Criticizing Photography Challenge
- Isabella Leite
- Mar 9, 2024
- 2 min read
(From left to right (top row); Descriptive, Explanatory, Interpretive)
(From left to right (bottom row); Aesthetically Evaluative, Ethically Evaluative, Theoretical)
Descriptive: The photo I took of the aisles in an Ulta store is descriptive because its purpose is to showcase the store layout and multitude of products in the aisle.
Explanatory: The photo I took of this mural is explanatory because its purpose is to show the artwork showcased on the street.
Interpretive: Carolyn Drake's photo is interpretive because it is left up to the viewer to interpret and decide upon its meaning and purpose.
Aesthetically Evaluative: This photo I took of a mural in a restaurant is aesthetically evaluative because it shows the subject of the photo (mural) as well as the surrounding environment, which is mundane, therefore making the subject pop.
Ethically Evaluative: Mitch Epstein's photo of a Standing Rock prayer walk is ethically evaluative because it addresses the Native American community and their culture and how it contrasts to typical contemporary American culture.
Theoretical: Laura Letinsky's photo of leftover items is theoretical because it uses negative space and lighting techniques to showcase the art in the photo.
My Best Photo
I think the best photo that I took for this assignment was of the mural in the restaurant. I think because of the muted background contrasted with the bright, vibrant mural in the middle. Additionally, the mural being a person with bangs and sunglasses adds to the aesthetic value of the photo.
I think the hardest part of this assignment was deciding on images to put in each category, as I felt that for some images, they would be able to go in more than one category.
In the future I plan on thinking about each of these photographic categories and using them to my advantage while I'm taking a photo, so that I am better able to convey what I want to.
Comment on Another Student's Blog
My comment:"I really enjoy the photo you chose as your best photo. The descending sunshine, clouds, top of car, and stop lights add a lot to the photo, and make it very pleasing to look at. I can see you used back lighting to compose your photo, and I think this was a good choice in being able to capture an aesthetically evaluative photo. The colors in the sky of this photo draw my eye to it, and the many stop lights add a certain movement to the photo as well. This image makes me feel as though I'm driving at sunset, and struggling to see with the sun so bright ahead of me. If I were to improve this image, I would adjust the depth of field so that we as viewers are able to have a more complete view of the scene."
Student's Blog Post Link: https://snagle97.wixsite.com/my-site-1/general-6
I really liked your theoretical image because at first I didn't know what it is and honestly I still don't completely know what it is. I like how you thought of it as negative space and evaluated the lighting because I just saw it for what it seems which is a smoky kitchen, but you saw that smoke as negative space. I not only enjoyed looking at the image but I also enjoyed your description, I think you have a very unique and special way of viewing things.
I really enjoy this photograph and the mural it captures. Since you want the focus of this photo to be the mural, I would recommend controlling elements of the background/foreground more. For example the light fixtures and the people take some of the focus away from the mural and obstruct it in a ways. It may also help to get a head on picture, although I am not sure how much the staff would appreciate you standing on one of their tables to do so 😅