Blog 1

This is a highly compelling image. When I first look at the picture, my eyes gravitate toward the bold, white shoes. The white shoes immediately caught my eye, which is a great use of color. Next my eyes moved toward the red flip flops, which are highly noticeable because they are red. According to the reading, "humans are physiologically programmed to respond to color, and we respond to certain colors in certain ways. We see red especially easily, not because it's a bright color, but because our eyes are designed to block the opposite of red: ultraviolet electromagnetic rays that are harmful to our retinas." After the red and white shoes, I notice the yellow shoe off to the side. I think there is a nice balance of color in this photo; there are bright colors against the dark, brown background. After noticing the colors in the image, I can analyze the form. In this particular image, there is a lot of frame magnetism going on. According to the reading, frame magnetism is when objects are "pulled" to a certain area inside the frame. In this photo, I feel like the bold white and bold red shoes pull the viewer toward the right of the frame. I think the photo balances more to the right than the left. However, the yellow shoe does pull you back a little. But overall, I think the frame magnetism in this photo pulls the viewer to the right.

This photo also uses the rule of thirds quite well. According to the reading, the rule of thirds is used to create images that are balanced yet interesting, and sometimes, photographers purposely break the rule. But in this photo, the shoes are following the rule of thirds quite well, because if you break the photo down into thirds, the shoes fall on points of intersection, yet there is some open space on the bottom right hand corner of the photo.

Also, when analyzing the form of the photo, one can look at the shapes in the photo. The shape that stands out the most in this photo is the square, white shoes. The square shoes stand out because they are more bold and interesting than other shapes -- the text reiterates this, but is this always true?

This photo can also be analyzed in terms of line movement and direction. Since most of the shoes point downward and toward the middle, this photo's movement heads toward the middle of the photo. All the shoes (red, white, and yellow) point toward the center of the photo. Thus, all the vectors that these shoes carry, are converging in the middle of the photo. This forms a sense of "togetherness" in the middle of the photo; like all these shoes belong together.

The angle from which this photo was taken also says a lot about the photo. Since this photo was taken from above, it makes the people in the photo look weak, victimized and scared. We are told this in the reading, when it says, "People shot from above tend to look weaker, diminished, and victimized; a high angle correspondingly leads one to focus on ground, dirt, feet and litter, all of which can bring a negative energy to an image." I also think of this to be true. When I see people shot from above, they usually look small and helpless. People shot at a low angle usually seem powerful and strong.

-Cassie Tegeler