Assignment 1

When shooting for this assignment I tried to look at things from a different angle/perspective. For example the fire hydrant. I chose this object to photograph because it is an everyday object we often encounter in passing but never really stop to look at or appreciate it's use. I framed the picture to focus on the handle and the pressure dial to emphasize the importance of these two aspects of the object. In the picture of the window i thought the lighting in this really created interesting colors and the angle i took the picture at i feel morphed the image a little bit to almost give it a fish eye effect, and the way i framed it cut off one of the windows and put the second one just inside the frame drawing your eye to the full scope of the picture. Lastly, i chose the picture of the wheel for emergency water because, like the fire hydrant, i thought it was an interesting perspective on an everyday object.

Garry Winogrand- "Texas State Fair, Dallas, 1964."

This image was of great interest to me because it reminded why I got into photography in the first place: to capture that one moment, that one second, in time where the world creates its own natural art. The brim of the cowboy's hat and the cow's tongue collide together perfectly creating their own triangle somewhat here and the fluidity of it is beautiful. Also, the expressions of both the cowboy and the cow are perfect for the picture. The cow, although an animal, looks somewhat amused, while the cowboy looks a bit annoyed but you can see the laughter and kindness towards the cow's affection in his eyes. This picture for me embodies the most beautiful part of photography, capturing the natural world and turning it into art. InStephen Shore's "The Nature of Photographs" he writes: "Where a painter starts with a blank canvas and builds a picture, a photographer starts with the messiness of the world and selects a picture." Not only do I LOVE this quote but i feel it is very applicable to this particular photograph.

Something to think about: How could this picture, or this moment of time, gone differently? Do you think the picture would have a similar affect without the collision of the tongue and the brim of the hat?