Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Compare and Contrast: Mask

I think of the first shot in terms of videography. This is a wide establishing shot. Everything is equally in focus which flattens the image. In addition, the subject does not break the frame on any side, so there is very little to draw the eye. There isn’t anything particularly interesting about the composition, which also makes the subject less interesting. However, you do get a clear understanding of what is in this picture.
Conversely, this second shot is much closer to the object, so it breaks the frame on three out of 4 sides, and there are varying degrees of focus. It’s still clear from this picture what we are looking at, but the perspective is less expected since we are looking at this object from somewhat below the object itself. The addition of an out of focus foreground with an in focus background creates more interest and pulls the eye around the picture more. As such, I prefer the second picture over the first.

3 comments:

  1. Jen,
    Very nice shot's of the mask. I do agree with you when you said "this is a wide establishing shot and does not break the frame on any side. I would have to say for me first looking at all the pictures and then the ones you picked to contrast, you say your eyes don't go to one place. For me I would have to say that my eye did go to one spot which was to the eye pieces. I think it might because the fake eyes underneath

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  2. Thank you, Rose. Your comment about focusing on the eyes inside of the mask makes sense since humans are encouraged to make eye contact, but the eyes are such a small part of the first image as a whole. What I really meant in my criticism of the first image is that the viewer's eye isn't encouraged to move around the image. The varied shapes, better use of negative space, and the curve of the nozzle in the second image pull the eye across the image more effectively so the viewer can really take it all in. That's why I like the second perspective better.

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  3. Excellent work on this! You really do have a great understanding of how photography works and this is a great asset to the class. I am so psyched that you have posted such great work.

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