Atelier 41 Class 2 - Light, Critique
For my “light” assignment (make a set of photographs where you use light purposefully as a communicative element) I explored light in various settings: daytime outdoors (Winchester town center, Parlee Farm, and Kendall and Porter Squares with Jessica), interesting moments I came across indoors, and nights in my neighborhood. I wanted to capture several qualities of light: light and shadow in the daytime, the calm light of early morning and late afternoon, and night scenes. I thought carefully about composition for a few shots, but I took most of them quickly, on instinct. I brought the first eight photos to class. My only edit was cropping the bottom of the moving train photo.
1. Neighborhood at night
2. Picking apples, Parlee Farm
3. Kitchen through the window
4. The table
5. Glass pendants
6. Toy shop window
7. One lamp in the living room
8. Train in motion
9. Garden path lights
10. Korean chest in morning sun
11. Bottles in window light
12. Shadow by the door
13. Fence in dappled light
14. In the orchard
15. Winchester town center
16. Brick and late sun
Through the execution and the class discussion, below appeared in my mind:
Even when I had time, it was hard to name an intention beyond "does it look good to me?" Some interesting interpretations only came later, when I looked at the photos on my screen.
My daughter said the table photo happened by accident and that I hadn't thought about a narrative. She's right. But a photo can mean more than its maker intended, and noticing, shooting, and selecting are still my choices.
With busy scenes, find the stage and wait for the actor.
I could treat an assignment more actively as a portfolio and think about the story behind which photos I choose and how I order them.
The comments on the table photo made me think about what kinds of photos lead viewers to ask questions.
Mere describing is itself critique.
I want more honest and direct feedback, especially about which of my photos are not interesting.
It is hard for me to offer description, interpretation, or judgment on my classmates' abstract photos. Some held my eye for a long time. But I was more intrigued by photos I could understand through interacting elements: interesting objects, colors, and relationships among objects. One classmate's photos held me most: a twilight lake with a lone swimmer, and a sky with one small bat. They were beautiful, understandable, and had a subject that carried feeling.