Period 3-- Critical Analysis #19

4/10/2017

Today you will be writing about a photograph from artist Brandon Thibodeaux's projectWhen 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.

Bryce C. link

4/10/2017 08:50:35 am

This image depicts a group of young kids playing with a worn out soccer ball. This photograph was taken by Brandon Thibodeaux. The image has a very drab and depressing tone to it. This is due to the lighting which presents a grey and black color. The black color is mainly present around the background objects such as the person in the distance.

A large detail in this photograph is that the people playing with the ball are all of color. This, plus the statement, leads me to believe that this image is centered around racism. The area that they are in and the tone and lighting of this image presents me with this picture. This image was taken in the Mississippi Delta in the summer of 2009. The location fits into the theme, but the date it was taken both does and does not.

You would think that racism would be almost nonexistent in the world by 2009; but surprisingly, it is still present in places like the Mississippi Delta. The statement says that the photographer wanted to experience the area and learn what it is like to live there. He then took what he learned and transferred it into this image. The aspects he experienced include childhood innocence, racism, symbolic political structures, and other peoples' identity in the world. I believe that this image presents all of these aspects, although not clearly.

Poverty is also a large part of this photograph. It is presented in the chainlink fence and the worn out ball they are using. The photographer was looking for a lesson. Poverty was possibly this lesson. It is a lesson that teaches you about suffering, pain, and perseverance.

I really love this image due to the way it describes the aspects that it wants to present. These aspects are mainly poverty and racism, which is clearly describes with minor details. The photographer even brought back a little bit of his journey with experiencing the rural black lifestyle. This image reminds me of the old neighborhood I used to live in while living in Washington State. This neighborhood was not very kind and polite to anybody who had different physical traits, which was one of the main reasons we moved to Texas. This image tells a painful tale of racism, political and social identity, and rural poverty around the country.

Mouna Al-Hakeem

4/10/2017 08:52:15 am

This image is of a kid kicking a soccer ball. It has been converted into grayscale. The photographer shot it with outside lighting. There are kids in the background. They are all playing soccer.
The image has perfect exposure. The image is in focus. All the colors are correct. There is no pixelation. It is in adequate resolution.
It is pleasing to look at. The rule of thirds is being used. The photographer took it in a bugs eye view. It is not framed. The lines from the road direct my eyes to the kid in the middle.
The image is balanced. The subject does not fill the frame. The image crops off the rest of the road. The positive space is the kid kicking the soccer ball. The negative space is everything else around him.
The photographer took this image in Mississippi. He first went there to explore himself. He took these to reference the black communities. I like this photo. I think this photograph is successful.

Kyle Nevitt link

4/10/2017 08:53:15 am

This image is of a few boys playing soccer in the street. It is using only black and white to show the racism present. In the city's history, the colors of black and white have meant everything. There are four boy playing. None of the boys' faces are pictured.

The image is underexposed and the trees look very dark. The image is partially in focus. The color is not quite correct because it is underexposed. There is no apparent pixelation. The picture appears to have an adequate resolution.

The rule of thirds is partially being used because the main boy is in the middle and the others are on the right. The focal point is the street and part of the boy playing soccer. The foot of the boy kicking the ball is blurry because it is in motion. The image is asymmetrical. The lines of the street point towards the children.

The theme of the image has to do with how life is affected by poverty and racism. In the description, the photographer notes that the city has long been affected by poverty. As a poor society, the quality of live in the Mississippi Delta is very low. Also, the photographer points out that in the area's history, racism has been a huge problem. Even today, it is still present, so the hardships of its black citizens continue.

The point of the image is to try to create a society where racism and poverty do not cause bad living conditions. I believe the photographer wants us to take a break from society where racism and poverty are present and common. He wants us to retreat into nature where none of this exists. In nature there is no poverty or racism because there is no society in which to create this. This image makes me want to take a break from society and retreat into nature where I can escape the reality of poverty and racism that is prevalent in our daily lives.

Roman Ruiz

4/10/2017 08:55:02 am

Wow, is my first expression when i saw this photograph. This image has a lot of character to it. This image is a man milliseconds before he launches a soccer ball that looks beat up. This image uses black and white to intrigue the audience. The lighting can't be pinpointed, but it looks like it is about to be sunset.

The image is a bit underexposed because of the black and white, but overall this image is extremely successful. The image is in focus, and can be clearly seen. The colors are not visible because of the black and white. There is no pixelation to be seen in this image. This image has adequate resolution.

The composition is really good in this image, and for me, this image is very pleasing to look at. The rule of thirds is not being used because the subject is in the middle of the photo. The focal point of this image is the man that is about to kick the ball.

The themes in this photo can be that the kids in the united states use their phones for granted, and that in other countries their fun is just a soccer ball. But since this was taken a long time ago, this could mean that people in poverty at one point can make an affect into the world.

I really like this image. I say that this image is really successful, and many of this photographers images are also really successful.

Harrison Fentress

4/10/2017 08:55:15 am

This is an image of 4 black children playing what looks like kickball on a dirt road. It isn't using any colors, just greyscale. The closest boy is swinging his foot at the ball coming towards him and the others are watching. There is bright sunlight and dark shadows. There is isolated movement and the rest of the picture is still.

The image is overexposed in the sky and underexposed in the shadows. The image is in focus. However, the road the children are on fades into white light while in focus. The colors are correct but have higher than normal contrast. There is adequate resolution.

The composition is hard to look at because of the high contrast and isolated movement and moving focal point. The rule of thirds is being used loosely because the road is slightly larger than the middle third. The point of view is from the ground behind the boy kicking. The focal point is the soccer ball, not framed at all. The lines are the road and boy's leg flying at the ball. The image is asymmetrical and the horizon looks a little tilted. There is lots of extra space because of the tree's shadow and the bright sunlight. The edge of the image is hiding the end of fences on either side of the road. The negative space is the sky and shadows and positive space is the children and road.

There is a theme of childhood. The image looks like is has no end, just as childhood appears to most children. It is hard to see what is to come, but it is clear that what is here is happy. This image is interesting. It shows the indecisiveness of what our future will be.

I like this photo. I can't necessarily relate, but it is nice. This photo is successful. It is successful in conveying it's message. It isn't as successful in being relatable.

Eddie Garcia

4/10/2017 08:55:55 am

This exposure portrays a person in the process of kicking a ball. The Photo is in greyscale, and I believe the photographer did this to give the image a more classical and at home feel. This image uses a combination of dark shadows on the sides, and the bright of the sun in the middle. This gives the image nice contrast. The objects you can see in the image are a soccer ball, people, a dance with a house behind it.

I believe that this image is a little underexposed. it is kind of hard to see what is going on, but it is also overexposed in the center of the image. It is hard to make out details in both of these areas. Even through the dark and bright areas you can tell that the persons shoes are white, and the few clouds that you see are also white. This means that the colors in the image are correct. There is no pixelation in this image meaning it kept its native resolution and was taken at an adequate focus.

The composition in this image forces you to look at the person in the center kicking the ball. The rule of thirds is also being used in this image. The person in the center is centered and is the main focus of the image. There is also some extra space around the subject (person kicking the ball). There photographer took this image at a bugs point of view.

This image tells the story of a few friends playing a pick up game of soccer. They just chose a stop and probably set up sticks or shoes to mark the goals, and had a fun friendly match. This reminds me of my earlier childhood. My friends and I would always make simple rules or mark out goal posts and play games like soccer, football. They were never competitive, but it was always one of my favorite activities to do.

I like this image because it reminds me of some good child hood memories, and has interesting colors. I love the way how the grayscale was used. I also like the really dark parts on the sides, but then you have the really bright part in the middle. The contrast between the 2 makes the image pop out a lot. I also kind of like how you don't really know the age group of the people playing soccer, it shows that you do not have to be a certain age to have fun with friends.

Peyton Nebens

4/10/2017 08:59:33 am

This image is of boys in Mississippi playing soccer. The colors that it is using is natural lighting, some dark shadows, and some bright sunlight. This photographer, converted it to black and white and changed the colors. The objects included in this image are, A boy kicking a soccer ball and other boys watching him. The boys look like they are in their backyard.

The image is a little dark to me, but i like it. No, this image is a little blurry, because this photographer took it while the boy was moving and kicking the ball. So this photographer, used a timer on their camera. It is probably on a tripod. I like how the photographer took it from a low angle, and used the rule of thirds.

The composition functions very well and its very pleasing to look at because the colors are very warm and nice. Yes, the rule of thirds is being used, because he is at a certain angle and is below the boy and taking it from almost a bugs eye view. The photographer took the image from a bugs eye view, below the boy and I really like that. The focal point of this image is the ball. Because the boy is kicking the ball and is moving, so he focused on the ball for a reason.

The lines in this image totally direct your eyes to the soccer ball. I think in this image it's a little too spaced out. I think the image is nice but there is a lot of negative space, which is fine but I don't think it needs that much. This image crops off to the right of where the photograph was taken which could have been maybe, one of the boys houses. The negative spaces are the yard, the tress and the greenery. The positive spaces are, the boy, the soccer ball, the other boys.

I think the themes and ideas are what boys did back then, how all boys now a days are just inside on their electronics. This image I feel is also trying to show you that these people are pretty poor. So that means we shouldn't take things that we have for granted. That we shouldn't complain about things that they don't even have the privilege to have.

I really like this image. It made me realize that I shouldn't complain about the things that are going on in my life that aren't even that bad. When these people don't even complain about anything. How they have to grow through so many harder things then I would even know. But these boys might really like their lifestyle. I hope they do, because its all they have ever known.

Stow Neilson

4/10/2017 09:05:00 am

The image is of a couple of kids playing soccer in the dirt road. The colors are greyscale. It gives an older look on the image. The shadows are very dark. There are four kids, 2 playing soccer and 2 walking by.

The image is exposed fine. The image is focused on the entire image. The whites are very white due to the greyscale. There is no pixelation.

The rule of thirds can be used here because on the leftmost third the soccer ball is mid air. This image is pleasing to look at because the color of black and white is very balanced. The point of view is very low down. The colors are very well balanced there is an equal amount of black as well as white. There negative space is the white sky.

The theme might be showing, since this is taken in a black only town, that not much has changed since the abolition of segregation laws. It might show that they want to be their own thing and empower themselves in their own way in their own place. It also shows the joy the children are experiencing.

I like it because it is pleasing to look at. It has a lot of soft grays as well as harsh white and black tones. It is a really cool action shot of the kid kicking the ball also. This image is successful in capturing the spirit of the kids.

Bo Yin

4/10/2017 09:05:13 am

This is a image of several guys playing soccer. As we can see, the soccer ball is half way in the air. It is a grayscale photo. There are four people in the photo. The one that is closest to the camera is going to kick the ball.

The image is overall dark. But the artist is trying to use the dark exposure to create a heavy and serious atmosphere. The image is mainly focusing on the guy in front and the ball. The resolution is high. But because it is focusing on only one person, we can't see the detail of the others really well.

The composition is pleasing to look at. This is because that the photographer uses the bug eye of view to make the man look tall. The rule of third is not being used. The corners of the image is darker than the middle. They form a interesting frame to cut off the unimportant information.

The image has lots of deep meanings. The photo was taken in Mississippi Delta, where, at that time, racism still exist badly. The guy in the image is definitely living a hard life. But he is playing soccer. Although his life is hard, he is trying to live a normal life. The enlarged person shows that these kind of people are really great and we should respect them.

All in all, I think the image is successful. It sends me lots of messages. It is really pleased to look at.
TBC

4/11/2017 07:55:23 pm

It shows the idea of human rights and equality. It is a successful image and I like it.

Daniel Herrera

4/10/2017 05:06:17 pm

In this image the main focus is a bit underexposed, and has a bit of a slow shutter speed because the main focus is kicking a soccer ball and you can tell his leg swinging was a bit blurry. The image is using black and white in order to create that dreamlike feel. This image is using sunlight, and the camera is set up towards the sunlight that's why the rest of the objects appear so dark. In this image you see 4 people and a soccer ball being kicked.

I think the image is a bit overexposed because you can't see the sky and it's super bright around. Yes the image is in focus, you can tell because of the right shoe being in such high quality. I can't really tell if the image is color corrected because there s no color.
I like the picture, its old dreamlike tint and edit reminds me a lot of when I was younger.
This image appears to be taken from the bug's eye view because the camera is looking up at the character. What directs my eye to the kicker? Well on the sides of the images the edges seem to be faded from black onto the photo which kind of directs you toward the person kicking the ball.
In this image the negatives would be located in the bottom corners, The photographer could have made this image to show how some people are able to do what they love no matter the lack of resource. I think that this image challenges the assumptions which people make towards poor areas, today's modern society feels pity for those poor neighborhood in which people can barely afford a house or areas where education lacks or where violence would follow. But in reality, those assumptions made by people are wrong most of the time, the people in the areas find things to do, they find ways to distract themselves the same way as everyone else.
I like this image because it reminds me a lot about my childhood. Before I moved to San Antonio I lived in an area where there was constant violence, my parents did the best they could do put our house in the area where things seemed most calm. When I was little I managed to make friends, walk the dogs, and play outside with my toys, was also given the amazing opportunity to play sports in a nearby club, which is where I met my best friends. At the time i didn't know that bad things were happening around me, as a kid you only worry about when you will be able to play with your friends again. So, this image reminds me of how you continue to live your life even if you aren't given the amazing luxuries that other people have.

Karina Samuel

4/11/2017 11:14:07 pm

This image is from Brandon Thibodeaux’s series called “When Morning Comes". This black and white photograph consists of a young black boy about to kick a soccer ball in a small neighborhood. A dirt road is visible with three other people (assuming they are children). They are positioned in a staggered manner in the background to give the image dimension. They are all standing and facing him. This is an action shot of these kids playing in a neighborhood in the Mississippi Delta.

This image is a bit overexposed however it is in focus. The contrast is a bit too high which reduced the quality of the image.The whites in this image are a bit too bright an it creates a strange fuzziness especially when it comes in contact with the black shades. Nevertheless their is no pixelation. I kind of am drawn to the low quality aspect to this image. It may reflect on the type of neighborhood these kids grew up in .
The horizontal lines of the power lines and lines of the dirt road imply passive and calmness. When the kids are playing, the energy of the neighborhood is peaceful. The positive space fills up a good portion of the image but the artists leaves a bit of negative space to let the viewer notice the setting. The edges of image cut of the trees and it is not really framed by anything. Also, the photograph is not balanced with the focal point being the boy about to kick the ball. The left side is a lot more open with the exposed sky while the right side is a lot more busy with the trees and children in the back.

This is not a very pleasing to look at and it is not really a “beautiful” picture because of the low quality and the fuzziness of the image. However, I still appreciate and like this image, because I feel like it is genuine. The rule of thirds is being applied in this photograph, showing the viewer the environment these children are growing up in. This rule was necessary for the environment is the defining point in this image. The photographer wanted to depict how these children still are ordinary and like to have fun even with the alternative neighborhood that they live in.

Thibodeaux also used a bug’s eye angle of the boy. This makes the kids seem big and taller implying that they are in their own world in a way. When these kids go about their day, they probably feel powerless and small with the poverty that their families and themselves face. But whenever they have the joy of simply kicking a soccer ball around them, it’s an escape from reality. They get to be whoever they want to be in their own world.I would have to say since the artist captured this moment, this was a successful photograph.

Nick Perez

4/18/2017 02:46:40 pm

Brandon Thibodeaux has made an awe inspiring photograph for "When Morning Comes". This photograph gives the child who is kicking the ball an empowering point of view. There is a small bit of dust being kicked up near the kids foot. Furthermore, the child is dressed in clothing that is a bit ragtag. This makes sense as this is a journey through the rural south, and the socioeconomic conditions may be very different. For this reason, the photo is particuluarly empowering and makes it seem as if the child who is kicking that ball holds all of the power in the world.

The image uses a strong composition. It is taken in black in white in order to maximize the effects of the theme of the image. Further more, the image is backlit by the sun. The whites are white and the image is correctly balanced. The image is focused so that the kid kicking the ball is the primary subject. The image has proper exposure and has a quality form.

The form of the image makes it stand out. The composition was made from a bugs eye point of view. This was done to give the young kid the empowering angle which he his standing from. The rule of thirds is not used in this image. The image is not framed by anything. There are leading lines that are pointing to the end of the road, and these lines further contribute to the theme.

This image has a very simple and straightforward theme: it shows that although some of us may grow up in different socioeconomic classes, we can all be great. The image taken is simply a young kid. The way the image is taken makes this kid, in ragtag clothes, look like a king. The author of the image is trying to show us that although we do not all come from the same background, we are all the same. Everyone is working for similar things, and everyone can be amazing.

I enjoy this image and would consider it to be successful. I believe that it is successful because it clearly conveys its theme. It does this by using point of view and color very effectively to show that we're all the same. The image is striking upon looking at it for the first time. Finally, I just have a natural inclination to like anything with a soccer ball involved therefore I enjoy the image.

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Period 3-- Critical Analysis #19

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