Group Work Book
Further Research Page 3
Exaggerating Reality - A photo should always have a message behind wether big or small is irellavent. What is important is the method you show this message. You have to create to an atmosphere for the image. Taking images with people in them to show hard ship or joy (all dependant on what you want to represent) makes the audience connect with subject, its human nature to compare your life with that of others. So by looking at a photo of child in poverty starving it creates an emotional response to help that child while a photo of a fat American scoffing his face will cause resentment.
An example of exaggerated reality. this image was sourced at http://www.zoriah.net/blog/2009/04/kenya_child_poverty.html
Breaking the Edge - Taking photos of people with out framing their heads, having odd angled photos, or just snapshots of certain buildings or environments. All these elements added together in a photo adds a layer of mystery behind it, making us question the context of the photo like who is in the shot why are they there and so forth. The idea behind this style is that is deceive moment so it has that natural element. What it also does is bring people imagination. People will have different views on the photo because they have different imaginations on what isn't in the frame like for example if we could see the face of the subject we can see the emotional and guess from there.
This is an example of "Breaking the edge" even though the man is well framed the woman who he is holding hands with isn't this creates that mystery of who is she and why are they holding hands. Image can be sourced at http://www.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=CMS3&VF=MAGO31_4&VBID=2K1HZOZPDTZ97&IID=2K1HRG71EC2R&PN=1
Foreground VS Background - Using the background to inform the audience about the subject in the foreground. Gives motion to image for example photos of a person walking along a busy road might have the connitations that this photo shows a journey. It also allows the audience to question and have there own views on the photo like where is the subject going where did they come from. all depending on the photo all sorts of questions can be raised
Depth of Reality - Having a shallow depth of field can break the subject away from the background and thus break it from the event. it also single outs our attention and focus on the one subject in focus, this creates an element on the event or situation that the audaince feels compeled to solve by looking at the subject and what it is doing, how it is framed and the expression the subject is giving.
