represents how the fathers agricultural business is doing and the book represents how he remained calm and loving amid the economic disaster he was facing. I believe that the photographer wanted us to see the photo and want to retreat into nature where life is not a constant competition. In nature it is not a dog eat dog world like it is in society, and this is why the fathers business failed. This photo is successful because it makes me want to escape from the harsh, highly competitive society and retreat into nature, where everyone and everything can peacefully coexist together.

Roman Ruiz

3/30/2017 08:39:21 am

This photograph by McNair Evans can have several ways to interpret it. This image is the interior of a car showing a broken window with a hole. McNair shares with the audience that most of his work is about his father, so this can either show the way he died, or how McNair feels on the inside. This image uses dark colors to show how deep the image is.

The image is a little underexposed in the bottom right corner. the image is in focus. The colors of this image are correct. There is very little pixelation, and it has adequate resolution.

Regarding the fact that this image is extremely depressing, it is pleasing to look at because of the colors the photographer used. The point of view is the passenger seat of a Buick vehicle. The image is balanced, and it is symmetrical. The image crops out the drivers seat.

This image can show how the families life broke down. The story can be that the photographers life broke down in a matter of time once his father died. This does not challenge any beliefs. This image is extremely beautiful because of the color use.

I really like this image because it has a relaxing vibe to it. The photograph is successful because it has many different way to tell its story.

Harrison Fentress

3/30/2017 08:41:34 am

This is an image from the inside of a truck, or car of some type, where the windshield is smashed and there is the book "Church of God: General Assembly" on the dashboard. It is using brownish, neutral colors. The lighting is sun-lit and dark shadows. The objects beyond the windshield are indecipherable. There is no action in the picture.

The image has normal exposure. The image is in focus, except for the background behind the windshield. The colors are correct. There is no pixelation. There is definitely adequate resolution.

The composition is of objects nearby with visually pleasing neutral colors, so it is pleasing to look at. The rule of thirds is not being used. The point of view is from eye - level of the passenger seat. The focal point is the blue book in the middle framed by the border between the dashboard and windshield. The lines are the border I just said and the horizontal lines around the glove box and they direct your eyes toward the blue book. The image is definitely asymmetrical, but in a weird way because the photo is half of other symmetry, the driver side. There is no extra space besides the shadow beneath the glove box. The image crops off the roof, side window, seat, and center console/ cup holder area. The positive space is the area in direct sunlight and the negative is the rest.

There is a theme of violence and religion. There is a part of a story being told of the photographer's father. This is a beautiful image that mourns of the memory of this man. I like it because it is a more clever way of showing casually this man's frustration. I think it was successful in achieving that.

Yin Bo

3/30/2017 08:42:35 am

It is a picture of the interior of car. The camera is shooting from the person sitting on the right seat. The front window is broken. It uses sunlight but there's shadow all over the place. It uses a lot of dark colors.

The picture has the perfect exposure. The photo is focusing on the broken window. It uses lots of different colors. The window is blue and green, but the other parts are brown. The contrast between these two forms a beautiful picture.

The picture is pleased to look at. The rule of third is not being used. There is no extra space. The edge of the window and the front of the car forms a line. Also, the book is on the line. The line attract our eyes to the middle of the image, then we will see the broken window. Just like after the artist's father passed away and the they noticed the mistake he made to the family business.

The window is broken. The photographer know that the relationship between son and father is broke and cannot be continued. However, the window is not completely destroyed. It is like the relationship with his father, it is still ok. Just like the artist has said, "Yes, I felt that, and it’s OK to feel that, and I still love you."

Stow Neilson

3/30/2017 08:47:36 am

The image is of a car with a broken windshield with a book that says "Church Of God General Assembly". The Colors are dull grey and browns with a small amount of blue. It does so to show sadness or hopelessness. The book and most of the car is lit up using natural lighting. There are only a small amount of shadows in this image.

The image is perfectly exposed. The Image is also in focus properly. The colors are good the whites look white in the text of the book. There is no pixelation. This image is perfectly composed.

The rule of thirds is not being used. The point of view is from a person's point of view. The focal point is the book in the center of the image. The lines are in the cracked glass and bring your eyes all over. The negative space is behind the broken glass.

The broken glass might represent the broken man the photographers dad was. It might show that no mater how hard he tried he was still ended up broken. The book could his dad crying for help trying to become unbroken fixed again. The dad was searching for answers through God.

Will Thompson

3/30/2017 08:52:07 am

The atmosphere of this image seems gloomy. It may be just the reason behind the photograph that makes it feel this way, but it might also be the general feel of it. The either dawn or dusk like light is another contributing factor to the gloominess of the image. Yet another would be the shadow being cast around the car.
This image make you wonder what happened. The title confessions for a son make it seem like some young dumb kid crashed his fathers car. It seems like symbolism in that way. In the summary it explains how his father purely managed his company and kind of left the peaces for others to clean up. Maybe the confession is the father to his son about the company he is now forced to deal with.
The little holes in the windshield catch the eye rather quickly. But the first thing you notice is the what seems to be a bible. This may be symbolizing the dead of his father. This being a car crash that would be what you assumed killed his dad if you didn't read the summary. and if that were the case you might feel more saddened than usual by looking at this image.
The color of this image is very good. It shows the feeling very well. This also lets you feels a tad vulnerable. This is a direct result of the reasoning behind the image. Over all this image gets the point across in a very morbid way.

Daniel Herrera

3/30/2017 08:55:05 am

In the image you see what appears to be a old car that's window got destroyed. This image appears almost to be using a LUT color grading style, because of it saturation level and because of its bright colors. This image’s exposure seems to be perfect, because the important details are showing but the shadow is also really dark so it's not bright nor dark. In the image the main focus is the broken window and the book which has a vibrant light blue causing it to stand out more. I'm the image the hole on the broken windows is right above the “Church of God General assembly”.

Yes this image is in focus, the image uses a decently high f-stop so that everything could be detailed in the photo. I also do find this image pleasing to look at, I guess it's just a lot of the orange tint which makes the complete photo more vibrant. The photographer took this shot from bugs eye because the book seems just as high as the camera. Nothing really directs my eye to the book other than it's vibrant colors.

This image crops off what would layer in be the steering wheel and the door, so if there were to be any other damages done to the car, they would be getting cut off. So following the story of the photographer, the story behind this image is that he could have gotten mad do to his father's incident. The photographer made this image because it tells a legit story, the car, the broken window, the book, it all sums back to the father and his disappearance.

This image reminds me a lot of the kinds of things you would expect to see in movies, especially with the backstory already added. This also reminds me of the people I have lost because since most of them were really old, this seems like the kind of car they would drive. I really do find this image interesting, the details and the story make you think a lot about it. Because of its backstory and all of the details I find this photograph to be successful.

Karina Samuel

3/30/2017 09:20:14 pm

This image is part of McNair Evan’s series “Confessions For A Son”. The prospective of the camera is from inside a car. The image consists of a wood and plastic dashboard and a book paced on top of it. However, the most eye catching feature of this scene is the shattered windshield. The lighting is really intriguing with only parts of the dashboard hit with natural light and the rest of the car is dark. It is bright outside because the window is transparent and the blue tint at the top is visible.

The correctly exposed image is also in focus. It had pretty adequate resolution for the clarity of the glass is seen. I do believe that color correction was applied to at least some degree because the temperature of the image a bit colder. The white in the glass pieces and lettering of the book is pretty white. I really admire his use of blue in this image to make is more pleasing to the eye. The tint of the window and the lines of "blue glass” match the blue book. Also the lines of the shattered glass lead your eyes to the book with the hole right above it.

With Evan’s usage of lines and color makes the image very pleasing to look at on top of the interesting lighting. It is also fascinating how the absence of the rule of thirds is used to his advantage. Most photographers assume of not using the rule of thirds would result in a lower quality image. However, McNair Evan produces a stunning image even with not providing much background. It doesn’t limit his possibilities.

In this series, Evan explores and goes through his passed father’s life through his camera. In this image, he expresses the heart attack that killed his father. The shattered glass is a metaphor to the impact it had on his loved ones such as the photographer. The glass is so shattered and broken that you wonder why it is still holding up. This is what Evan probably felt like after his death. The hole in heart is just as prominent as the one in the image. He feels like the world around him is shattering. I really find this image intriguing knowing how personal this series is to the artist. He must of handled this project much more differently than his others throughout his career.

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Period 3 -- Critical Analysis #17

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