Period 5 -- Critical Analysis #4

10/6/2017

Today you will be writing about this image by artist Holly Andres. The photograph is from her body of work titled Stories From A Short Street. Here is the artist's project statement:

STORIES FROM A SHORT STREET is a collection of eight photographs inspired by my unique experience growing up in rural Montana as the youngest of ten children. By casting a fictitious group of siblings loosely based on archetypes of my own family, each image is constructed to enact a specific moment, communicate identity through space, and depict a psychological portrait.

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.

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

Pato Wray link

10/6/2017 08:57:32 am

This image was of a kid on the couch of a living room. You can see there are many things n he images including the deer on the wall. And the table with some statues on it. And there is a old phone in the background. He is clearly watching something because you can see theres a reflection of some type.

The images was taken in shallow depth of field. You can see that by the way the picture was made. The kid looks like he's had a leg amputated but he is just sitting on it. It is most likely bed time because he is in some PJ's and is probably waiting for something to happen. There is some other things that I can say about the picture too.

The kid looks like he is probably 8 years old or less. Im going to guess that the image made the kid sit on his leg so that there would be more conversation between it and the viewers of the image. The kid might be waiting for the Mom to tuck him into bed.

I do like the image and I think the creator took a lot of time into this photo. This artist will be very successful for the image he has taken here.

Ryan Kyle

10/6/2017 09:01:02 am

The image is of a boy sitting on the arm of a couch watching T.V. The boy seems to have one leg and it appears that he is staying up late since he is in his pajamas and it is very dark. The image uses a lot of beige and blue. The lighting is dimly lit with a light turned on in the background. The objects in this image are the boy, the television, the phone, the armchair, and the head of a deer on the wall. The child is watching TV although there is nobody else around. Maybe his family is out doing something or maybe he is just up late.
The composition is interesting because you see the light of the TV on the wall and on the boy, so you wonder what he may be watching. The rule of thirds is being used, because the boy is in the middle of the photo. This image is a 3rd person POV image. It uses a deep depth of field to let you know that there are things in the back that the artist wants you to look at. There doesn't really seem to be many lines in this image. The image is asymmetrical because the door is on the left but not the right. The subject does not fill the frame. There is nothing that the edge of the image really crops off besides a little bit of the TV.
The themes in the image could include staying up late or a feeling of being alone. There probably is a story being told although it is hard to figure out exactly what it might be. The artist made this image to recreate memories of her and her family. This image does not challenge any beliefs from what I can see. The image is definitely noteworthy because of all of the objects which may have significance.
The image is kind of boring to me because of its lack of color and things going on. The only spots where there are color are the subject and the space around him. This may have been done intentionally, but to me it just makes the image not very likable. The photo is successful because it does what the artist wanted to do, which is recreate family memories. The idea for this set of images was different which is good because not many people will get younger models in order to become the younger version of themselves. Although the image may not be as likable for me as for other people, it is successful in conveying the artist’s message about what she did as her younger self.

Troy Rollwitz

10/6/2017 09:04:26 am

The picture was taken by Holly Andres, about growing up in rural Montana. In this image we see a young boy sitting on a couch. He appears to be staring at the TV. Behind him was see his shadow on the wall. Hs eyes are completely fixed on the TV. We also see the light coming from the TV on him. To his right there is the head of a deer, probably one that they hunted.

The image is pleasing to look at. Holly uses a wide range of colors and none of the photo is overexposed. The way the lighting is done, the boy is better lit than most of his background which is one thing that directs our eyes toward him. The color of light on him is also different than most of his surroundings because there are multiple sources of light. The subject is completely in the frame and there is a lot of extra space. There are no lines directing our eyes to the subject. The photo has a deep depth of field because everything is in focus. He is in the left lower thirds boxes;.

The story I got from this picture is that kids may be too distracted from TV. Behind him their is a painting, and also a deer. To me, these represent what past generations enjoyed. The painting is of a nature setting and the deer is a part of nature. Holly is trying to show us how times are changing, even in rural Montana. Back then, people enjoyed nature, and now they may be too focused on TV and other modern inventions.

I like this image because of the way it looked. The photo is very pleasing to look at, and the colors used are very nice and go together well. I think this is a successful photo because it did a good job at portraying everyday life. The boy doesn’t look like he is posing for the picture. He look very natural and focused on the TV. This was a successful photo because Holly showed us what she was trying to show.

Maria Tirado

10/6/2017 09:04:51 am

This image is of a young boy, his age might be around 7 or 8. He is concentrated in watching what looks like a T.V. The viewers can assume that it is late at night or early in the morning, since the boy is wearing his pajamas. The lighting is a bit dark and yellow, but there is a bright white light illuminating the main object in this photograph, which would be the boy. There are several different objects in this image apart from the kid, there is a head of a deer, an old looking telephone, a landscape painting, and some miniature statues on top of the T.V. In this image there also happens to be a lot of shadows, the one that stands out the most though is the one of the boy.

This image is pleasing to look at, because the main subject is focused in on something else. This makes us, the viewers, take time and observe how and why he is so captivated by the T.V. The photographer took this photo in a third person point of view. This image also has a deep depth of field, because everything in this image is very clear and sharp. This photograph seems very balanced and the subject appears to be taking up most of the space.

You can take so many different ideas from this image by Holly Andres, but I picture a young boy not wanting to go to bed on a school night. He wants to stay up late, past bedtime, to watch some television. He is all ready for bed in his pajamas, yet he can’t take his eyes of the screen due to something interesting happening. He doesn’t seem very amused, which could illustrate that he isn’t watching something necessarily comical. The artist made this image with the intention to capture her family doing habitual activities. She hired other people to pose as each member in her family in an already set up workspace.

I really love this image. I love the way this little living room area of the house is set up and how neat and organized it all looks. I enjoy this image, because I can relate to the young boy. Sometimes, there are days where I just want to stay up and do nothing in my pajamas. In my opinion, this image and this whole collection by Holly Andres is very successful. It gets the simple meaning across and makes you think about what he might be watching a little bit more.

Larissa Esparza

10/6/2017 09:10:10 am

This image captures a young boy watching TV. The image on the TV seems to be grabbing him as he stares deeply into the screen. The image is using neither bright sunlight or studio lighting but has more dark shadows and artificial lighting. The image looks warm and yellowish which is one of the main colors. Other colors being used include chestnut brown for the wood floor, other browns, green and a warm yellow. The image includes a boy and his
focused facial expression, a TV and a dead deer looking animal hung on the wall from hunting.

I think this image is pleasing to look a because of the warm colors that blend in together. The image doesn’t use any bold colors that would clash with the warm colors. The whole image gives off a warm feeling of being at home. The rule of thirds is being used in this image because the subject, the boy, is in the middle of the image. The lines in this image include the wood floor lines that direct your eye either going up or down them and the picture frame. The picture frame is perfectly framing the boy’s shadow. Whether this was intentional or accidental by the photographer it adds something different to the image.

The themes in this image is to show daily life things that we do or see in life but don’t pay attention to. Staring at the TV is something we all do but we don’t ever pay attention to it. The story that the image is telling is the story of most westernized homes and what goes on in them like watching TV, laying in bed, eating, sports on TV or physically visible. All happen in westernized homes and I think that’s what the photographer is trying to show. The image reminds me of how when I used to get out of school I would get a snack and automatically go watch TV it was like a routine. As a child TV is everything because it’s what entertains us.

I like the image because it’s not something that all photographers think would be interesting to take pictures of but the simplicity is what makes it different. Most photographers need an interesting or eye capturing even to grab the attention of the eye. Holly Andres made the image interesting to look at without having to capture an eye opening event and that’s why I like the image. I think the photograph is successful because it tells a story and is pleasing to the eye.

Mikaela Mumme

10/6/2017 09:12:43 am

This image is of a boy sitting on the armrest of a couch watching T.V.. The little boy is young and has on pajamas that look patriotic. The room he is in looks very clean and tidy with only the phone and figurines for decoration. The colors are dark and many shadows. The light in the image is coming from a room in the corner and the television.
The angle the photographer took this image was probably flat footed,from a eye level view. The image has a deep depth of field. Everything in the frame focused allowing you to see the corner where the light comes from. The focal point of this image is the little boy. He is in the center of the image the couch, the table by the couch, and the picture above him all frame the main focus.
I feel like a theme of this image could be that you are being watched and is very dull. You get this sense of being watched, because the way the mounted animal head is on the wall looks like it is staring right at you, the figurines look like they are looking at the boy, and the boy looks very intrigued with watching the television. I feel this image is dull because the boy does not have any expression on his face. It looks like he is just going through the motions. To me this image reminds me of Alice In Wonderland I find it interesting, because the object and the setup of this image mixed together with the lifeless looking boy. This image is very narrative leading you to many thoughts, yet it is so simplistic.
I like this image, it is interesting to look at and analyze. I think this image is successful, because it uses good composition giving the image its high quality. It is also successful, because the image has a good narrative making you think. The image is appealing to look at too and is probably something I would hang in my house.

Jessica Mims

10/6/2017 09:30:08 am

This is a photo by Holly Andres. It is from her collection called Stories From A Short Street. This is an image of a young boy, maybe Holly’s brother, sitting on a chair probably in a family room. He appears to be in pajamas while he is probably watching TV. There is a deer mounted on the wall and a painting of a nature scene behind the boy. It looks like there are two religious figures on the TV stand. This image was probably created in a studio. The lighting is very warm. This makes it seem more nostalgic and cozy.

This image is pleasing to look at, it is very organized and everything that is in the image is intentionally included. The subject, which is the boy, is centered in the photo while the furniture and other objects take up the rest of the frame. The depth of field is deep, and the f stop number is probably large, which means that the aperture opening is small. The image is asymmetrical, which makes sense for the type of scene that is being created. Most people do not have symmetrical homes. Even though it is not a symmetrical photo, the image is still organized.

The photo has a very important theme to the photographer. She made this image to recreate memories that she has made with her family. This image might be creating a memory about how her brother used to sit in the living room before bed and watch TV. To Holly Andres, each photo has a large story to tell. The viewers might not understand the stories on a personal level like she does, so they might not be as meaningful.

I like this photo, but it is not one of my favorites. This is because I cannot make connections to it as easily as some of the other photos. Although it is not one of my favorites, I still think it is successful. If it is meaningful to some people, that is beneficial to the photographer. It is also successful, because it is a clear and sharp image that has a good exposure.

naty orquin

10/6/2017 09:50:20 am

Specifics:
The image consists of a girl laying on a bed staring off into something far beyond the frames view. The picture seems to be taken during sunrise or sunset because the sun’s golden glow glistens in the photograph. The mattress and the drawer are a bright turquoise color that contrasts with the pinkish wallpaper and the golden sun. The shadow spreads across the drawer and parts of the mattress. The Sun shines on the young girl’s face as she sits still staring off into the distance. There’s also a bed frame that is very antique looking from the early 90’s.

Form: The image is somewhat pleasing to look at. The image is very careful presented but has no action to explain. The rule of thirds is presented in this photograph as the girl sits on the ⅔ and 3/3 of the image. THe photographer shot this image from a 3rd person’s point of view meaning he is knowing what is going on but is not omniscient. The lines of the mattress direct you towards the girl and so does the bed frame. This image is in a shallow depth of field. The image is not symmetrical perhaps, but the mattress and the girl are symmetrical to each other. The young girl takes up ⅔ of the image as she is the main focus of the photograph.

Content: The photographer constructed these images to enact a specific moment, communicate identity through space, and depict a psychological portrait. As being the youngest sibling she depicts her memory of waking up early to look at the sunrise/sunset to contemplate life. I see a young girl who maybe got into trouble at school and got sent to bed early without being able to eat dinner or a girl who can not seem to sleep because she has too much going on in her life.

Evaluate: I do not like the image very much. It is ok, but I don't think the image is very relatable to everyone it seems vague and preposterous. The image is unsuccessful because it does not seem to tell it’s own story.. I had to make up something I believed could fit the criteria of the image, but does not show me the story through the photograph.

Zach Burgos

10/6/2017 10:39:25 am

The image is of a boy watching television and the television light is producing a shadow of the boy. The image uses warm colors on the left side, and cooler colors on the right side. The lighting is a studio set up. The objects in the photo is a buck head, a chair, a painting, a phone on a table, a boy, 2 statues, and a television. It seems that the boy is sitting down to watch some Tv.

I think the image is pleasing to look at because of the colors and how they are split between the light from the Television on the boy’s body. The Rule of Thirds is not being used because the boy is in the middle of the photo. The focal point is the boy. The boy is not framed exactly, but the light from the Tv screen makes him shine, directing your vision to him. The subject does not fill the space of the photo. That extra space is the left side, near the door.

I think the theme of the image is showing what it was like during Holly Andres’ childhood. The story could be that the boy in the image got up early a Saturday morning to watch the Saturday morning cartoons. Holly made this image to show one of many experiences growing up. The image reminds me of what my parents describe their saturday mornings were when they were a kid, waking up early to watch cartoons. I don’t think that this image is challenging anything other than showing a moment of childhood of Holly. I think the image is interesting because it seems that the kid is mesmerized by the Television.

I like the image because of the colors and the theme. The colors of the image are warm on the left, and then the light is the middle, and then cool colors on the right. I like the theme because it is just showing what the average kid did in 80s on Saturday. I think the image was successful. The image was successful because it told a precise moment in her childhood.

Marynez Cantu

10/6/2017 09:42:08 pm

The image above has many aspects that go along with it and you can tell many things about it. The photographer is explaining a story in this picture, the viewer can tell because there is a boy, but it’s not a normal boy that you would normally see in a photograph, he’s different, he only has one leg. In my eyes this makes the photograph unique. Another thing that I admire in this picture is that Holly Andres is trying to send out a message. You can tell this because the young boy that only has one leg is watching the television and is wearing what seems to be pyjamas that are rooting for the olympics. I think that here the photographer was trying to say that not everyone is capable of doing everything and that sometimes we don’t appreciate what we can do.
Due to the lighting in this picture, it was more than likely dark outside and there is also a room behind the scene that has the lights turned on. The lighting in the picture is dark with some artificial light in it and by this I mean that some of the lights throughout the house are turned on. Another thing that I realized was that due to the television being on, there is a shadow behind the boy. In this picture there is also a variety of colors that are used here, for example the couch is a very cool color and the lighting in the background is a warm color.
Personally, I think that this image is very successful due to the many concepts that it contains. It was captured just in the right moment for the viewer to understand what was going on in this photograph and it makes the viewer understand the message that the photographer is sending out.
I think that the idea of this picture is to get a point across and Holly Andres does just that in this picture above. This was definitely a successful photograph due to all of the concepts mentioned above. The photographer is sending a message to the viewers, there is just the right amount of lighting, and the boy in this picture represented the importance and the idea that Holly wanted to get across.

Josh Salehi link

10/6/2017 10:18:48 pm

This photograph by holly andres is a picture of a young boy sitting in his living room and on the couch watching tv. The boy is sitting in a very odd position,The boy is sitting on one of his legs and it looks like he only has one leg.The picture has nice colors and it its shot a shallow depth of field. You can see the boys shadow in the background and a giant deer on the wall.

I think that this picture is taken recently but they decorated the room like an old house with an old phone,tv and couch.In this image you can tell the kid is deeply in the tv and probably binge watching his favorite movie and hes so into the movie and is most likely going to spend all night in that room by himself.

I personally like this picture because it seems like it can tell different stories. The first story it could possibly tell is that the kid is a movie lover. The second story it could be about is maybe holly andres had a brother or family member with one leg because the boy is sitting on one of his legs and it is a very strange sitting position.

In conclusion i like this picture for its colors and artistic planning on how to set up a very unique photo idea. I also can relate to this picture in my life as well because sometimes when i watch a new interesting movie or show i stay up till like very late at night and i cannot stop.

Marissa Elizondo

10/8/2017 04:38:06 pm

This image is of boy sitting on the edge of a couch that is watching tv. There is a lot of color in this images. Mainly yellows and greens. The lighting is not natural lighting. You can see that this picture was taken indoors and that the main light sources are the tv and the door in the back where there seems to be gold light coming from it. There are lots of shadows. You can see the shadow of the boy on the couch and on the painting in the background. The bottom right corner of the picture is very dark. You can also see a moose that is staring at the photographer.

The image is pleasing to look at. The boy seems to be the subject of the image. He is not exactly in the exact center the image, but he is still pretty centered. There really isn’t any frames around the boy the directs your eyes to him. However there is an actual frame that is framing a painting. There are lines in the wood. You can see how some of the pieces of wood are different tones of brown. There is a line in the bottom of the wall that goes all around the room. The subject does not fill the frame. Infact there is a lot of extra space where other components of the picture are. The frame also kind of crops of the rest of the room. Which is why I think the boy kind of stands out a little more since he is clearly seen and there is not too many other things in the picture that distract the focus from him.

I think is image is pretty interesting. The photographer created a stories from a short street, where she basically took eight pictures that were inspired by her experiences growing up in Montana as the youngest of ten siblings. I really like how this image has a sentimental value to the photographer. This image specifically reminds me of my family. My brothers and I like to watch movies and tv a lot. This also represent in a way how children nowadays are consumed by technology. Instead of playing with toys and playing outside, they spend their time watching tv, being on their phones, and playing video games. This is issue that is really apparent in our world today.

I this image is successful. I liked how this image is very different the the other images we have written critical analysis on. I personally like how this image tells a story, specifically how it tells the photographer’s story. The picture is very vibrant and clear. The picture is also very neatly structured and the setup is aesthetically pleasing. I also like how many different people and look at this image and interpret it in many different ways.

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Period 5 -- Critical Analysis #4

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