Critiquing Photography
Descriptive - Jennifer Pallian
Explanatory - Raquelle Powell
Interpretative - Raquelle Powell
Aesthetically Evaluative - Raquelle Powell
Ethically Evaluative - Mark Laita
Theoretical - Erik Johansson
1. Descriptive: The photograph of the mint chocolate cookies by Jennifer Pallian is descriptive because the purpose of the photo is to display the finishing product of the cookies so that people will be moved to purchase or make them. Also, it is descriptive because it provides some of the ingredients in order to make the cookies.
2. Explanatory: The walking duck photo that I captured is explanatory because it is showing that one of the duck's feet is hitting the ground, while the other is in the air, in front of the foot on the ground explaining to the viewer that the duck is in fact, walking forward.
3. Interpretative: My photo of my mother's statues in her bedroom is interpretative because it includes statues that are positioned in two different ways, with no facial expressions, allowing the reader to come up with what the figures are doing, or thinking of, if anything at all.
4. Aesthetically Evaluative: My photograph of the rainbow in the sky is aesthetically evaluative because it highlights the different colors in the rainbow, with a beautiful, bright, and blue sky behind it after a rainy afternoon.
5. Ethically Evaluative: Mark Laita's photograph is ethically evaluative because it captures the reality of the products of incest and inbred families, educating different people on what that looks like, while also speaking to moral views and ethical judgements on incest.
6: Theoretical: This photo by Erik Johansson is theoretical because it goes beyond the basic idea of a light bulb and shows a deeper meaning in how our ideas come to us during the night. It makes commentary on the larger idea in the ways in which we think and come up with ideas.
Multimodal Presentation
Project by Raquelle Powell
Synopsis of Multimodal Presentation
For my multimodal presentation, I made the decision to look at and evaluate the work of Steve McCurry. McCurry is a notable photographer who has been featured in National Geographic and his works have been displayed in multiple museums. His work focuses mainly on culture, conflict, and traditions all around the world. He has made his way around to multiple different countries, capturing issues and experiences around the world that some of us are not always thoughtful of. His photos mainly fall into the categories of explanatory, interpretive, and ethically evaluative and mostly involve human figures. Using a single shot from his camera, McCurry has shown his ability to take different perspectives, use different kinds of colors, and lighting techniques to help his audience understand the realities of those in other countries just for a moment. I chose images that highlight conflict, daily life, and simple portraits of those around the world. Every photo is different, but they all share the fact that they tell a story, spanning from simple to complex.
My New Perception of Photography
Steve McCurry's collection of photos showed me that you can find meaning, and stories from just a person's gaze or position of the body. Many of the works of McCurry's provide just a face, without a story there for you to reference. However, after reviewing his work, it became very easy for me to read a photo just by looking at what is in it. For example, if there is strictly a photo of person with a certain look on her face, the viewer can come up with meaning to what that face may mean, using context from the rest of the photo. Also, McCurry's work helped me see beauty in what seem to be rough situations. Viewing situations that are different than mine can, at times, lead myself and other viewers to judge their situations as hard and difficult. However, people are all different and unique, and that comes with different and unique realities as well, and what I may deem to be a rough situation, may be something of culture for another. Understanding that helps to find beauty in all situations.