Initial Interpretation of People's Photo Essays

Susmita:
This piece seems to shed light on a typical Monday night of Texas Hold 'Em. The people in the photos appear to be enjoying the game of poker. This may emphasize a tradition or value of enjoying time with good company. I liked the use of numbers on the whiteboard to show that poker was a mathematical game based on chance. The game of emotions is displayed.

Rasheena:
This is a powerful example of how a child and a young adult view the world. I understood the contrast between a young innocent mind and a more experienced and developed mind. The whole presentation was a juxtaposition of the child's way of identifying/using an object versus the way everyday people in society might respond to typical things such as a bed or wall. I thought it was interesting that you displayed shoes in the last slide (walking in a child's shoes v. adult's shoes).

Raquel:
The images in the first half of the presentation were taken on Green St. The photos seem to capture some of the newer additions to the campus life (Urban Outfitters, Panera Bread, Starbucks, etc.) That's my guess, but someone who might not know about the campus developments may not understand that idea. (Maybe my interpretation is skewed, too). Then you took photos of construction going on with emerging apartments in a neighborhood. I liked this contrast because it was a good indicator of developing areas. This shows hope, progress and growth and renewal.

Nick:
You took pictures of construction heavy areas where you take the viewer into the eyes of you, the camera man. It's interesting how you show the contrast between the developing areas and all the construction and as you travel down the road we encounter areas that are more modernized and developed.

Megan:
The enclosed area in the apartment stands as a stark contrast to the open greenery that you show later on in the slideshow. I thought that the door was a good transition into the outer world. These outdoor, nature pictures are very eye opening. It's almost as though the audience feels the stuffiness of the apartment and then once they see the sky and trees, we all seem to breathe more easily.

HK:
Your message was deep. It looks like the photos are meant to show that global issues are powerful with people protesting and fighting for social justice. Yet gradually we see the pictures digress into images of people who deal with smaller, more personal issues. I think to myself, we must be a nation caught up in self-image. It seems selfish in a sense. We deal with less significant issues compared to starving children and human rights. You could've played with black and white & color. Show more emphasis on the more serious pictures and use color for the less significant ones.

Dan:
Before I saw the ordered photo essay, I thought that it was meant to show how lighting affects the viewing of the same or similar images. I wasn't sure what you meant to do by playing with the different angles of the book aisles.The ordered photo essay flows better because I saw you tried to zoom out of the bookshelves, changed the lighting and gradually gave the message that we need to see with a broader perspective. Nice use of movement and adding life to the images.

Aaron:
The beach theme really got me excited. I like the usage of different aspects of the beach instead of just the ocean itself. The lighting of the photos is vivacious. First the images were just of the beach and the sky. There are a lot of single object, still life shots with human elements. I thought that was really interesting.