Period 6 -- Critical Analysis #1

9/6/2017

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'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

Payton Down

9/6/2017 11:12:01 am

Critical Analysis

The image is of a family or two looking down off of a wall. There is also a baby in a basket thing, maybe a play pin. There are some mountains in the back which makes me think of somewhere dry. There are some reds from the mountains, greyish blues from the sky and some neutral colors on the wall and foreground. Some of it is dark and the other part is light. It doesn't seem like a set photo more in the moment. There are people you don't see much of their face but they have some aspect of a family. All the people are looking down at something the photo doesn't show us what. The baby seems kind of strange just to be sitting there. Its interesting to look at it isn't pleasing to see because of the color skeem is dull. The point of view is on the same level as everyone else. It's all in focus from foreground to background. There isn't one focal point. Maybe the dam is.My eyes direct me to the mountains because of the yellow line. There isn't much extra space. The frame cuts off another person and more mountains. The theme and idea is mystery to me because the photo doesn't show you what they are all looking at which makes me curios in what is down there. There isn't a story being told in the image rather than a family went to go look at some unknown thing and brought their baby in a play pin. I think the intention was to capture the moment in which the family was doing something all together. It is asymmetrical because if you cut it in half it wouldn't be the same. It is beautiful, the mountains are very pretty. I do like i like the photo because i'm curious. I think it is very successful.

Lucas Prado

9/6/2017 11:16:24 am

This photo includes a family with a baby overlooking a dam on a cloudy afternoon. Their clothing and hairstyle puts this shot in the time of around the 70s - 80s. The family includes a father in blue, a mother to his right in white, and their kids and baby, who is in a crib. The rest of the landscape is desert, mostly reddish with no foliage.

This photo is from a first person view with a wide depth of field, the background can be seen clearly. The main focus of the photo is the baby, then the family, with them appearing in the center foreground where the road on the dam is closest. The family, however, does not fill in most of the frame; there is plenty of room to see the people and the landscape in the background. Given that the image is of a landscape, it is fairly asymmetrical, with the people and the dam on one side and the empty space on the other.

This photo reminds me a bit of one time while visiting family up north, I couldn’t play cards against humanity with them and my parents because I “wasn’t old enough.” My parents promised me that it would only be around twenty minutes until they were done, but I sat waiting for them for two hours. I was like the baby in this photo, missing out on what everyone else could see, perhaps due to the argument of ‘safety’.

I like this photo because it shows not only the idea of the left back baby, but also that it gives a view into how people were at that time. We can see how people looked back then, which is always interesting to me. Assuming that this photo is giving us a glimpse of the past, I would say that it succeeds in doing so. Certainly there could be easier ways to show the past, but by no means do this photo fail to do so.

Jordan Bell

9/6/2017 11:23:46 am

This is an image of people standing on what appears to be a dam or some kind of wall. The people in the photo are looking over the edge while a baby in a basket sits behind them. This photograph uses dark and neutral or earthy colors such as grays, faded blues, terracottas, and tan. The lighting in the photo seems to be natural and cloudy. In the background of the image you can see reddish brown hills. There are people in the image on the wall wearing casual clothes.

The picture is pleasing to look at because of the colors used in the photograph. For some reason the colors seem to meld together but at the same time contrast each other. The point of view is second person and the angle of the photograph is eye level to the people on the structure. This photograph is using deep depth of field so that the entire picture is in focus. The focal point of the photograph is the baby in the basket. The image is not framed by anything. There is a yellow line going along the side of the wall that directs your eye to the baby in the basket. The subject does not fill the frame and leaves extra space. The edge of the image crops off part of the wall and a person.

The photograph begs many questions such as where was it taken?, why is the baby unattended?, and what are the people looking at? I do not believe that there is a story being told in the image. I think that the artist made this image to show the beauty of the landscape mixing with infrastructure. This image does not remind me of anything, nor does it challenge or question any beliefs that I have. I do not think that this image is particularly interesting or noteworthy but it is beautiful because of the colors used in it.

I like this image because of the colors used in it capture my attention. The subject of the image is the baby but my focus keeps shifting towards the hills and sky in the background. The washed out white of the structure and the sky seem to mix nicely together while the reddish brown of the hills contrasts both of the other colors in a unique way. If the purpose of the photograph was to capture the beauty of the background then the photograph was successful. Some other part of me, however, knows the focus of the image was on the baby and that makes me wonder why was the baby important to the photographer? Was the photographer trying to send a message by documenting the baby?

Will Mauldin

9/6/2017 11:24:44 am

The first thing that stands out to me in this photo is the baby in the crib on the street behind his family. It’s kind of a random thing to observe in a picture, and makes me wonder what kind of parent leaves their kid in the street while you look over a dam. Why not just hold your child? I see some older kids leaning over the edge to see what’s below. Why can’t the baby look over the edge? I think in a way this photo can possibly represent the coming of age and how the older you get, the less protected you become, and you gain the free will to take a peek over the edge, rather than being completely hidden from it.
I notice the rule of thirds being used horizontally. The bottom third contains the child, the street, and the curb. The middle third contains the adults, older kids, and the edge of the dam, as well as the landscape behind the dam. Lastly, the top third contains the ominous grey sky. It is a 3rd person point of view because it’s clear that someone from the outside saw the family with their baby in the street and wanted to snap a pic. The subject, the baby in the crib, is not the center of attention in this pic. I noticed it after a few seconds of looking. Definitely not the main focus of this pic, rather just something odd that you notice when you look at the pic in depth.
I think this photo’s content is very interesting. I can tell by the fashion sense of the people that this was probably taken in the 70’s or 80’s. There’s also blatant carelessness judging by the fact that the family allowed their infant son to play in his crib on the edge of the street. I feel like that’s something you’d see in those decades, and would be a very rare, and most likely controversial thing to see. ‘
I think this is a funny, intriguing photo. Overall good placement of the subjects, leaving the baby in the crib something to be found instead of seen immediately. I think it’s a very successful photograph because it made me laugh as well as spiked my curiosity. I’d love to know the backstory behind it.

Matthew Weiss

9/6/2017 11:28:28 am

The image seems to be located at the hoover dam. It shows people stretched over the wall, looking down into the canyon area. The Sky is full of clouds that seem to take mask the light from the area. No sunlight is let through and the sun isn’t shown in the image. It seems to have been taken right before or after a storm. However, given that nothing is wet, it was taken before the storm, if there was one at least. The thing that really sticks out as odd and peculiar, is the crib that sits in the forefront of the image. The baby inside of the crib is sitting up and staring at the camera while maybe crying.
The picture is taken at an angle that shows the far end of the dam wrap back around the image and go off, into the distance. The walls of the dam that are closer to the perspective of the photographer, go off to the left as they go further and further. The picture might be taken from this perspective in order for it to create a line and possibly guide attention into the baby and the crib. Another possibility for the line is to go across the image was to show the families and people that are scattered across the dam, looking down into it. Either way, the line in the photo wasn’t unintentional, as it was meant to act as a natural way to direct attention and to help the photographer create their own focal point.
The picture depicts a baby, at the hoover dam, without anyone looking after him. This raises the question of why. Why was the baby there? I think that there could be an infinite number of backstories meant to explain this. An I don’t think that the photographer wanted to paint one complete, story with one concrete background or explanation. In my opinion, the purpose of the image is the raise thought, and let us have our own explanations, and to invent our own stories. All at the same time, stopping, to really think deeply about the story.
Given this goal, of putting the viewer into though as to why, I think the picture did a remarkably good job. It placed the baby and the crib, in a place where you wouldn’t expect to see them. Like a fish not just out of water, but far from it. This made us think, how did it get there. I like the photo, as I was able to have my take on it, as was everyone else who stopped to think about the photo.

Brandon Collins

9/6/2017 11:28:41 am

In this photograph it shows what looks like the Hoover Dam.There are dark clouds above the dam indicating the potential of rain.The time seems to be around spring or summer midday possibly, hard to tell with the clouds. Year is around late 80s early 90s.People are at the top looking at the part where the water comes out.
The photograph was taken to catch every thing in the frame.With a somewhat fast shutter speed.It is likely that the camera is zoomed in little to not at all.The lighting should be dark because of the clouds. So the photographer would have to increase ISO.
Most likely it is focusing on your average 80s family road trip. With the mother, the father, the four boys, and the half naked baby.The dam was not newly built, you can see that from looking at all the black markings in the concrete. With that meaning it can not be from the 1930s so it must be on a later date.
In conclusion the photo is from the late 80s mainly showing tourists standing on the top of the Hoover Dam. With a family closest to the camera, and other tourists along the edge.It seems that it is about to rain with the dark clouds above.Which would make a short trip to the Hoover Dam.The month is spring during the time of spring break.

boyd meltzer link

9/6/2017 11:28:57 am

This image is depicting what seems to be a very large dam that could perhaps be the Hoover Dam. The day is overcast. Therefore, the colors featured in the image are darker than what they would be if the sun was shining. The color scheme seems to conform to the rock formation featured in the background, with the concrete of the dam colored similarly. Families are lined up along the railing to see downwards. One particular family, the focal point of this image, contains many children. They are attempting to see the sight of the dam. In order to do this, they placed their infant child in a small crib and put him in the street.
The depth of field featured in this image is high enough so that the viewer is able to see the entire scene without much of the blurring effect in the foreground or background. The photo conforms to the rule of thirds, with the family in the main point of the image. The railing on the dam seems to lead to their presence. The baby is the main focus point, though. The curb of the street in the photo leads to him. There is a great deal of spare space in the photo. This space contains other families, structures built onto the dam, and rock faces. The edges of the image simply contain either sky or concrete. The cutoff points don’t pose to be significant.
The theme contained in this image is that of neglectfulness. The family with many children to deal with has forgotten about their infant purely because they have so many other children to assess. The artist created this image because he thought that it would capture the mentality of many families and parents of today. The story being told is that of difficulty and a give - up attitude. These parents seem to have given up on their children. Even the father’s clothing looks disgruntled and unkempt. The image is captivating because of the attention to detail.
This is a successful capture because it depicts a captivating situation. It causes the viewer to contemplate the contents of the image and do a double - take. This is a unique situation, and the artist was able to pick out one of these moments. I enjoyed writing about this image because it gave me the chance to analyze a situation such as this. This image is surely one that I enjoyed viewing.

Parker Brown

9/6/2017 11:30:18 am

The image looks like it might be at the Hoover Dam, but it could maybe be some other big dam. In the image there are people looking over the dam, and there is a baby in a crib behind them. The colors used in the image are bright and happy to make it seem like a happy picture. The clouds are very dark and shadowed to make us assume that a storm is about to happen. The people look like they are ignoring the baby, and so it looks like he is crying.

It is sort of pleasing to look at, but it is kind of weird how the baby is sitting in a crib in the road. The photographer looks like he took the photo at eye level. I think the picture is focused on the people who are looking over the dam, but once you look at the baby the first time, your eyes always drift toward where the baby is when you look back at the picture. I think one of the lines is the sidewalk which is making the reader look where all the people are standing. The frame cuts off a person, so maybe that is the baby’s mom coming to get him.

I think the photographer was just trying to get people thinking. I don’t think there was any specific theme in the photograph. I think the photographer wants us to make up our own story about the picture. It could be that his parents are the people looking over the edge, or maybe his parents left him there on the road because they couldn’t take care of him any more. I think the image is interesting because what is happening in the picture is a complete mystery, so you could let your imagination flow with ideas about what is happening.

I do like the photo. It doesn’t make any sense, and for that reason I like it. The picture gets me involved by making me think about what is happening, so I’m not bored by it. I think the picture is successful. It is successful because it isn’t a picture that immediately tells me what is happening in the photo.

Annie Mosis

9/6/2017 11:35:49 am

This is an image of many people looking over the edge of a dam. Both people young and old. It looks like their are a few families as well. There is also a baby in a playpen. The artist uses earthy tones in this picture and is kind of darker atmosphere. The mountain range behind the dam is a reddish brown tone that looks almost something that could be from mars.Though there is a pop of yellow due to the curb and a girls shirt. It looks as if it may rain soon, because of the dark grey clouds. The people who are looking down in the dam could possibly be some visitors that are driving the through town and stopped to take a break.

I find this picture not unpleasant but I dont think its the most interesting picture. There isn't that much that is going on. I do find the mountains behind to be more interesting than the dam itself. I find it cool that the artist is pointing the line of the curb towards the hills making the hills the focal point. I think this artist did do a good job using the space up. The artist also used this viewpoint of another person looking at all the other people also looking at the dam.

I think that the photographers actual reason for this picture was that she wanted us to see that we are not appreciating the natural things around us. That we are paying too much attention to the “new and improved” items instead of actually appreciating the things that were already here before us. I think the artist captures this greatly by capturing the picture of everyone looking in the dam instead of the beautiful mountains that are right behind them. The artist does a great job of showing that we taken for granted what we already were given.

I Think this picture has a nice message but I don't think it's very nice to ok at. The colors are just too basic, and I wish the colors were more vibrant. I think the artist was very successful when it brought the point across. I respect this artist an bet that she has a lot more great pictures as well. I will hopefully see more of his pictures as the year goes on.

Claire Williams

9/6/2017 11:40:30 am

This image is depicting people standing over the edge of a dam looking down at the inside of it. The closest people in the image look like a family with two parents and four kids looking over the edge, with their young baby in a playpen off to the side. It looks like a cloudy day, so the sky is a grey blue color, and the hills are a light brown color in the background. The lighting is not very bright because of the cloudy weather, but it is clear enough to see the image perfectly without any darkness. The spectators look very interested in what is down at the bottom of the dam. They might be passing through as travelers, or are interested to see how it looks when it is empty before the storm comes and starts filling with water.

The picture is pleasing to look at for me, because it draws me in wanting to know what is going on. It looks like the photographer was standing right next to all of these people, almost like he was about to go check it out for himself. He is on the same level as them, just a bit farther backwards. The photographer used a deep depth of field for this image because he wants his viewers to be able to see the people up close and the setting where they are in a fully clear image. Most of the main lines in this image are curved, like the sidewalk painted yellow line, but also the curved top of the dam. The dam’s line draws my attention to the people because of the way it curves over to them, however, the yellow sidewalk painted line draws me in the opposite direction, to see how the road curves around and the people farther away too. At the edge of the image on the right side, we believe is the rest of the dam that the people are overlooking. You can see that on the very edge of the picture’s right side, you can see someone else’s arm who is probably just another spectator looking at the same sight.

I think that the main theme of this image is people looking over an edge down into a water holding dam. This could possibly just be an image of normal people looking at a dam, or it could be telling a story where there is a big storm coming and these people are looking at the empty dam before it starts to fill up with water from the rains. I think that the intention of the photographer was to either show an everyday image of people who have come to look at the dam, or he might be trying to tell a story about how these people are admiring how interesting the dam is and how amazing it is that they can hold all of that water during storms. I don’t think that I would consider this image beautiful, but I do think that it is interesting. Everything going on interests me and makes me wonder what is happening.

I like this picture. When I first saw it, I assumed it was just going to be a boring image of people. But, once I spent more time looking at it, I revealed more and more things going on. Overall, this photograph is successful. Some people might think differently than I do about it, but at least for me, it occupied me and got me to continue looking at it and analyzing it.

Elizabeth Wray link

9/6/2017 11:55:59 am

The place that the picture was taken in seems like a tourist space. The weather in this place, is cloudy and dark. There are adults, kids, and even a baby. Most of the people are looking over the edge at something. The setting is probably a dam or something similar.
The point of view is someone off in the distance about 30 feet from the nearest person. I like this picture mainly because of it subtle colors and it is soothing to the eye. There are many cool colors used to make this image. The background are mountains, which tells us that this is in the countryside. There is a baby in the middle of the street.
I think that the family closest to the baby is its family. Though the picture is using dark colors and is cloudy, the picture was clearly taken during the day. The years are around the ‘80s or ‘90s. Telling by the clouds, there is a potential chance of rain. The baby is in a portable crib.
The crib is in the street which may be very dangerous. It looks as if it is at the Hoover Dam. The timing of the year is probably summer. The clothes the people are wearing indicate that. There are dresses, light pants, shorts and even a half naked baby.

Kylie Bruehler

9/6/2017 09:50:10 pm

This appears to be an image of different people at a tourist attraction. There are many people leaning over the side of a wall and looking down into the bottom. This to me looks as if it is a dam or some kind hydroelectric power plant. Nearest to the camera, there is a couple looking down into the dam and near them is a baby. The baby is off to the side in a crib and is the only thing away that the picture is being taken. The baby is looking directly to the photographer. The people nearest to the baby might be the baby’s family. It is also possible that the baby could be the photographer’s. Maybe the photographer wanted for the baby to be the subject of the image with the surrounding area as a background.

The colors used in the picture are not particularly bright. It is obvious that the picture was taken during the day, but the sky above is gray and cloudy. There is some land in the background that looks dry or desert like. I also notice some pops of yellow color throughout the image. The gray sky is indicating that it is about to rain but there are still people who have come to see the attraction. The fact that it is a dark sky and about to rain might tell something about the picture. It might have something to do with the question of why the people are even there in the first place. What is so interesting about a dam anyways? Why Is it worth getting caught in the rain for?

The strangest thing and most likely the subject of the picture is the baby. The baby could belong to the photographer of the picture or it could also belong to the family next to the baby. The family next to the baby is holding another child near the edge of the wall to show the child the dam. The baby sitting in the crib is not interested in the dam but instead interested in the photographer. The baby looking at the photographer as the older people pictured are looking at the dam might be trying to say something. Why is an attraction such a dam interesting anyways? The baby was most likely just brought along for the ride.

I do like this image because of what it might be trying to tell us. All of the tourists are lined up near the wall, looking down into the dam and no one really seems to notice the baby in its crib. It has been left off to the side because the tourists are more interested in the dam. The only thing really acknowledging the baby’s presence is the photographer, just as the baby is the only thing really acknowledging the photographer’s presence. The photo shows how people can become interested in such other things and forget about what is right in front of them.

Naty Orquin

9/8/2017 12:28:52 pm

Specifics
The image is based on the Glen Canyon Dam. It seems like a family is watching the dam and observing it as a whole. The colors are warmer tones such as burnt orange, yellow, and a neutral grey. The lighting is dark and gloomy. Now shadows appear but it is noticeable that the sun is covered by clouds.There are people looking down on the dam. The most eye popping image in the photo is the baby in her crib staring directly at the camera.
Form
The picture is very pleasing to look at. The baby her crib really stands out because none of the people in the photo seem interested in her nor worry for her safety on the side of the road. The photographer is at an angle. From the sidelines but not directly behind the scene but by the side. There is so much extra space around the main focus of the photo. The image is not symmetrical but more organic than posed
Content
The theme of this image is sometimes people lose their focus on things and forget what is really important. For example, in this photo the family is too busy looking down the dam that they left the baby totally vulnerable to a dangerous situation on the road unprotected. The image is very very interesting and very different. The fact that the baby is looking straight off into the camera is breathtaking and looks very pleasing to the eye. This reminds me of all the memories I.ve had in Arizona and New Mexico because of the landscape. The bright, red, and clay color mountains bring back some memories I have.
I truly enjoyed analyzing this photo because I just really like the photo. I think it is different and very organic. I feel like today in society we only take aesthetically pleasing photos to post on social medias and not for further depth of ideas.

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Period 6 -- Critical Analysis #1

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