Period 6 -- Critical Analysis #1

9/20/2019

Today you will be writing about this photograph by artist Joel Sternfeld. Your analysis must be 4 paragraphs, 5 sentences minimum per paragraph. Remember to post your analysis as a comment to the blog post that corresponds to your class. If you post your analysis to the wrong class post, it will not be graded.

If you do not finish your analysis in class, you must finish and post your analysis before class on Monday, 9/23/19.

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

8 Comments

Abby Muir

9/20/2019 12:14:58 pm

In this image, right up front you notice a police car with the door open. The color palette is fairly similar, neutral greens, grays, and blues. In the back, there is water splashed over the road and an elephant lying in the road. There are quite a few people in the background, along with another police car. It appears to be in a fairly rural setting with an unpaved road off to the side and only two buildings in sight.
The photographer appears to have captured this image from fairly far away. You have to look really carefully to see the people and everything going on in the background. The subject to me is the police car in the front, as it was the first thing I noticed when I looked at this image. The bright white stands out next to the neutral grey. Also, the lines in the road direct your eyes towards the scene in the back.
Similar to his other works, the photographer is essentially capturing what I think is calm chaos. The neutral color palette and almost serenity of the scene makes it seem calm. Then you notice the elephant, and you wonder what is going on. How did the elephant get out? The depth of field is also very deep, making everything in it sharp.
I like this photograph, you can look at it for awhile and still find something new to see. At first glance it seems like an ordinary photo but if you look closer you can really see what is going on. The picture was captured perfectly, with lines leading your eyes on a path through the picture. It also makes you think about what is going on. Overall, I think the image was successful in terms of showing what was going on, and capturing it in an interesting perspective.

chloe clark

9/20/2019 12:18:59 pm

Joel Sternfield’s image contains a road which seems to be in a fairly rural area. Down the road, there are a couple sheriff cars collected around an elephant that is laying in the middle of the road. There are people crowded around the scene, maybe officers or bystanders. The scene is bright in terms of lighting, it is just daylight. There is a liquid of some kind spilling from around the elephant. There is an empty sheriff car toward the front of the road.
The image’s point of view is maybe from someone who sees the scene from afar, and is not getting involved. Both the road and the power lines lead your eye to the elephant, which is the main focus of the photograph. The image does not crop out anything except for the top of the trees. The main subject does not fill the photograph entirely because it is being seen from a distance.
The elephant is laying out in the middle of the road, and they seem to be trying to get it to move. This is a crisis that they need to solve in order to direct traffic and keep the elephant contained and safe. This photograph reminds me of a video I saw one time of a terrible car crash between an Amish family and a college student. It was on a semi-rural road that blocked traffic until authorities came to help. It reminds me of this because it looks like the road that the crash occurred on.
I like this image because it is very interesting and it makes me wonder what happened and why there is an elephant in the middle of the room. It makes me want to ask questions like why is the elephant here, how did it get away, and where are they going to put the elephant after they get it out of the road? The fact that it makes me ask these questions tells me that it was in fact a successful image in making me think and closely observe.

Natha Harrison

9/20/2019 12:26:47 pm

The image shows an elephant on a road surrounded by people and police officers. The elephant is being sprayed with water probably to ensure that the elephant is or would not become overheated as this picture was taken in the day. Besides the police officers there, there are some people watching that are mostly likely within the vicinity or may have driven upon the scene. Most of the picture is covered in a green color most likely because the possibility that this is a rural area. Because the picture was taken during the day and outside, the lighting was bright sunlight with no shadows from clouds. Since this picture looks like a rural part of the U.S., I would say the elephant escaped from somewhere and was caught by local police and was being watched until proper equipment could arrive to properly detain it.
The picture will definitely catch peoples’ eye as the elephant is out of place because you wouldn't normally see an elephant out in rural U.S.. The size and position of the elephant will make people stop for a minute and try to figure out what the large object it and why is it there. Although at first glance the image doesn’t look centered on the subject as most images are,it is balanced as I see why the photographer add the extra “unnecessary” part on the right. He did it to possibly show where the scene was happening so we could spend more time wondering of the reasoning behind the entire scene itself.
When i saw this photo, I thought it was a scene from a movie made sometime in the late 20th century or was set during that time. The reason I thought of this is because of how old the version of the vehicles in the movie were. This type of picture is sometimes that type of photo to use for a theme during the 20th century as I’m pretty sure they had some odd stories during that time.
I like this photo and find it pretty interesting. I’m still trying to figure out why the elephant possibly out somewhere rural in the U.S. I kinda wonder what were the officers reaction when they heard the call of the radio about an elephant roaming the area. I would say that the photo was successfully taken photo as it probably makes a lot of people confused when they try to figure out how it was taken and what was happening when it was taken.

Kellen Dukatnik

9/20/2019 12:33:18 pm

The image contains an elephant on a road, (which more than likely escaped from a nearby zoo) near a forest with multiple people trying to help the elephant. It uses colors such as grey, black, blue, white, green, colors you'd expect to find on a road next to a forest. The lighting is sunlight, on a day with no overcast giving it a feeling of summer time. The objects in the image include, trees, grass, road, a truck, a police car, an 18-wheeler, a street sign, people spectating, and an elephant getting water sprayed on it.
The composition is quite pleasing to look at because it shows people helping the elephant, giving it a happy story. The angle in which the photographer took the image seems to be on some sort of elevated point behind the scene where the elephant is on a house or something. The depth of field is a deep depth of field, the photographer wanted the viewers to see everything going on. The Lines in this photograph are in the road, your eyes follow the road to the point of action.
The image tells the story of an elephant escaping where it’s supposed to be and kind people call police in order to help it make its way home. The photographer took this image to inform people about what happened and what he got to witness. The image reminds me of another news story like this one of an elephant that escaped the zoo and started knocking stuff over and scaring people, but sadly the elephant had to be shot because it was responding to tranquilizers. The image is Interesting because it is a very rare occurrence to see an elephant chilling on a road near a forest.
Overall I enjoyed the image. The image makes me happy to see that the same type of story I saw on the internet unfolding a different way. Seeing the elephant receive help and water creates this feeling of delight because you know the elephant is going to be okay. The photograph was successful because it did what the photographer wanted to do which was share an expository image of an extraordinary real life event.

Ben Barlow

9/20/2019 12:40:29 pm

Exhausted Renegade Elephant by Joel Sternfield is a historic photo from his series American Prospects. This scene in particular is quite exciting because it is an example of when Sternfeld listened to police radio frequencies for interesting things to photograph. The elephant lying on the road had just recently escaped from the local zoo and emergency services quickly arrived to quarantine the situation. It looks as if the elephant had just escaped from the green pine trees and then proceeded to rest on the side of the road. The asphalt contrasts sharply with the forests of Washington behind, with what appears to be water running off in an attempt to cool the elephant off. The photograph was taken in the middle of the day with bright sunlight that exposes most of the frame.
The image, I think, is very pleasing to look at because of the beautiful scenery that surrounds the event. Although Washington is typically a rainy state, it happens to be completely sunny that day. Sternfeld took the picture from a hill overlooking the scene off to the side, above everyone else with a good view of what's going on. Since he's standing at a distance, the focal point is very deep so that he could focus on the location ahead. The entire photo is framed in by the forests behind which causes your eyes to be directed towards the road. The image is not balanced or symmetrical, but rather leaves plenty of unused space to describe the setting.
Although some may think that the photograph is quite tragic for this poor elephant, I reason that the animal is quite well cared for in police custody. Clearly there is quite an unusual story being told of a zoo animal escaping. Although there may not have been a clear reason for Sternfeld to make it, it is a very rare occurrence for something like this to happen and something that deserves to be photographed professionally. It is very interesting, but it does remind me of the News when they have nothing more noteworthy to cover. It's not a bad photo, it just lacks any depth or meaning.
Overall, this piece is a wonderful photograph and something I am glad Joel Sternfeld chose to share. I appreciate the artist for telling the viewers a story and giving them something to wonder about. The last image we looked at for a critical analysis, McLean, Virginia, also fell under similar circumstances. From this aspect the picture is very successful since it is something most people will find fascinating.

Isabella Grossman

9/20/2019 08:33:39 pm

The photo presented is an image taken of an exotic elephant in the middle of a small back road in what appears to be rural America. The Elephant lays in a puddle as bystanders watch it suffer from a small distance away. The situation seems to be of minimum importance seeing as though there is only one figure of authority present at the scene who appears in the foreground of the image, this person is a sheriff. An elephant in this kind of scenery is quite the spectacle and in the background of the image, a couple of people water it to keep it cooled off. The colors used in this image are mellow and faded out due to the nature o the photograph itself. The focal point of the image or the part of the image that our eyes are most naturally drawn to is the splash of dark in the center of the photo. The lines of this splash actually aid the eye in drawing it towards the main subject which is the elephant laying in a puddle of water. The colors in the photo give a sense of calmness and a lack off chaos which is a direct result of the lack of bright colors. The lighting in this image is bright as it appears to have been taken in the middle of the day. The colors and tones are natural which contributes to the sense of clarity as it is not falsely colored or unnatural hues. In this image, there are no images only figures that appear in the background. The rural setting lacks in common and typical urban amenities such as skyscrapers and masses of people. The small country road gives off to a couple of sheds that sit peacefully in fields to the side of it and the landscape is natural and lush with trees and plants.

This image is composed in a very unique and interesting manner. The audience is drawn into the image by the road that is in the foreground of the photograph and almost leads us up into the main point of interest. There is not very much negative space in the photograph and the landscape perfectly contrasts the smoother parts of the image texturally. In my opinion, the image is pleasing to look at due to its fascinating story and the urges and feelings it gives off. I believe that after understanding what is going on the image we almost want to continue down that road we are being led up into and follow the rest of the story. The rule of thirds is being used in this photograph to really focus on a singular central point in the image giving it a strong sense of symmetry. This image was taken in the perspective of a third person who is not participating in what is going on. The depth of field that is being used is a large depth of field allows the focus distance to be greater.
The themes that come across in this image are the abuse inflicted upon caged animals and their mistreatment in the world of captivity. I believe that there is definitely a story that is taking place when this photograph was shot and what is most interesting to me is finding out the role that the photographer played in the scene or how he happened to stumble across the event taking place. It appears that as a group of zookeepers were transferring this exotic animal to a zoo or habitat the truck they were holding it in broke and they had to find a way to continue on their journey without letting the animal die. The controversy sparked in this image was intentional and the chaos served in the piece is something that makes you think about the morals in the situation. The image reminds me of the Disney film Dumbo in which an elephant lives in captivity traveling unhappily from zoo to zoo being tortured in the process. The film and image cause me to evaluate my perspective on zoo keeping and animal captivity. Is it ethically correct to keep animals in unnatural habitats for the sole entertainment pleasure of humans?

My favorite kind of art is the art that makes me question myself, step back from it and really think. This photograph makes me question what is occurring at the moment the photograph was taken, how other audiences might perceive the photo and what the artists thought the process was while shooting the image. I believe the photographer was successful in his work. I thoroughly enjoy the piece and I think it's beautifully executed in the ways I have described above. In conclusion I believe this piece with artfully and beautifully crafted. Analyzing the piece was a true pleasure and to dissect each part was very stimulating.

Isaiah Rettig link

9/22/2019 11:29:31 am

The photo shows an elephant lying down in the middle of the road covered in water. In the foreground you can see a stopped sheriff car. This is taken in the middle of the day so all of the lighting it bright and natural. You can’t make out any faces in the image but you can tell by one of the uniforms that there is a sheriff. The elephant can be made out clearly and is seen to be tired, probably from running down the road.

The image seems to be taken from a hill to get a shot of both the sheriff car and the elephant scene. The main points the photographer wants you to focus on are framed in by the road. The photo isn’t symmetrical in any way. The extra space involves the trees out of the road. The frame cuts off a different road leading elsewhere.

This is a photograph taken of an elephant that got away from its transportation. The elephant is covered in water to keep it cool since this isn’t its natural habitat. The sheriff car was most likely called after someone reported a runaway elephant. This photo makes me think of the movie Madagascar but if were more realistic. The image is interesting because of its lack of context.

I like the image because it opens you up to an interesting story. Even if you try to figure out the story for yourself, it’s fun to find each new little detail in the photo. The photograph is successful in the way it makes the viewer wonder what is going on. The viewer will want to learn more with the picture being so weird. Overall the photo is appealing and entertaining to look at.

Flint Rose

9/22/2019 04:53:18 pm

American Prospects is a collection of Joel Sternfeld's pieces that show his travel through America. In this one Sternfeld shows us a photo of an elephant which appears to be wet. The elephant is surrounded by people. In the grass there are a group of kids. To the right of the elephant there is what appears to be a woman giving the elephant a shower by hose. It appears to be a rural area, you can judge this by the dirt path that passes by the road towards the front. The day seems to be a clear bright sunny day, the sun would be very strong and hot on this day.
The brightest spot of this photo, being the road and the sheriff car on it, draws the viewer's eyes directly to the elephant. This is done so we immediately get an idea on what the focal point of this piece is. The road takes up just about ⅓ of the frame of the shot. Once the viewer sees the street and the elephant there eyes start to wander; the surrounding forest and grass creates almost a frame around the street and the elephant. This whole photo is taken from the point of view from somebody on a hill watching everything unfold, just like what Joel Sternfeld probably felt.
The piece gives off a feeling of hopelessness for the elephant. It was so close to an open pasture only then to be caught by these people. The viewer gets a feeling like this elephants capture is a show. The way that the people in the grass view it along with the people in the back watching it so closely. Even the point of view, instead of going down and maybe trying to do something we are up above watching the spectacle.
Personally I like this piece. I really enjoy the way it makes you feel like you have to go and help that elephant from these people is really cool and unique. The use of light is fantastic. Even though the day outside is a bright sunny day Sternfeld was still able to make our eyes go to the elephant using light. Not only did it do all of those it also makes the viewer ask important questions like where did this elephant come from?Overall this piece has great usage of photo techniques that I can learn from.

Period 6 -- Critical Analysis #1

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