There's something about
a baby being strapped to a pile of towels that just doesn't sit right with me. I realize that it's cute to strap babies to things, but honestly, the contrast here is just not something I'm into. The soft pink of the baby, the softness of the towels, the cinching strap that's hopefully not actually cinched behind and out of the shot. I can say that, while it reeks of cute, the subtext makes me uncomfortable. I hate this picture.
I would love
this photograph, but the lighting seems off. Not dark enough for me. But, I must say, I am extremely tickled by what I see here. This seems a legitimate vision of hell, not forced at all. The landscape is beautifully utilized, and the feminine presence is contrasted terrifically with its back to the masculine, death figure. I don't know, everything just seems to work for me... except for the lighting. Maybe a filter should have been used? What do you guys think? '
Tis the season, right?
I wasn't around when
this photo was taken, but I can't forget the story of Kent State. I love this photograph because of all that it captures. The human emotion here is absolutely raw. Whoever took this picture helped to chronicle this massive tragedy, and coming from a campus environment myself, I find the photo even more chilling. If tensions rise even higher in the middle east, which I'm sure they will, who knows what could happen in the name of protesting?
There's something about a baby being strapped to a pile of towels that just doesn't sit right with me. I realize that it's cute to strap babies to things, but honestly, the contrast here is just not something I'm into. The soft pink of the baby, the softness of the towels, the cinching strap that's hopefully not actually cinched behind and out of the shot. I can say that, while it reeks of cute, the subtext makes me uncomfortable. I hate this picture.
I would love this photograph, but the lighting seems off. Not dark enough for me. But, I must say, I am extremely tickled by what I see here. This seems a legitimate vision of hell, not forced at all. The landscape is beautifully utilized, and the feminine presence is contrasted terrifically with its back to the masculine, death figure. I don't know, everything just seems to work for me... except for the lighting. Maybe a filter should have been used? What do you guys think? 'Tis the season, right?
I wasn't around when this photo was taken, but I can't forget the story of Kent State. I love this photograph because of all that it captures. The human emotion here is absolutely raw. Whoever took this picture helped to chronicle this massive tragedy, and coming from a campus environment myself, I find the photo even more chilling. If tensions rise even higher in the middle east, which I'm sure they will, who knows what could happen in the name of protesting?
I completely agree with you about the baby photo. If it was supposed to advertise towels it doesn't make me want to buy them. Maybe if the baby looked happier or more reassuring I would understand the photo. But as it is, the only emotion the picture conveys of the baby is confusion or skepticism.
ReplyDeleteI'm not gonna lie, the hell picture kind of freaked me out. I think darker lighting would have made me more comfortable with the image, but the lighting they chose makes the picture all that more eerie and unsettling. I feel like the contrast enhances the pictures goal of unsettling viewers.
I agree, the baby picture is completely bizarre. It's unsettling to see a baby strapped to a pile of towels and looking as uncomfortable as this one does. I looked at the site that the photo came from, and I like the second one, of the baby sleeping peacefully on a pile of towels with a single bow tied around it, much better (although I think taking pictures of babies tied to anything is kind of weird, even if they aren't actually tied to it). The picture of hell is also weird. I guess since it's kind of art mixed in with photography, I'm not really sure what to think about it, but I don't really like the random skeleton head stuck onto the regular person's body. It looks awkward, like it was a mistake or something. I agree with you on the lighting though..without the deathly figures, I think this would have been a pretty shot of a swampy landscape - not exactly how I imagine hell. I liked your description of the feminine and masculine though..I never would have looked at it that way if I hadn't read it!
ReplyDeleteThat baby photo is disturbing. Not a good marketing job there. The Kent State photo is excellent journalism. That picture tells more than any story could about the emotions behind the event.
ReplyDelete