When I decided to make this image, I used Chris Orwig's advice to reduce and simplify the image so that it could be concise and poetic. I wanted to include an element of surprise and wonder by focusing on an object that most people don't see everyday--a sky lantern. I hope that people will feel some strong emotion when they puzzle out the image of the lantern leaving an illuminated hand. Is it an image about "letting go" or about "having hope" in a dark world?
I thought about the five components of storytelling from the www.photographytalk.com article, "How To Tell More Compelling Stories with Your Pictures": mood, emotion, narration, idea and message. I created an intense mood by simplifying the structure and contrasts in the photo. The hand that has just released the sky lantern sets the time frame for the narration of the photo, and the dark sky at the top of the photo allows the viewer to see what will occur next. My idea for the photo was to express an image of hope and child-like wonder in contrast to the dark, cold world (wintertime in Alaska!) yet my message is an open-ended one. I want the viewer to be able to interpret the photo in his or her own way. The Ansel Adams quote reminded me to not be heavy-handed with an explanation of my feeling. For example, this image could have a young child's face illuminated by the sky lantern rather than the simplicity of a single hand that has just let go of the lantern. The image of the young child would shout out the message of childlike hope and joy, yet I think that a more "open-ended" image is ultimately more successful for the viewer since it opens a door for the viewer's own interpretations of this light/dark image.
You can follow this link to a google doc that shows less compelling images from this series: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ObiMAaiybqJz4Q-LxGtUcsI5DG8GCp_Fm_UB3ZdlPj0/edit There are 4 images on this google doc. In one image, you can see the two young people lighting the sky lantern. There is no light/dark contrast to this photo due to the effect of the flash. In another image, you can see two different hands and the lighter, but you lose the focus on the sky lantern. The last two photos show the sky lantern being released by two hands; however, I accidentally included a lit window from a neighboring house, which creates a distraction in this simple image.
When I decided to make this image, I used Chris Orwig's advice to reduce and simplify the image so that it could be concise and poetic. I wanted to include an element of surprise and wonder by focusing on an object that most people don't see everyday--a sky lantern. I hope that people will feel some strong emotion when they puzzle out the image of the lantern leaving an illuminated hand. Is it an image about "letting go" or about "having hope" in a dark world?
ReplyDeleteI thought about the five components of storytelling from the www.photographytalk.com article, "How To Tell More Compelling Stories with Your Pictures": mood, emotion, narration, idea and message. I created an intense mood by simplifying the structure and contrasts in the photo. The hand that has just released the sky lantern sets the time frame for the narration of the photo, and the dark sky at the top of the photo allows the viewer to see what will occur next. My idea for the photo was to express an image of hope and child-like wonder in contrast to the dark, cold world (wintertime in Alaska!) yet my message is an open-ended one. I want the viewer to be able to interpret the photo in his or her own way. The Ansel Adams quote reminded me to not be heavy-handed with an explanation of my feeling. For example, this image could have a young child's face illuminated by the sky lantern rather than the simplicity of a single hand that has just let go of the lantern. The image of the young child would shout out the message of childlike hope and joy, yet I think that a more "open-ended" image is ultimately more successful for the viewer since it opens a door for the viewer's own interpretations of this light/dark image.
ReplyDeleteYou can follow this link to a google doc that shows less compelling images from this series: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ObiMAaiybqJz4Q-LxGtUcsI5DG8GCp_Fm_UB3ZdlPj0/edit
ReplyDeleteThere are 4 images on this google doc. In one image, you can see the two young people lighting the sky lantern. There is no light/dark contrast to this photo due to the effect of the flash. In another image, you can see two different hands and the lighter, but you lose the focus on the sky lantern. The last two photos show the sky lantern being released by two hands; however, I accidentally included a lit window from a neighboring house, which creates a distraction in this simple image.