Period 6 -- Critical Analysis #6

12/6/2019

Today you will be writing about this photograph by artist Bryan Schutmaat. This image is from his series called Grays The Mountain Sends, a series of portraits, still life, and landscapes Schutmaat made of mining towns in the contemporary American West and the people who inhabit them.

As you write, consider what this portrait says about the person being photographed. What can you infer about the subject's identity? Who are they? Does the environment they are being photographed in tell you anything about the subject?

Your analysis must be 5 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.

If you do not complete your analysis in class, you must finish it for homework by midnight.

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

chloe clark

12/6/2019 12:21:39 pm

This image is of a man sitting outside in what seems like a yard. He is the subject of the image, and the messy, rural, house behind him is out of focus. There are not bright colors present in the image, they are all fairly dark colors that do not terribly stand out. We can see a small child working on something behind him. There is also smoke coming from a fire behind him as well.

The man is in the middle of the mage and the only thing in focus, which forces you to examine him. The smoke from the fire leads your eye to look across the image. The subject, which is the man, does not take up the whole image. There is more to look at, however, including the house, child and fire. The image cuts off the house, which is a loss of information about the man.

A theme that I see in this image is the theme of the working class. In this image, the man is wearing a dirty outfit and looks very helpless. When you look around him, you can tell that they do not have access to the sorts of things that we at Tmi have. The man in this image looks very tired, and it seems he is working to have a better life. This image is noteworthy because it is a different lifestyle.

I like this image because it gives you a story and different perspective. It makes you think of their lifestyle in the American West and how different their lives are from our own. The man in this image has to work hard to make a living. This image is successful because it is interesting to see the still life of such a different way of life.

Based on this image, I infer that the man is a father. There is a child helping out in the yard behind him, which leads me to assume that he lives there with his family. He looks very worn out, and this is understandable given he is probably working to provide for his entire family. The environment around them tells me that they are a poor family who are hard workers. I can infer that they are strong and do not take things for granted.

isabella

12/6/2019 12:23:03 pm

In this image there is a man who sits in what appears to be a cluttered yard. He wears dirt stained clothing and his appearance comes of as ragged and rough. His clothes look old and not his proper size as if they weren’t clothes he necessarily would choose to be wearing. The colors in this image are cooler colors: greys, blues, greens. The lighting is not harsh sunlight but a bit cloudy and hazy. In the back of the image you can see a small girl, maybe the main characters daughter, playing in the yard. There is an outdoor wood pile that is burning, maybe for warmth or to cook with. It is chaotic and messy and not conventionally cookie or cutter or what most think of as a normal home. It appears that there is a forest behind the house and yard and appears to be in a very rural setting.
The main focus of this image is the man that has been placed in the middle. He is the focus point of the image and in the dead center for emphasis. The rest of the image is blurry to get rid of focus on the background and force the viewer to look at the main feature which is the man. This image is symmetrical and balanced due to the centrality of the main character. There are lines such as the roof of the house that draw the eye to the subject in the middle of the image. The highlights in the subjects face brighten his expression and give him youth and they are accentuated by the artist on purpose.
The theme of this image is to capture the main characters personality and to tell his story. The artist captured mine workers and tried to depict the type of people that work in this field and live in the mining towns. The image is very personal as if the photograph was a captured one on one experience with the subject. We can assume that the subject is financially struggling due to close analysis of the background and setting as well as the clothes that the subject is wearing. It challenged social norms and depicts not conventional beauty but the harsh reality of a miner living in the american west.
I enjoy the photograph to a certain extent because of the story it is telling and the message it is conveying. The artists efforts are beautifully executed. The composition of the image is very beautiful and carefully thought out. The image is intimate and very real, not posed or stressed. It could in a way could make me uncomfortable because it is a way of life I have never witnessed or experience and really highlights the struggles that these people face living in rural mining towns in the American west.
In a way this image could highlight differences in social classes and depict how most rural miners live in poverty and struggle on the day to day due to a lack of resources that most urban areas focus on. This man looks worn out and worked however in a way it is very calming and due to his strong shape and body his positioning and pose is very humbling and comforting. This image could force viewers to be grateful for their comfortable lives and reflect on the differences that people endure when living in these conditions.

Kellen Dukatnik

12/6/2019 12:35:52 pm

The image by Bryan Schutmaat depicts a man sitting on a barrel wearing dirty clothes, in front of a trashed yard with a child standing in the background to the left. It uses colors of green, brown, black, white, grey, blue, orange, etc. because the colors indicate the amount of trash in the yard. The lighting is during the day outside. All sorts of things dare included a house, a barrel, a fire, a man, and a little girl. The home seems to be very run down and trashed, probably lives somewhere very rural.
The image is composed of a portrait of a man. It is pleasing at a glance, but when you look deeper, you begin to notice the trash and the little girl. The rule of thirds does not seem to be used in the image since it is a portrait. The subject does not fill the frame because the photographer wanted to include the trash that was behind him. The depth of field being used is shallow; it is far more focused on the man rather than the structures around him.
There a theme showed in the image that is to be grateful for what you have, but the subject could be happy. There is a story being told, which is the life of a man who lives in a mining town. The photographer took this image to show us the different ways people live.
This image reminds me of the tiny communities in colorado by Pagosa Springs. The image is fascinating and noteworthy because of what I previously stated because it shows a different style of living.
I enjoyed the image because it made me think about the community in colorado I saw. The photograph was very successful in what I believe is its primary goal was. The subject in the photograph looked very melancholy and tired. I believe the subject may be wishing for a better life or could be very happy with his lifestyle. I do not think I would enjoy being in the same living conditions portrayed in the photograph, but I believe it is exciting.
I can infer the subject may have been a descendant of a gold panner that may have been unsuccessful at finding gold. I infer the subject had no relationship with the photographer other than being acquaintances with each other. The environment the subject is in makes me believe he may be in extreme poverty because of all the trash. I believe the subject is the father of the child in the background and is the owner of the home.

Ben Barlow

12/9/2019 05:08:33 am

Grays the Mountain Sends done by Bryan Schumaat is a series of portraits done of mining towns in the American West. In this photograph in particular, the main subject is sitting on a tree stump adjacent to a small farm house. A small bonfire made of books causes a column of smoke to rise behind. In the background, a child appears to be playing, surrounded by trash. While the wilderness beyond the house is beautiful, the people inhabiting the area have ruined the place entirely.
This image overall is not pleasing to look at because of the state the yard has been left in. From our point of view at eye level with the subject, litter is visible all over all over the ground. The depth of field is very short from the main subject to the camera. The focal point is also not very far from the camera. Schumaat appears to be hiding what is going on.
I would say that because the foreground is the only thing in focus, the photo directs your eye towards the man sitting in the center. Since he is sitting in the middle relative to everything else, the rule of thirds is not being followed. The subject hardly fills up the frame at all and Schumaat left plenty of space around to describe the environment. Certain aspects of the photo were cut off intentionally for the audience not to see. It was framed so that the rest of the house and the fire cannot be viewed.
I think that the major theme of this image in particular shows the hardship that people in mining towns face. Schumaat is not playing it off as an easy or glamorous life. Being surrounded by trash with only a fire to warm you might just be like how living in a mining town feels. There is not only something being told about the west, but also a personal story involving the subject and the hard work he does to survive. By making this image, Schumaat is showing how different living in a mining town is in contrast to most peoples’ lives.
Taking all of this into account, I would still say that I do not like this image despite the message it carries. Although it is interesting to observe, I do not care to look through the perspective of someone else. It certainly makes me feel grateful that I don’t have to work in such conditions. I am sure mining is a difficult business with plenty of setbacks to deal with, especially if he is focused on raising his family out there. From this perspective, yes, I do think the image is successful because it was able to vividly describe the life of someone else.

Flint Rose

12/9/2019 05:52:55 am

This piece is a portrait of a man sitting by a campfire outside a house. He has a dirty polo with a buzz cut. In the back, there is a child with a very large blue shirt and shorts. The fire is dying down, there are many logs surrounding it. Out of focus in the back, there are bright colors, these could be the colors of plastic seats and toys. There is an RV just out of view. Most of the tones are very earthy, deep browns and bright greens.

The framing cuts off details like what the kid is doing and why there is an RV in the back. The positive space is very small, just the man, but the negative space is still very full of detail. The point of view could be just someone talking to the man on another stump at eye level. The piece is incredibly balanced and symmetrical. Because its a portrait the depth of field is shallow, and no rule of thirds is used.

This piece tells the story of a very raw nature-centered family. This could be a get together with a group of people, the kid, the RV, the fire, and the bright plastic colors in the back make me think this. The fire could be were this group sits and talks to each other about things. The man works with his hands, his hands look called, and his shirt has soot on it. The family could own the RV, or it could be the photographers.

I like this piece, I like how the entire piece feels balanced. The man is perfectly in focus in the middle, it feels like that’s where he is supposed to be. This piece told a story through portraiture, something that I have a hard time accomplishing. Along with that the piece just feels nice to look at, I look at it and feel a sense of nostalgia. Overall I enjoy the piece immensely.

The viewer can infer based on the piece that the man is in low social standing. His what is assumed house is beaten up and his shirt is dirty with holes in it. There is trash everywhere outside, and his child is wearing a shirt that would most likely be his father’s. They could have a fire outside because the house could be too cold. The man and the Boy both have buzz cuts which are the easiest and cheapest haircut you can do at home. All these details are all from a still image which I find very impressive.

Isaiah D Rettig link

12/9/2019 02:57:46 pm

The portrait is showing a man sitting on a log with what I assume is his house behind him. A child can also be seen in the background playing with or placing two sticks down. To the right you can see a pile of wood with parts of it still burning. Barrels can also be seen lying around in the background along with trash surrounding it. The man has a very rough look to with his shirt dirty and fully unbuttoned, ripped pants and dark clothing.
The picture is centered and focused on the man sitting down. The background is blurred just enough to where you can’t make every little detail out. The house is cut out by the frame. The fire to the right is also cut off so you can’t tell its full purpose. The image is balanced on the man.
The picture has a mellow arau because of its grayer colors. Nothing in the photo really contrast with anything else in any meaningful way. The man doesn’t look happy even though he is so close to his home and family. The photo isn’t very interesting and I don’t think it’s trying to be. The photo is supposed to show the boring life of the mining town.
I don’t like the photo. Even though it’s trying to express the boring life, I’ve never been a fan of boring photos. I think there are many different and more interesting ways to express dull life. The image is boring to study and is easy to take at face value. Portraits should reveal something new about the subject or show an idea, this photo simply tells you what is there.
To take the photo they simply had to ask them to sit in front of their house. The hardest part about taking this photo is planning the background. They do a good job in picking a background even though more details could be there. The child in the back may have been told to play with the log. The photographer was lucky to take this picture right after the family had used the fire.

Diego

12/12/2019 09:34:09 am

Sian Davey

Critical Analysis

In this picture we can se davey’s doughter, Alice, She has down syndrome and she’s under five years old, Davey started to photograph alice when she was about 2 years old and did a series of pictures called “Looking for Alice”, Davey also takes pictures of her family most of Alice and her other doughter.

In this picture we can all se alice in a room with natural lighting that is coming from the window, while alice is sitting on a couch with bed covers, and she’s sitting down, the couch has a pattern and there are flowers and a pillow on the background.
In this picture Davey used natural lighting for her picture an did a portrait of Alice, just like many others.

In this image we see alice sitting down on a couch that is used as a bed, she’s surrounded by pillows and covers for a bed, on the background we can see the light that is being emited by the window, and a pot with flowers that are colorful, we can also see the covers in the window have a pattern and they are orange.

I like this image because it is using natural light from the sun that is being reflected by te window, it is also a portrait of a diferent person tat is not like the other portraits we have seen in this class, it also is a different thing that the other portraits we have seen because most of the pictures are just grown up people that are jsut sad, depressed or they are just having a really bad day, but in this case we just see Alice, while she’s just sitting down to chill.

I think Davey started crating this type of series to show the various aspects of someone who has down syndrome, and also to show the world to not be afraid of something different than what people are used to looking at, she also by creating this series, she shows people what is like to having or even living with someone who lives with that type of syndrome, she has another daughter that in one image she seems to be enjoying her sister.

mateo

12/13/2019 12:41:27 pm

This image by artist Bryan Schutmaat is from his series called Grays The Mountain Sends, which is of portraits and landscapes that Schumaat made of mining towns in the contemporary American West and the people who inhabit them. This image is of one a resident of one of the towns that Schutmaat visited and of the everyday surrounding they have. The man is working in his neighborhood and community where he lives. There are also children helping with work. There is a lot of green, brown and red. There is a red roof on the white house, green trees and green grass, and brown dirt. The man is wearing a dark green shirt and brown pants.The lighting is provided by a cloud covered sky with sunlight. There is a burning fire with smoke, tree stumps, and trash piles.

The image is pleasing to look at because of everything happening in the background and because of the calmness. The artist took the picture as a bystander. There is a shallow depth of field being used to capture the subject in focus instead of the background. The subject is the focal point. The smoke directs us to look at the subjects face because the trial ends at it. The image is balanced and there is no empty space to be filled. There is activity everywhere in the image and there is something to look at wherever you look. The image cuts off the rest of the house and the trees in the background.

The story behind the image is that people have different lifestyles and have different values and responsibilities. The man in the image lives in a small town and his life revolves around putting food on the table and supplying for himself and his family. The artist made this image to show us what people in these less modern or smaller towns do everyday and what they see everyday. This image reminds me of the movie “The Witch” where a family lives on a farm and they do work to maintain the farm and feed themselves. This image is interesting to me because it is simple yet pleasing to view because of the setting.

I like the image because of the moment that the artist captured and I feel like I’m there. I like the setting where the photograph was taken and it gives me a warm feeling. It reminds me of when I go hunting with my family. I enjoyed looking at the image. The image was successful in telling a story. The image was also successful because of the memory it made me remember.

I can infer from the image that the subject is a worker or someone who people depend on. They are a patriarch and someone that people look up to. The environment tells me that the subject is a hard worker. The subject built his life in the small town and provides for his family. The subject is man who provides and who helps his community.

Nathan Harrison

12/16/2019 06:19:07 pm

This image is a guy sitting on a tree stump in front of a fire and a rural home. The image doesn’t use any bright or vibrant colors, probably to increase the effect of sadness or emptiness from the person being photographed or the people in the town that the photographer is visiting. Lighting in the picture looks as if the image was taken during a very cloudy day without any other light from any other source. In the unfocused and blurred background, you can see the house on the left and the fire on the right. You can also see a child on the left in the background.

For some the photo can be eye opening as it looks saddening. The image does not follow the rule of thirds as the main subject does not sit around any of the four points on the grid for the rule of thirds. The depth of field is very shallow as everything behind the subject is blurred. The focal point is man in the photo. I feel that the image is unbalanced even though the subject is in the exact middle, the negative space is divided as the house in the background unbalances the picture. The subject does not completely fill the image, but fills the adequate amount needed. The positive space fits perfectly in the middle while the negative space surrounds the positive space.

A theme that can be seen in this photo is illuminating the lives of those that we don’t see often or those we don’t see anymore. We don’t know what the aftermath of the rush for mining in the American West has created. The American West is a place that isn’t really heard of much today as nobody believes that there’s nothing important that happens there at all.

I do wonder what it is like out in the West where many mining towns sprung up and were abandoned. Is it any different from mining towns on the East coast and Eastern U.S.? This is certainly different from the “Old American West”. It is a different perspective than a life of an American anywhere else.

Do photographers ever wonder or imagine what a subject’s personality is ever like? I’m pretty sure they talk to the person at least a little bit right? Or do they just assume/conclude their personality from the photo. You can tell a lot about someone from the image you take of them, but you can’t learn everything about them. Their surroundings can tell you their living styles and their economic level.

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Period 6 -- Critical Analysis #6

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