Towers of Light

I picked this photo because of the way the photographer was able to capture light. There is a lot of contrast in the colors of the photo and it is really incredible to see the light beaming through the towers on what seems to be a very foggy day. I think this photo is successful because the towers in the distance help break up the bright sun. If the towers were not there the picture would consist of just a large bright spot in the center of the photo and the viewer may not even be able to tell that it is a sun. What also interests me about the photo is the man standing underneath the tower near the sun. Looking at him makes me question why he is there, And what he is doing? There is no right answer but the photographer puts that question out there for the viewer to answer.

Versace Dress, Back View, El Mirage, 1990

Herb Ritts took images of people for mostly fashion magazines. This was one of his most striking images because of the amazing contrast. The woman’s curved body is contrasted against the dark dress. With this subject against a white background, the viewer’s eyes are drawn to the woman’s upper body. Her upper body is actually framed by her clothing. This created a contrast in the background. The lower portion of the image is all white while the top is dark. To capture this moment in time, it must have take a lot of skill. I also find it interesting that this photographer took black and white images of fashion in the 1990s. I wonder why he did this.

Three Cheers for the Rise of Acro

Photographer Holly Andres went to the University of Oregon to take this picture of the cheerleading team. The perspective here is really cool because it appears as if the photographer is lying on the ground on her back directly under the team! It is interesting that she managed to capture this moment in time when the cheerleaders on the ground all had their hands up and when the 3 girls went flying through the air. The artist was given an assignment to shoot the team in black and white and she did not know what to do. Instead of panicking, she decided to use really low angles and sky exposure to make it seem like the cheerleaders were popping out of the image like graphic objects. This technique was borrowed from an Olympic photographer from 1937 called Leni Riefenstahl and is overall a really cool effect.

Snow Hills

What amazed me about this photo was the overall uniqueness of it. Looking at the photo you really just see many different shades of white over rolling hills and clouds. But the photographer captures one single tree in the distance, the thing itself.  There is also a great amount of detail in the photo. As you look closely you can notice footprints running across the hills of snow, but there is no telling where those footprints actually lead to, where the person was coming from, or where they were going. The hills in the photo draws the viewer’s eyes to travel left to right and eventually meet the thing itself, the tree. 

Capturing a moment

This is really cool because this picture captures these birds mid flight.  This takes some great timing in order to catch them mid flight and as close as he or she did.  It stops motion as he or she used a high shutter speed.  I also im really interested in the clouds rolling in as it looks as the birds are trying to escape from the storm.  the contrast is very strong because there is very dark clouds in the left indicating a strong storm but yet there is still a string sun which can be seen from the shadows form the birds

Lions

This is an interesting photo to look at because the photography appears to be able to get very close to these lions in an intimate setting.  He or she must have been familiar with these lions in order to get a picture this close.  I would think that lions wouldn't allow you to get close to them if they were not comfortable with you.  I like contrast int he picture as you can see the different color between the male lions mane from his other hair.

Huge Wave

This photo captured by Ted Grambeau is one of the coolest photographs I have ever seen. The vantage point from which this was taken from and the fact that he was able to get so close to such a big wave is really fascinating. I think this photo has the ability to create many different types of stories. This could be a professional surfer just riding a typical wave, or a beginner surfing their first big wave ever. As a viewer you also cannot tell if the man is able to get out from the tunnel and stay up on his board. Grambeau does a great job of capturing this pictures and makes the viewer wonder what happens next.