Week #8 - Tropos in Digital Photography

I have not taken any photos specifically about my culture of study because, since I am not studying abroad and rather I am attending Jewish services, I feel like bringing a bulking camera into service one day would be rude and intrusive. However, being a photographer, I do take pictures of many things and I will examine some other photos that I have taken, recently (like from the Google On Main event in Greenville two weeks ago and the CVA) and from as far back as my trip to Egypt last spring break and talk about the tropos in each of them.

These are in no particular order, just however the uploaded decided to put them, but here we go:

This photo is from my sculpture class and the cardboard sculptures that we made as part of the class. I like that this photo is at an eye-level...level lol, because it shows that the sculptures we made were pretty large and human size. The subject is also very absorbed in the task showing that he is concentrating on building the project. I went with a close up view to emphasize this last point.

This is a shot that I took last summer for a camp that I go to (I have also added a logo for the camp and text to this version) where we rebuild/repair houses. In this photo the subject is shown in working/construction gear and is deep in thought about something. Because of the setting that the subject is in, the viewer gets the idea that the subject is hard at work, and thinking about how to do something or the next step in the project. I chose to include the whole subject and the surroundings to show that it is not just a little job that the subject is taking on, but something that involves a lot of time and effort, giving the impression that it will be a good and well thought out job.

This is a photo from my spring break trip (from last year) to Egypt. I like this photo because it says a lot about modern day Egypt. Honestly, it is kinda rundown and not really all that...attractive. But at the same time, it is continuously growing (notice the unfinished buildings - they are always like that and they just add layers on top when all the apartments fill up). Juxtapositioning this against an open sky emphasizes this point.

This photo is also from Egypt but it is of a different scene - the wildlife. I like that this is a very "open" photo because it plays on the fact that birds fly, and are "free" in most cases. I think that this is a very strong photo because of the way that the framing re-enforces the idea of the bird being a free creature. I think that it is important to note that the subject doesn't have to always fill the frame and be the only thing that you see in the photo for it to have such a powerful effect on the viewer.
This photo is from the recent Google On Main Event in Greenville. The event involved glow sticks (obviously) and this photo shows that. In the photo the glow sticks are more prominent and important than the people (as most of the people have their backs turned to the camera).

This is really just an amazing photo that I took at a Muse concert a little bit back (I kinda - honestly by accident - smuggled in my Canon XSi camera and was able to get some really cool shots) that I think has a large amount of visual information. The general feeling of this photo is that of a concert (obviously) but it is important to note that it portrays a concert (and not just a band that is performing at a concert) because the crowd is included in the foreground of the picture. The lighting of the stage and only select parts of the crowd further emphasize the epic feeling of this picture, and the blow up live feeds of the three band members on the three floating columns add a bigger presence and concert feeling to the picture.

This is the last photo that I am going to talk about it but I really like this one because it shows more of the "behind the scenes" aspect of photography and videography and the "press" life by including the other camera man in the shot. The subject of this photo has is different from what the videographer is capturing - this photo depicts the event that is being captured in its totality (not only what is happening, but also how it is happening and the setting it is happening in). By showing this, rather than an image like what the videographer is capturing, the viewer gets a look of the behind the scenes aspect of the press world, and not just the polished product like normal.
So, that is it for my photo analysis, but I will continue with my posts later this week so until then,

-joshua