Pre-Writing Assignment 1

This black and white photo is from Roark Johnson's Stranger A Day photo collection. It was taken on June 5, 2004. At first glance, this photo looks like a picture that could be taken anywhere in Plainsville, USA on any day of the week. But upon closer examination of the photo one can infer a lot about the time of year, location, and the story behind the people it. The vector of attention of the photograph is on the couple centered in frame, as well as the objects in the woman's hands. The surroundings have been cropped out of the photo so that there is little distraction from the 'main event'. The black frame on the photo and faded edges create a focus on the sharp image of the people. The black and white coloration of the photo adds a simplicity to the photo that is reflected by the everyday people within.

A whole story can be composed for the people in the photo, just from the simple details. These people in the photo are probably in a romantic relationship, based on the protective body language of the man with his hand on the woman's shoulder and the contact and inward lean towards one another of both individuals. One could also infer that, judging by the age of the couple and the ring of the woman's left ring finger, they are either married or going to be in the near future. The expression on each of their faces is a simple happy smile of contentment. These smiles could be a result of the comfort of their relationship with one another or what they are doing on this day. This couple appears to be the American "average joes" with a solid nine to five job five days a week. The jeans and t-shirt quality of their clothes and the case of Miller Light beer and modest purse in the woman's hand tell the audience that they are probably middle class citizens with enough money to get by, but they are definitely not frugal. This case of "light" beer also clues us in to the fact that one or both of them are watching their weight. Their clothing not only clues the audience to their economic status but where they are from and their intended destination.

The baseball emblem on the man's hat and the Cubs logo on the woman's t-shirt give clues to where they are on their way to. The classic American combination of beer and baseball is also indicative of their purpose. The clothing also is representative of the time of year, though we are already aware of it from the date on the photo. The environment they are standing in also allows one to determine the time of year. The grass behind the couple is at a height that would be normal for June as well as the trees with full leaves. The couple is probably standing on a sidewalk next to some sort of a park in front of the apartment building in the background. These apartments could be where they live and they are on their way home from buying beer before sitting down in front of the TV to watch the Cubs game. They could also be on their way to a BYOB party at a friend's apartment for the baseball game.

This photo emits a relaxed feeling representative of a lazy summer weekend afternoon. I can almost feel the soft sunlight on my face as I sit at a Saltdogs baseball game.

Weekly Blog Post 7

I feel like I have had a lot of experience with photography throughout my life. I have always been surrounded by avid beginning photographers in my family and friend circle. My parents, though only somewhat interested in photography, have always documented the most important moments in my life in photographs and love to display them all over our home. My dad has a strong interest in all forms of art, and photography is not excluded. This said, wherever a family vacation takes us, an art museum is always in the itinerary– from The Chicago Art Institute to the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art. This repeated exposure to professional photography has elicited a growing interest in photography throughout my life. I love how pictures can elicit strong emotions, whether the images are from your life or you are just participating in the image as an audience member. I love to look at how an artist has framed an image in its surrounding and how when this framing and position is changed the image can look completely different from the original. I also like to see how when an image is cropped it can become something else completely. I am have very little knowledge in the technical aspects of photography but I do love to take my camera with me wherever I go to document cool scenes that capture my attention– especially those outdoors. My favorite photos I have taken are outside, because the light can make or break a great photo. And when the light makes an image, it makes it even more spectacular than when not seen through the lens of a camera.

As well as having experienced the museum side of photography, I have a lot of experience with images in other types of environments from online to an old school photo album. One of my favorite things about photography is that it can tell a story without any words. It has been said that “a picture is worth and thousand words”– this is especially true with the new age of Facebook. You can find out a lot about a person just from flipping through a Facebook photo album– who a person’s friends are, what kinds of activities they do, and whom they have dated. Photography has become a way to tell everyone’s story with just a couple images and I would love to one day be able to tell some stories through some well done pictures of my own.