Photo 4 - Space 2
- Henry Whiteley
- Sep 28, 2024
- 1 min read
1) There is something so lovely about a well-worn sign. They hang, looking about for who knows how long. They are a still messenger in a world of passersby. The horizontal slats of the ladder and the wall help solidify the flat space of this image. The slight tilt of the sign gives this image a bit of interest, breaking up the horizontal lines while maintaining the flatness of the image.
2) I love jokes where the punch line is delivered off beat. Norm MacDonald does this excellently. Breaking the rules, and knowing he is doing so, is part of the joke. I try to do this with my photography. Choosing to have dramatic converging lines that end abruptly is one trick to accomplish this. Nope, you're eyes can't go to the edge of the frame, those lines will take you to this blank wall. It crushes the center of the photograph into a two dimensional plane, while using the surroundings to create a deep boarder.
3) Taking reality and smushing it to look like a single object sitting on a solid background can feel incredible surreal. It creates two plains: a background and the object, simplifying the real world into a near unnatural state.
The first image is a good example of flat space as the flat subject almost fills the whole screen. I like that it's clear enough to see the texture of the sign with all its scratches. The second image is an interesting in-between of flat and deep space, though I wish the contrast were a little clearer. It leans more towards deep than flat for me. I'm not sure what type of space the third photo is supposed to represent as it doesn't appear limited or ambiguous. The artist's statement implies that it's limited because it mentions two planes, but it appears flat to me. The motorcycle doesn't pop out as a clear plane.
-Will Eitelgeorge