Class 5-Eleni Crush

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/nyregion/18insure.html?ref=nyregion

Another example of environmental portraiture. Although sometimes it's hard to appreciate these "staged" shots, I like how the bills are surrounding her (the accompanying article is about how uninsured young adults deal with expensive medical bills). The darkness of the room makes it hard to see her clearly, but adds to the entire "doom and gloom" message that the article carries.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/08/theater/08itzk.html?_r=1&scp=4&sq=maggie%20gyllenhaal&st=cse

This is from last Sunday's New York Times article about how actual couple Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard are appearing onstage together in a revival of Chekov's "Uncle Vanya" at the Classic Stage Company over on East 13th street. We were talking about environmental and celebrity photography last week, and I thought this was an especially effective image. Both Gyllenhaal and Sargaard are well respected and pretty famous actors in the independent film worlds and have had many photos taken of them, but this one uses color very well. I like the red on Maggie and how it pops from the otherwise grey tint of the rest of the shot. It says something about the couple and their chemistry. Also, it was a good choice to have Maggie looking away from the camera. Again, this brings personality and a different perspective to the shot.

Source: http://gothamist.com/2009/02/16/early_addition_198.php
Gothamist does this one feature daily where they round up quick news from around the city and it's always accompanied with a photo selected from a Flicker.com stream that I believe users can tag as "gothamist" and that's how the photos get to Gothamist. Granted, this isn't from a traditional media source but it's an example of how new media can fit into this whole equation. I love the perspective on this shot--traditionally the eye goes from left to right, but in this photo, the woman on the left is slightly out of focus, leaving the model on the right in focus, and it's very effective.

Tear Sheets // Feb. 17, 2009 // Rose Walano

The first picture was featured in The New York Times, concocted by Viktor Koen. It was paired with a (duh) article on cell phones. WHat I found interesting was the combination of a classically-styled, almost vintage shot of a business man with a modern piece of technology and the dated but moderately modern neon, motel-like sign connecting the two. It's a sassy combination of new and old that hints to the themes within the articles (i.e. what we've expected from cell phones thus far, where they are going). Ah, the power of Photoshop.

The second picture was also featured in The New York Times, this time in the Arts section. It was taken by Saeed Adyani for MGM Studios. The picture is of a cast member for the remake of Fame, a movie I have loved forever. More importantly though is the sly placement of this picture. It's the snapshot for an article called "California Beckons Film Crews." Seemingly, this is a relatively boring, business-related piece - not so interesting for the artsy types who read this section. However, I think the article became infinitely more intreating to people upon seeing this touchstone of a picture. And on an aesthetic level, I love the way light is captures, shining down on her from an angle. Class theater.

Finally, this last AP picture is of seven-year-old Aaron Van Blerkom. Thanks to this picture, he is now the most notorious contributor to the "Dear Mr. President" project. He has the most adorable smile - both innocent and mischievous - and this devilish quality make him more than just a child. He embodies youth and sweetness. The use of color in this picture is both eye-catching and symbolic. There is an excessive amount of red, white and blue. It drives the message home: kids can be patriots too. 

 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/nyregion/long-island/15Riceboat.html?ref=nyregion

The first picture uses color to attract attention. The red stands out against the icy background and emphasizes the ice boat- not the ice. The photographer used panning to great effect keeping the iceboat in focus and the background blurry, showing the speed of the boat. This really illustrates the story well- its about ice sailors who get excited when lakes, rivers and bays freeze because they enjoy they are “speed addicts.”

http://www.time.com/time/picturesoftheweek/0,29409,1879163_1844999,00.html

 

I love this picture of Michelle Pfifer (second picture) because it’s a unique type of a celebrity picture. Instead of taking a picture of just the celebrity, her face is barely showing in the corner of the picture and the paparazzi is taking over a picture. I’m not sure if the photographer intended for this picture to show what being a celebrity is like, but it does. It helps that Pfiffer’s face looks surprised and in awe instead of composed and smiley. The color helps make the picture stand out. 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7724355.stm

The third picture looks like an artsy display or a theater mask. Its actually part of a protest, a man is covered with what looks like blood and mud. The protest was held in Jakarta, Indonesia so the government would compensate people for displacements and injuries caused by a mud volcano in 2006. The picture is very effective because the man has his eyes closed and looks injured. It makes the reader imagine what the actual injuries would look like. The costume was very smart on the part of the protestors because effective images are more likely to get attention. I’m sure there were banners at the event, but this is a way so people who speak any language can effectively understand the story.

 

Class 5- By Tala Al-Husry

Class 5- Jamie Feldmar

This is an AP photo taken from BBC.co.uk, from a story about the French "Spiderman" who scaled a skyscraper in Hong Kong. This shot frustrates me because it's not detailed enough. I wish it had been more of a close-up, so I could see how the man is dressed (is he actually wearing a Spiderman costume?) and what kind of (if any) climbing/safety equipment he has. I don't think it does a very good job of explaining the story, especially with such an attention-grabbing headline-- this guy might as well be a window washer, for all I know. That being said, I do like the color contrasts of the metallic building and the bright clothing.


This shot comes from a slideshow about Fashion Week on the NYTimes website. I love the way it plays with our perspective of focus-- the only element we can clearly see in the photo is the mannequin head, while the real person is soft and blurry. There are also a lot of interesting lines making unusual angles here-- nothing is really symmetrical or centered, which is often the natural inclination when taking a photograph. I also like how the most physically large element of the shot, the back of the of the model's head, is not actually the focal point. There is a slightly surreal quality to the image, since it's a mirror reflection, that actually made me stop and try to decipher the photograph for several minutes.

This comes from a NY Times Health article about heart failure. It is obviously a posed shot, but still is an interesting environmental portrait of a hospital patient (thought this person is probably a model). The shot is sparse and overexposed, which mimics the physical qualities of many hospitals. I like that the subject ("patient") is not actually facing the camera-- again, something the viewer does not expect in a news story. Most photojournalists show the action of an event, but for the story this image accompanies, keeping things still and quiet tells the story better than an "action shot" would have.

Class 5-Jessica Lubin

This picture of Alex Rodriguez was a really cool shot. The story ran in Tuesday's NY Times about his latest drug issues. I feel like this photo was probably taken at an event awhile ago but I really like how you can see all the people around him-consruction workers, reporters, etc-in the reflection on his sunglasses. It reminds me of his star power and that those people could soon be nowhere to be found because of his drug use.



This was one picture of many accompanying a story about how a drought in Texas is really effecting farmers and Texas in general. It ran in last Thursday's NY Times. There was an accompanying slide show online (http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/02/12/us/20090212drought_index.html?ref=us) that is really great. All of the photos are environmental portraits but they are really stunning. The picture above is my favorite (and was the main picture of the story) because it really captures the entire story. A farmer's livelihood is at stake because of this incredibly long drought, with the obviously brown, dried dirt below his cowboy boots-the reader knows exactly what's going on. It was a really creative approach that worked.



This story accompanied a really great new look at city budget cuts in Sunday's NY Times. This man is an aspiring firefighter whose dream was cut short because of the hard economic times for the past few years. I really liked this picture because it captures the hope in his eye as he leans against a firehouse. It's also cool because you can see the photographer in the door's window. You're not supposed to see him I know, but I think that it's ok because I didn't notice him until after looking at this picture for a long time. The contrast between the red door with its squares, and the plainness of the subject, really make the aspiring firefighter stand out.

Class 5- Meghan Everlanka

2.13.09 The City section of the New York Times, Photo By: Yonnete Joseph. I found this image interesting because normally you don't see an average person going down into a manhole. Its one of those unexpected images. The story was about an abandonned train tunnel on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, apparently tourist and children take tours of the abbandoned tunnel. The images are interesting and catch your attention.



2.17.09 Technology section of the New York Times, Photo by: Kevin Moloney. This photo is interesting because of all the angles captured in the photo. I also think it is interesting that the article was about how to take a better snowboarding picture. It was interesting that the article talked about different shutter speeds and the different effects they would have on the photo. I also like how the light is right behind the snowboarder, it gives the figure a glowing effect.


This is from the BBC world news, it is from the AP. In Pristina, Kosovans in traditional dress mark the first anniversary of its declaration of independence from Serbia. I think the use of this lens is really interesting and catches the eye. Although it is artfully presented, I would have to look at the caption to understand what is going on. Also the photo captures a lot of movement and excitement but it lacks clarity.