Assignment 5: Constructed Reality

Composition: In this photo, the subjects are crouched down side-by-side near a stream in the woods. I thought this position gave the photo a strange, almost comical feel. When taking the photo, I decided to make the exposure a bit dark so that the masks would not be washed out by the sunlight. To correct this, I lightened the background in photoshop. When taking the photo, I stood at a slight angle to the boys in order to fit all of them in the frame and also to add some depth to the photo.
Aboutness, Motivations, Method: Their position makes the photo seem posed and unnatural. That combined with the forest scene and the strange lighting give the photo an absurd, almost eerie feeling. I thought it reminded me of an album cover or a poster for a band. I wanted it to seem funny, artistic, and unusual, and I also wanted the viewer to wonder why they were there and what they were doing wearing masks.
Context: I really like MGMT's music videos, and they really are very artsy and strange. I modeled this photo after these videos (particularly the "Electric Feel" video, which takes place in the woods and includes puppets) to convey a similar feeling with this photo.
Interpretation: In class, the person who critiqued this photo said that it looked like a normal picture of friends hanging out together, but with a twist. They also said that they really liked the color scheme, but it might be good to have more variation in the background.
Evaluation: Based on the critique, I think this photo turned out well. I wanted to convey a feeling of fun and the unusual, and I think that was successful. One change I might make would be to make the background more interesting.
Extension: I would definitely like to take more photos using masks. Maybe I would do another series that has more of a narrative attached to it.



Composition: In this photo, the evening lighting is very direct, and really brings out the richness of the colors. The vibrant colors really gave the photo a fun, pleasant feeling, so I played this up by slightly increasing the saturation in photoshop. The poses of the subjects are humorous, and add a lot of interest to the photo. They also give the subjects personality. The tall weeds that the "animals" are standing in helps to give the impression that they really are out in the "wild." Therefore, I chose to crop the photo so that the weeds on the right side of the group are included in the frame.
Aboutness, Motivations, Method: In this photo, I wanted to draw attention to the personalities of the various characters. They each show different expressions through their posture and the positions of their hands. I also wanted to give the viewer a feeling that the characters are friends and enjoy each others' company.
Context: To me, this photo is about having fun with friends. It reminds me of friends that have too much free time in the summer and just hang out and goof off all the time.
Interpretation: In the in-class critique, people said that the color was working well in this photo. One person said that it reminded them of an MGMT music video (which is what I was going for in a different photo, but they all have a similar feel). One person suggested that it might have been cool to have the background in black and white and the people and masks in color.
Evaluation: Based on the evaluation, I think I achieved the mood that I was aiming for. I think the colors and lighting worked well.
Extension: Although this photo is already a part of a series, I may want to make another series using masks. It was a fun project, and I would definitely like to do something similar.



Composition: The evening lighting in this photo really brings out the colors in the scene and the masks. The saturated colors really play up the fun, unusual feeling of the scene, so I digitally enhanced the saturation of the colors to make this more pronounced. The arrangement of the characters within the scene is also unusual, and is almost like a posed family portrait. I cropped the photo to exclude some of the background because I wanted the main focus to be on the characters and the tree.
Aboutness, Motivations, Method: In this photo, I wanted to give the reader the impression that this is a tight-knit group that is almost like a family. I wanted to make the photo look like a family portrait in order to make the characters seem like family. In doing this, I wanted to raise questions about what constitutes a family. The different species of animals and their trainer can be a family, even if they are not a traditional family.
Context: To me, this photo is about nontraditional families, and about the strong relationships that can be formed among unlikely friends. In nature, lions kill and eat zebras, and bears would never come into contact with either of these species, but in this situation, they are a family.
Interpretation: The person who critiqued this photo said that it has light humor and looks like fun, but that it would have been nice to see the boys get into character a bit more.
Evaluation: Based on the evaluation, I think I should have tried to take some photos with the subjects in character. That wasn't the idea that I was going for, but I think it would have improved the series.
Extension: I think for my next series using masks, I will juxtapose scenes with the subjects in character with posed scenes to highlight the awkwardness of posing for the camera.



Composition: This photo is cropped to make the "animals" appear to be trapped behind the bars of a cage. I used a stair railing to give the effect of the bars of a cage. Because there is strong lighting coming from the window in the background, the exposure on the subjects is a bit dark. I feel that the dark exposure helps convey the idea of being trapped in a cage, and it also helps the colors in the masks stand out. The fact that the subjects are crowded closely together, along with the subjects' body language gives a feeling of sadness, hopelessness, and anger, which is how I imagine caged animals must feel.
Aboutness, Motivations, Method: In this photo, I wanted to present the emotions of the caged animals: frightened and angry. I wanted to play with the differences between how human emotions and animal emotions are perceived. If humans were crowded together in small cages, people would be horrified, but it is common for animals. I thought the use of the masks also lent a sense of humor to the photo.
Context: This photo started off as part of a narrative tableau, which presented a story of caged circus animals gradually gaining their freedom. The direction of the series changed though, to include more posed "portrait" type shots than storytelling images.
Interpretation: The person who evaluated this photo in class said that the image was funny and made it seem like the boys wearing the masks were out of control, like wild animals. They also said that the cropping and size works well, but that the image seems a bit dark.
Evaluation: Based on the evaluation, I think I could have done a bit more to lighten the image. I probably could have tried to reshoot it when the sun wasn't coming in the window so brightly.
Extension: I think it would be interesting to make a series of people wearing costumes or masks and getting into character.