Blog Prompt #21

A. News photographs always seem to have a grainy feel to them. Maybe because I'm used to seeing them in the newspaper, which makes them appear grainy, but the lighting is often times harsh, and there doesn't seem to be a lot of emphasis on artistic lighting or color--the emphasis is placed on what is actually going on in the picture, and so the subject is almost always centered and front.

B. Snapshots have this similar quality as well. The emphasis is on the people in the photograph, and the photos have a hurried look, with a scene that seems frozen in time. People are the main event, and the imperfect colors and arrangement of people reflect the reality of differing personalities all struggling to get along--their grouping caused by physical proximity.

C. Advertisements place the product to the forefront. The image is large and the fine details can be seen. Sometimes the color of the product is enhanced. Everything else is either dull or faded into the background. The viewer is confronted and forced to interact with the product.

D. Film stills tend to keep people centered, or at least, whoever is talking is the thing that is most prominent. Film stills have a polished look to them--even when portraying something gritty or dirty, the dirt is artfully placed. They still manage to be aesthetic.

E. Here, there is absolutely no other emphasis than on the person. The subject dominates the frame, and is usually portrayed in a frontal position, looking directly at the viewer or just to the side. Usually they are cropped so that the face takes up the most space in the frame.

F. Stock images have a generic feel to them. They are aesthetically pleasing, but almost too much so. There is nothing controversial about them. Nothing shocking. Just standard beauty.

G. Fashion photography has really evolved in the past half century. I would say that the goal of fashion photography is to place all emphasis on the clothes, diminishing the human figure to an organic shape on top of which sits clothing. There is a dehumanizing aspect to fashion photography.....however, the more fashion advertisements I see, the harder it is to see all parts of the clothing they are advertising. Sometimes I have no idea what the picture is supposed to be of. Or the photo will place emphasis on something that is not being advertised. I would be curious as to the motives behind these photos.

H. Paparazzi shots tend to show stars in very unflattering positions or lighting, I have to say. Some are down right ugly. Stars at their finest are often taken portrait style, getting the star from head to foot, and at such an angle that sometimes makes the star appear taller than they are. These kinds of shots are taken hurriedly, and the stars themselves are trained to pose themselves in such a way as to appear the most flattering.