Period 5 - Critical Analysis #3

11/6/2019

Today you will be writing about this image by artist Zora Murff, which is from his series titled Corrections. 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's post, it will not be graded.

Below is a project statement written by Murff about his body of work, Corrections:
From 2012 to 2015, I worked as a Tracker for Linn County Juvenile Detention and Diversion Services in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. As a Tracker, I provided services to youths who were convicted of crimes, adjudicated, and subsequently ordered to complete probation. Juveniles in my charge were asked to comply with services which may include: electronic monitoring, therapies, drug screening, and community service; it was my responsibility to have continual contact with them to ensure these expectations are met.

Tracking and other similar community-based services are being increasingly used as an alternative to detention facilities. These services, which allow juveniles to stay in their homes, show a higher rate of success than strict incarceration. Although community-based services are built to foster a collaborative relationship between juveniles and service providers, attaining the actualization of teamwork becomes problematic when juveniles feel that they have done nothing wrong, are victims of circumstance, or do not fully understand why they have committed a crime. The system has been put in place to provide rehabilitation, but it is far from being a straightforward process. Many influences outside of the youths' control such as education, socioeconomic status, and race all play a role in whether or not a youth reoffends - all of these factors possessing the propensity to lead them to extended periods of incarceration in the juvenile system or to involvement with the criminal justice system as an adult.

By reconsidering the role that I played in the lives of the kids I worked with, I began to acknowledge the burden that comes with tasking young men and women with continued complicity. My stance as a consequence kept our relationships in a state of flux ranging from stable to tenuous – a constant motion mirroring the discord that develops between the system's intentions and outcomes. Through employing ideas of anonymity, voyeurism, and introspection, Corrections is an examination of youth experience in the system, the role images play in defining someone who is deemed a criminal, and how the concepts of privacy and control may affect their future.

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

Tomas Espejo

11/6/2019 09:27:41 am

Some of the colors that are being used in the photo are reddish- brown, orange, blue, white, black and a little bit of grey. Reddish- brown color is being used in the photo by the bed. The orange and grey are being used by the towels in the box. White and black is being used for the shoes and white is also being by the color of the wall. The color Blue is being used by the carpet in the room. And also a little bit on the bed’s blanket.

Some of the things in the photo that are being cut off by the frame in the photograph include: The rest of the room, the walls of the room, and the ceiling of the room is not being displayed in the photograph at all. Another thing that is being cut off by the frame is the carpet inside the room. The walls are being cut off by the left and right of the frame. The ceiling is being cut off by the top of the frame. The rest of the room is being cut off by the bottom, left, and right of the frame. And finally the carpet is being cut off by the bottom, and a little left ,and right of the frame.

I think that this image is interesting and beautiful. I think it is interesting because I wonder who has slept in that room, or who it belongs to. I also think about how those pictures relate to the person that owns the room. I think this photograph is beautiful because it says a lot of things in such a short amount of space. I think it is trying to tell us that whoever this room belonged to had to leave it for some reason, but that was most likely bad. And I also think about what that stuff on the bed is and what was its use to the person who slept in the room.

For this particular photo, I can say that I like, and also dislike it. I like it because it gives the viewer a lot of things to question. Like whose room was this, what is the importance of the pictures, what is laying on the bed that was so important to the person. I dislike this photo because I feel bad for the person who owned the room because they had so little. Another reason why I dislike the photo is because the bed is really small and it seems that the only things that that person owned were the things that were in the box. Finally I enjoy looking at this photo because the room is clean and and nothing is laying around on the floor.

Jacob Perez

11/6/2019 09:34:32 am

This is an image of a bedroom that is in a cell. Of course there is the bed, basketball shoes, pictures of a baby, a book, and some towels. On top of all the other towels is a bright orange hoodie, and its purpose is to boring the viewer's attention to the area around it. The lighting in the room is bright, to show all the details of the room that you wouldn't be able to see if say the room was dark. Some objects in the image are a book to read, shoes to play ball in, towel for drying off, and a hoodie for cold days.

I would say that is image is pleasing to look at due to all the different colors in the image. The rule of thirds is being used in this image, it is used at where the orange hoodie is to draw attention to the towels below. It is from the point of view of a person looking through the cell to see a bedroom. The focal point is definitely the orange hoodie on the left side, but it is not framed. The image doesn't completely fill the frame, there is some space on the white wall and the blue floor.

The theme of this image is to show the conditions of living in a juvenile detention cell. I think the story to this image is on the kid’s free time he likes to play basketball and will usually where his hoodie too, but when night comes he reads while in bed. I think he made this image to show what it looks like to live in a cell, and enlighten the viewer of the conditions. This image reminds me of a show called, “Scared beyond straight,” which has the same living conditions as this cell does too. This image is interesting to look at because it shows that the kid hasn't given up hope yet by still playing ball and having pictures of a baby sibling hoping to see him in person.

I do like this image, because it tells a great story. I also like it because of the orange hoodie which grabbed my attention immediately. The only reason i wouldn't lie this image is due to the fact of how much open space is left on the wall. I think this photo is successful because it did enlighten my thoughts of what it looks like to live in a cell. Overall this image got its idea through and told a magnificent story behind it .

Andy Cubriel

11/6/2019 09:44:47 am

This image is of a bed that seems to have been made messily, with various belongings of a person scattered throughout the room. There is a drawstring bag on the bed, along with a thick book. On the ground there is a box that seems to be filled with dirty laundry or towels, and a pair of worn out shoes. On the wall, there are several photos of a baby, which I assume to be someone’s younger sibling or child that they’re trying not to forget. The colors are mainly gray and dark blue, just because that is the color of the walls and the floors. The feeling that these colors evoke is sadness, like a person waiting in a hospital to see a loved one. The lighting is studio type, with the overhead lighting producing a nice cool tone for the picture.

This image is very pleasing to look at because of the nice cool tones. None of it hurts your eyes to look at, and almost everything in the image is in focus, or in other words it is a very crisp image. The lines in the image are mainly the poles from bed frame. They direct your vision towards the baby photos on the wall, which peaks your interest in the photo because you now wonder, “Who’s room is this?” The photographer took this photo from an eye level point of view, so that we could see the room through the eyes of the person living in it.

The first theme I notice in this photo is separation. The person is not able to be with their relative, so they move their bed near to where they put up photos of them in an effort to stay connected to them. The story seems to be that this person is now living in this facility, and has been forced to take their most important belongings with them. The floors and walls in the image reminds me of hospital floors and walls, and this makes you feel both sad, and comforted. The image evokes interest in me because I want to know who the person is, and why they are being kept at this facility now.

Overall, I really like this image. The tones are fairly cool, but are not to cool, which means they do not hurt your eyes. I also like this image because it is very crisp. It is very difficult to get a crisp image, so kudos to them on that. This image is successful in my opinion because the quality of the image is great, and the story behind the person taking it is very inspiring.

Ali Welsh

11/6/2019 07:57:10 pm

This picture was created by artist Zora Murff, which is from his series titled Corrections. It looks like it was taken in a guy's room maybe in jail since the room and bed don't look bad and there are pictures of a baby taped to the wall. There is a bed right next to the wall with red and blue sheets, a book and something black laying over it, probably dirty basket beside since clothes and towels are just thrown there, and tennis shoes. The colors that are being used are red, orange, yellow, military green, blue, grey, black, brown, and white. Murff chose these colors to give this neutral vibe. The lighting that is used looks like alighting from a window during the day with sunlight without studio set-up.

It's pleasing to look at since it is calm and not hard to focus. Murff took this photo from an eye point of view when you look at a bedroom. The focal point is the orange hoodie on the left side, but it is not framed. I don't see any lines that guide me through the picture. The image doesn't fill the frame, there is some space on the white wall and the blue floor. The grid of three is used if you focus on the basket with the dirty clothes. The image cropped off the rest of the wall, floor, and room so you can’t tell what else is going on.

The theme of this picture is defining someone. It is defining someone because nowadays w come quick to judge with background stories or with mistakes. It’s as if mistakes define us when they don’t. So instead of looking at others like people, we look at them with labels and this picture shows staying anonymous of juvie. The story behind this image is Murff's brother got accused when he was young and thrown into juvie this impacted his life because of how people treat you different by your ethnicity and color. At the moment I don’t have something at the top of my mind that reminds me of this picture.

I like this image since for me it looks like a flashback of memories, not those memories that you look back at a picture. Instead, those who impacted you so much that made you change and later grow stronger by this. Murff did a successful job because the photo that he took tells a story and also makes some audience wonder what happened to that boy or his family and makes us wonder who's that baby that he cares about. This picture also just shows a photo that doesn’t have a setup or was in the studio so it shows a new set up. The way Murff took the picture make it interesting for me and engaging. By the looks and color, when I first saw the picture I came quickly to a conclusion thinking whoever this guy is, he sure is more organized than my brothers.

Suly Welsh

11/7/2019 01:18:11 pm

BLOG #3 | 11/06/19

"Corrections" by Zora Murff

This picture looks very simple at first glance. It's just a picture of a bed in a room. The wall is white, the sheet has a maroon and turquoise pattern, and there's a yellow laundry basket at the feet of the bed with a gray towel and an orange hoodie. The colors of the bed and basket seem pretty vibrant compared to the white wall and light blue flooring. The lighting seems like it's coming from a window to the right of the, but we can't see it. The picture is brightened with natural light because it's not as harsh as an LED light or another type of artificial lighting. There are no people in this picture, it's all inanimate objects. There are baby pictures on the left side of the picture, scotch-taped to the wall.

The composition is pleasing to look at because the bed and the laundry basket fit perfectly with the frame ( they aren't going too far to the right or too far to the left). I don't like that the actual object placement isn't as tidy as I'd like it. It seems as if the picture was taken at eye level with, maybe, even a slight angle downwards. It's as if the viewer were standing up and is looking down at the bed and this corner of the room. The rule of thirds would be used if the central focus was the yellow laundry basket at the lower left, but I don't think that's the central or the most important aspect of the picture so I'm going to have to say that the rule of thirds is not being used. Some lines framing the bed which draws attention, and there's also a line from the corner of the wall. The frame cuts off the rest of the room, but the objects in the frame are not, in any way, cut off from the photograph. There's some negative space in the walls except for this one small part right above the left side of the bed.

Well, I read the meaning behind this image from the photographer. It's one of the rooms for a juvenile delinquent. The room has pictures of a baby, so it's probably a teen parent who is in this "jail" type room, but has a family. I think the artist is trying to emphasize how these are people too. They might've messed up in our society, but they have feelings and they are also living humans who are capable of good and of change. This reminds me of my US Gov class, actually. It's so funny because we read an article, just last week, about a person who thinks that our jail system is messed up. The article talks about how these convicts aren't even getting the proper steps or opportunities to change for the better or to go to some sort of rehabilitation or therapy classes. This is a very political and national topic which is very controversial right now. Jails and the prosecution system has been pretty much the same in the United States for so long. It challenges political, ethical, and moral beliefs.

I do like this picture because it's different. It doesn't have a cool effect. It's not a very flashy or colorful picture. It's just a room. It's so simple, and it's such a normal thing in a person's life. A bed, a laundry basket, shoes, journals, and pictures. If I was just looking at this picture without knowing the context or some background information, it's just bland. I think that knowing that this is a place where a person has been set to live due to a crime committed, and seeing how this person might be a parent, it just makes it more impactful. It's a way to get a glimpse into this person's life.

Gabby Beck

11/7/2019 05:17:56 pm

The image shows a mostly empty room with a bed, a few pictures, shoes, and a box. The white makes the room a little dull but the bed covering clashes with it. There is nice lighting from sunlight shining through a window in the top right corner of the image. The pictures taped over the bed are the only faces in the photo; the rest are objects. The image looks like a bedroom but one someone might be temporarily staying in because there aren’t many things in it.

The image is nice to look at because the colors are bright and the lighting is nice. The point of view is slightly higher than at eye level. The rule of thirds is sort of at use because the bed and other objects are located lower and to the side in the photo than right in the middle. There is a lot of extra space like the walls and carpet to give the room an empty feeling. The frame doesn’t cut off anything in the image except for the wall and floor.

This image is part of a collection of photos called Corrections created by Zora Murff that deal with juvenile detention and the truth behind the kids who go there. All the pictures he takes have to do with something with the juvenile detention center, whether it be the kid themselves or an object that relates to the theme. This photograph reminds me of a hospital room that has plain wall and almost nothing in it. The image is beautiful in the way that it is simple yet packed with meaning. If we didn’t have any background of the photo, we would just assume it was a normal person’s bedroom.

The image has a nice color pallet and lighting that is intriguing and good to look at. I like how this image has a backstory that wouldn’t be seen at first glance of the photo. It makes you not only pay more attention to this image, but others that you might see. This image is successful because it is able to spread a message without using a single word. It is simple, yet filled with many “behind the senses”.

Colin Finerghty

11/8/2019 04:26:58 am

In this image by Zora Murff, there is not a lot going on, the setting is in what appears to be a bedroom, maybe a teenagers room or maybe even an adult. There is a small bed up against the wall, it looks like a twin size bed, there is a red and blue blanket over it. On the bed, there is a book and what looks to be like a towel or maybe a shirt. Up against the bed is a box that has a towel and a sweatshirt or jacket, right next to the box is a pair of shoes, they look very old and worn out. On the wall that the bed is against there is a picture of a baby, I’m guessing that this may be the baby or a sibling to the person that is living there. The room is very bland and doesn’t have many colors to it, the lighting is very dim and kinda gives off a eary/sad vibe to it. There is little pop of color with the jacket and the blanket on the bed, my eye is drawn to it when I look at the picture.

This picture is good to look at because it draws you in, it’s a bland room but the colors give a bit of excitement to the picture. The point of view that the picture was taken at was a bit of bird’s eye and also square, it's not completely a square because its a little more up than square. The subject does fit the frame pretty well, it’s in the middle so it shows that it’s like the most important thing in the image but there is also still enough space to show more parts of the image like the box and the pictures.

A theme that I see might be loneliness, I see it because it does look like a prison cell, or just some sort of cell also the lighting is dim to were it looks almost sad, and the person that lives in there might be going through a rough time and most likely is lonely. I fell like the artist made this image to open up the eyes of people, and show what really is going on in the system, it’s almost like the image is political, some people may agree and some may disagree on how people should be being treated in the system. This image is interesting because it does show the life of a child that is in a detention center, that's where they lay their head at night and sleep, it just opens your eyes.

I do like this image, I didn’t know what a detention center cell really looked like before I saw this photo, and it perfectly showed how it looks, I do think the photographer is successful because his images are so controversial but almost in like a good way, it shows people that these kids who are in the system are still just kids and not just criminals like they think they are.

Kate McDaniel

11/14/2019 11:29:51 am

The image is focused on a bed with a Bible and a pair of pants on it. As well as a laundry basket, some shoes on the floor, and some baby pictures on the wall. It looks like a very sad and gloomy photo. The photo may have been taken in a homeless shelter or some sort of rescue shelter.

This photographer looks like they used the rule of thirds. It looks like the bed is placed at the bottom of the photo with a lot of open space at the top. The laundry basket is placed in the bottom left-hand corner with the pair of shoes placed in the bottom middle. The angle looks like the photo was taken from the door. And the focal point looks like the bed.

A theme in this photo could be something like sadness or loss. It could be one of these two themes because the photo looks like it was shot in a homeless shelter or rescue facility. It could be a rescue facility because there could have been a storm or other natural disaster that caused that person to lose their home and maybe their child because of the pictures on the wall. They could have lost their child and maybe have turned to scripture for help because of the Bible on the bed.

I actually kind of like this photo because it can really tell a story. It can tell maybe a story of someone who has lost their home. I think this photo was successful because it makes me think when I looked at the photo. I also think the photographer did a good job on this photo.

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Period 5 - Critical Analysis #3

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