What Photography Means to Me

  Photo By Richard Misrach     For my chosen photographer, focusing on color and light, I chose Richard Misrach. I was initially drawn to Misrach's common theme of utilizing sunsets and dramatic skylines in his photography. As I examined more of Misrach's work, I came to find that the majority of his work conveys a story or generates an overall mood for the viewer in addition to his use of sunsets and skylines. This photo, in particular, created a very eerie overall mood. This photo made me feel somewhat uneasy, but also evokes a curiosity within me as I examine the photo and uncover more and more details the longer I analyze it. Within the photograph, I noticed the fully drained pool, the outdated appearance of the diving board and pool itself, and the foggy background concealing what appears to be a dramatic and rather beautiful view.      The color and lighting of this photograph work together to develop its overall eerie, yet thought-provoking mood. Thi...

Steve McCurry "Afghan Girl" 1984     After looking through numerous photographs taken by Steve McCurry, I was most drawn to this photo he took in 1984 entitled, Afghan Girl . I was most drawn to the emotion this photo evoked from me as the viewer. This photo generated a feeling of nervousness within me as the young girl who is the subject of the photo holds an intense stare at the camera, presenting somewhat of an expression of fear. The expression of the young girl in the photograph brought on a relative uneasiness within me upon viewing the image. The girl's expression led me to wonder what her story was, why she was in the condition in which she is, how she ended up there, and if she was safe. This photo made me feel the very sense of nervousness and fear that I felt the young girl's expression conveyed, and led me to wonder what was happening to her in her life that may be striking this level of intensity or fear into her. This photograph did what every good photo...