Blog #8: Pre-write

The photo I chose was taken in Shanghai Longtang-Pu Tuo District in China. I chose this photo because photos of China that are often shown in the media are pictures of technology and happiness and bright colors. However, not many show the other portion of China. This photo is a representation of part of China that doesn’t contain prosperity. The photographer Hu Yang took this photo and the other pictures in his essay, to document five hundred families in the current community of Shanghai. He hoped to portray living conditions after modernization and the Open Door Policy. It documents the living conditions and aesthetic portions of the people in this area. My initial thought of this photo is the pollution that has an influence on the people in the area that the photos were taken. It doesn’t show the “prosperity” that one would think of with modernization. Instead you see a tattered background and tattered people.
This particular photo taken by Yang takes place in an alleyway in Shanghai. With the black and white background, you are not easily distracted with and object that has a bright color. Instead, your main focus is of a woman walking through the filth of this lower class community. The woman strikes me as a witness and victim of pollution and hardship. She is walking through with slightly tattered clothes. It seems that she has not benefited from the governments modernization after their recognition as a sovereign state after World War II. This woman represents the portion of China that still struggles.
The woman in this photo walking towards us through the alleyway is looking in the direction of a burning pot on the left side of the picture. The focus of the woman’s gaze is towards this burning pot and our attention is drawn towards it through vectors of attention. As we focus our attention on the pot we notice is emitting smoke in a rather large quantity. I think that Yang had a very positive idea on how to best illuminate the alley. The burning pot and the smoke that is barreling out of the top and filling the alley, gives the audience an opportunity to notice the rest of the photo. The direction of the smoke is flowing back in the direction of the woman that first drew our attention to the pot. As you follow the direction of the smoke, you start to focus on the background. Through visual hierarchy your focus throughout the photo shifts. As you look deeper into the background you notice the scenery surrounding the woman and the polluting pot. The sidewalk is cracked and chipped and uneven in many places. You can notice the people in the background. These people are also consumed by the smoke and filth.
To me, this photo gives people a chance to make their own inference of the photo and its meaning. The obvious objects in the photo, the woman and the pot, but you are able to look through the smoke and see some of the bigger picture.

Blog 7: Photography

I have always enjoyed photography. My mother has always had a camera in front of her face at every track meet, band performance, birthdays and significant points in life. Almost all of my life can be documented through pictures. Her passion for photos has influenced me in many ways. She is her happiest when she can capture significant points in our lives and when we go on vacation. She takes exquisite photos of nature and gets angles that enhance and present certain aspects in appositive and wonderful ways. I enjoy seeing the different ways objects can be viewed and presented through the lens of a camera. I have messed around with different viewpoints and shots of an object. My friends and I always take random pictures while we hang out.
My experience with photography includes yearbook class in high school. I was more involved with the photography portion in the yearbook class and many of my photos were published in our yearly books. I enjoyed playing with the different settings so that I could shoot different forms of photography. I have used Photoshop to alter, and fix, aspects of my pictures. I find photography very interesting and hope to have it become a hobby when I get more time.
I currently have a roommate who is hoping to be a photographer. We talk about the various angles and that look the best and I look over some of her pictures. She tells me the different types of shots and terminology she uses in her class. Like my mother, she has a more professional styled camera that allows for a higher quality picture. It is interesting to find the different forms and styles that can be used by people to express themselves through photography. This form of communication is not just a bunch of pictures; it can be altered to have different meanings and allow photographers more opportunity for expression.