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.

Blog 9.19.09

Saving Abel’s intent for the song “18 Days” was to honor the soldiers fighting overseas for our country. The title itself presents a symbol. Eighteen days is duration of time. Although it is not the correct time that soldiers are deployed for, it still represents time. This symbol can mean different things to each individual listener; however this representation can show present the idea of the time that wears down on soldiers and their loved ones.
In conjunction, the order of the visual components used in the formation of logos presents an adequate way to draw in the attention of their intended audience. It is necessary to present the visual components in a proper order as though to get the initial message or purpose established. There is a three step order in creating a successful visual composition, and thus a successful logo.
Saving Abel is able to keep from confusing the audience by their decision to limit the number of elements in their video. Their first step in this process is how they start the video with a basic background that focuses the audience’s attention to the vocalist. Although the band creates about seven different scenes, the colors are basic and simple for each brief glimpse. They still fit in with the rest of the simplistic visual stimuli. There is little, or no, overwhelming moments. The band’s idea for simple background color and scenes, not only in the introduction of the video, draw viewers to the important portions of the video. This first step also gets the audience to think about the purpose and message of the video.
The vocal point of each scene brings about a different point or feeling. With the video’s attraction to the people in each scene, the band is allowing for main focus and thought to be about each soldier. Without the focus on the solider it is hard to figure out the purpose and main idea of each scene and inevitably the whole video. It was important for them to start the focus in on the soldiers and vocalists, and later span out to a slightly more complex scene, so that it was easier to focus on what was important. For example when the chorus of the song is reached, the camera focuses in on the vocalist and the each member of the band. This can cause the lyrics to have more meaning. These are the lines that are repeated over and over in the song. They hold importance to the song this lets these lyrics to be focused on more thoroughly.
Each element of this video is placed together in an order that the artists felt would bring about the desired response. The transitions to each scene fit together due to the similarities of each soldiers need for their loved ones. Thus the argument of the pain and hardship those overseas must endure is established for the audience. Each element’s simplicity, order, and unification is a important part of establishing the argument.

Context 9.15.09

Through aesthetics, Saving Abel attempts to evoke feelings on their audiences. The setting of the video takes place on an aircraft carrier and shows different scenes and soldiers. This helps give listeners an idea of the conditions on board. The colors in the background are all the same tone and give of a somber feeling and the scenes are very generic. So it tries to simplify their grief and show that however different the soldiers are, they have similar grief and problems. Each one of them has a family and loved ones that they are separated from while on deployment. Compared to the colors and background, the band wears black and is more or less the opposite from the military men. They stand out more as they display their point.
The lyrics present the listener with a person struggling to overcome as sense of hopelessness and division between conflicting interests. This person needs to fight, both in a war and for their relationship, to the very end and to whatever outcome results from the struggle this person is willing to put forward towards his/her personal cause. Saving Abel makes these points and emotions accessible by the listening audience, and therefore relatable by the audience.
When a combination of thought provoking lyrics is coupled with an emotion evoking video and presented to the audience, the audience has the chance to relate easily and definitely with what the artist is presenting, and incorporate it into their own life. When the audience is able to connect emotionally with the presented idea, the ethos and pathos both are enhanced in the mind of the audience. The audience hears and gets the message that is presented to them, and a firm and positive ethos has been established in the mind of the audience, and when the pathos is also developed through their emotional connection, the audience will not only understand what is being said to them, but they will take it to heart and act upon what they took from the message.

"18 Days" By Saving Abel

When you look at this video you see how Saving Abel uses social context to add to the affect and message of their video. “18 Days” was written in the viewpoint of a soldier away from home. This relates well to the period in time in which we live. With the War on Terrorism many artists have written songs in relation to patriotism and soldiers and many others attacking the thought of war. Soldiers work often goes unnoticed, and many call them killers.
Saving Abel shines a light on the struggles of soldiers away from home. Many families are influenced by the armed forces and deployment. Soldiers are separated from the ones they love for extended periods of time or families are caused to move from place to place frequently. As of recently the average time of deployment is fifteen months. Now with the current war, more and more people are asked to join the armed forces. This song makes one think of the hardships related to being a soldier away from home. The people in the video seem sad and discouraged. While most songs regarding the war seem more upbeat and show people with pride, Saving Abel brings to the table the “not so glamorous” life of a soldier from home.
The lyrics of “18 Days” take the standpoint of the soldier with regret and insecurity, a soldier who doesn’t want to change or give up the things they love the most. “I don't wanna have to change.If I don't then no one will” 18 Days. But like the soldiers of the present and past, they make the sacrifice and accept the need for them to continue to do their duty to protect what we call home. Saving Abel uses the social context of today’s world to help bring out their dedication to the armed forces and to help people realize what is given up by these brave and caring people.
“18 Days” really gives listeners the idea of the struggles soldiers face while away from home with the help of social context.