Videos

6B-Video Game Critique

6A-How to be creative

How to be Creative by Hugh Macleod

5B-Favorite Scene

5A-Reimagining Visual Framing

I was drawn to this image because it appears to have a deeper meaning than just what is going on in the image. There is a lot more going on in the original photo than when I first looked at it. I remember glancing at it when we had our first project and thinking that it was nothing more than about the little girl holding a cigarette. Because of the rule of thirds, the first part that a viewer will look at is black then the next area is black then the viewer will finally look at the little girl holding the cigarette and finally to the other little girl next to her. This other little girl draws the viewer’s eyes to the left background because her head is making a line towards that way. It makes the viewer wonder what is going on in the background, which provides a new subtext to the image. There must be something going on back there that the viewer cannot see. As I kept analyzing this image I finally noticed the little boy in the upper left side that seems to be floating without a head. He appears to be on stilts and the reason that I noticed him was the intensity of the color of his shirt. His shirt is white which brings his body to the front of the image and makes it stand out to the viewer. The space between the three individuals makes the boy seem superior to the girls. And where the horizon line hits him makes him seem superior to the girls. I chose to frame the image to just the boy because it is still a mystery to me to why I did not notice him the first 4 or 5 times that I looked at this image. I think that it has something to do with the contrast and affinity that is going on in this image. The whole image is black and white and the main focus is on the little girl in the front. He is in the background out of focus, which makes him contrasted to the two girls in front. But since the colors are mostly the same, it makes the boy stay out of focus even more to the viewer. I focused on him because I never noticed him before and I wanted to make it a point to focus on him. I think Sally Mann chose to frame the image this way to let the viewer understand that there is more going on than just that little girl holding a cigarette. There are things going on and problems other than that little girl. It gives the viewer a sense of depth into the life of the girl.