Color
The color Red is a powerful color, giving a feeling of danger or excitement. In nature it is often ominous (poisonous berry) but not always (tomato). I wondered why it is that barns are generally red, and found out that it had to do with the availability of sealants & paints way back in the day. Also farmers liked it as it had a higher albedo than old gray wood, meaning that it absorbed the sun's heat better and made the barns warmer. Personally, I'm drawn to red, although my favorite color is orange.
The lily was taken in my home - it only blooms once a year and I was lucky that it bloomed last week. The barn was a snapshot as I was coming home the other day (I wasn't driving). It caught the sun's rays just right. And everyone knows that red is associated with fire and other emergency departments.
The lily was taken in my home - it only blooms once a year and I was lucky that it bloomed last week. The barn was a snapshot as I was coming home the other day (I wasn't driving). It caught the sun's rays just right. And everyone knows that red is associated with fire and other emergency departments.
Hue
Funny how you can find little silly things around the office, and they make great pictures.
Learning to See
![Picture](/uploads/9/0/5/3/9053994/219032.jpg?266)
André Kertész
Wandering Violinist, Abony, Hungary, 1921 Source
Visual Elements: This photo gives the impression that the sun is at a high position, probably early in the afternoon or late-morning by the angle of the fence shadow. The shadows are not harsh; it might be somewhat overcast. The shadows are clearly on the violinist’s front, but his head is turned to the music and the instrument, shedding light on his face. The contrasting values on the violin and the violinist’s face catch my eye the most, even though there is a bright reflection on the fence and windows in the background. Perhaps the violin and the man’s face catch my eye the most because they are in focus, while the brightness in the background is not. The focus on the violinist and the boy create a nice focus, while the baby walking nearby gives depth, and the house and fence behind a little more. The line in the dirt draws the eye from the front to the back of the photo as well, with a nice curve, confirming the feeling they are on a road; the width of the lines suggest old narrow tires like might have been found on the cars of the 1921 era. The photo does not have a matte finish and appears slightly pixelated by looking at the light on the fence.
Design: I imagine the photographer to be in an open location of standing height. The angle of the fence and the road draw the eye to the attention of the forefront of the photo where the violinist and boy are walking. It is not too difficult to imagine beyond the photo either up the road or to the other side of the road where they are walking. I also imagine there must be the baby’s mother close by, perhaps busy sweeping near her front door. The eye is easily drawn to the man and boy in focus, and they take up the right third of the photo, giving the photo balance as well as a line to draw the eye to.
Method: By 1920, cameras had come a long way. From this site, http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/photography-ads-1920s/7, the camera could have been a small “vest pocket” camera, or a larger one, but handheld. They didn’t have spectacular shutter-speed, so the cameraman would have had to held relatively still or used a tripod.
Mood: The look on the violinist’s face is priceless; it is one of hope, and perhaps a little of sadness. The man is finding solace in his music, and in sharing it with the boy and anyone else listening. The boy’s face shows innocence, despite an appearance of poverty. It appears he is holding onto the man, suggesting a dependence or friendship with the man. The man carries a cane over his arm, suggesting it might be a valued possession that he takes with him everywhere, along with his hat. Since we know the photo was taken in post-World War I in Hungary, which was not unaffected by the war, I imagine that the man in the photo is playing to soothe a tired and mourning people, including that of himself.
Wandering Violinist, Abony, Hungary, 1921 Source
Visual Elements: This photo gives the impression that the sun is at a high position, probably early in the afternoon or late-morning by the angle of the fence shadow. The shadows are not harsh; it might be somewhat overcast. The shadows are clearly on the violinist’s front, but his head is turned to the music and the instrument, shedding light on his face. The contrasting values on the violin and the violinist’s face catch my eye the most, even though there is a bright reflection on the fence and windows in the background. Perhaps the violin and the man’s face catch my eye the most because they are in focus, while the brightness in the background is not. The focus on the violinist and the boy create a nice focus, while the baby walking nearby gives depth, and the house and fence behind a little more. The line in the dirt draws the eye from the front to the back of the photo as well, with a nice curve, confirming the feeling they are on a road; the width of the lines suggest old narrow tires like might have been found on the cars of the 1921 era. The photo does not have a matte finish and appears slightly pixelated by looking at the light on the fence.
Design: I imagine the photographer to be in an open location of standing height. The angle of the fence and the road draw the eye to the attention of the forefront of the photo where the violinist and boy are walking. It is not too difficult to imagine beyond the photo either up the road or to the other side of the road where they are walking. I also imagine there must be the baby’s mother close by, perhaps busy sweeping near her front door. The eye is easily drawn to the man and boy in focus, and they take up the right third of the photo, giving the photo balance as well as a line to draw the eye to.
Method: By 1920, cameras had come a long way. From this site, http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/photography-ads-1920s/7, the camera could have been a small “vest pocket” camera, or a larger one, but handheld. They didn’t have spectacular shutter-speed, so the cameraman would have had to held relatively still or used a tripod.
Mood: The look on the violinist’s face is priceless; it is one of hope, and perhaps a little of sadness. The man is finding solace in his music, and in sharing it with the boy and anyone else listening. The boy’s face shows innocence, despite an appearance of poverty. It appears he is holding onto the man, suggesting a dependence or friendship with the man. The man carries a cane over his arm, suggesting it might be a valued possession that he takes with him everywhere, along with his hat. Since we know the photo was taken in post-World War I in Hungary, which was not unaffected by the war, I imagine that the man in the photo is playing to soothe a tired and mourning people, including that of himself.