Sunday, November 29, 2020

Art Photography

Good photography is deceptively difficult. When it succeeds, its brilliance seems natural. But getting to that point is a long artistic journey. 

Here is a famous photograph, taken by legendary Garry Winogrand (1928–1984). Winogrand took tens of thousands of pictures during his life. Literally. And if he hadn't put in that effort, he never could have created an image as captivating as this one.

What do you think when you look at this picture? Really, what's going through your head?

17 comments:

  1. Well, I wish I could have hands like hers, which would cause me to smile like that, myself...but that's just me. ;-)

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  2. All the teeth look a bit vampirish to me. Like she's about to take a bite out of his neck!
    It's the earring that is the focal point for me. The swing and the sparkle!
    Thanks for sharing.
    Love,
    JJ

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    1. You're exactly right -- it's obvious the photographer was portraying her as vampirish from the pose and exposed teeth.

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    1. I agree -- but I believe this is a largely female impression we have. I suspect many men will see her as sinister.

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  4. This is a great photo...really captured the moment, you know? I do agree that good photographers make shots like this easy look easy when it's not. I love the work of Bresson, and it seems like his photographs were so effortless, but the way he composed them are just brilliant and as a hobbyist, I know that's not an easy feat.

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    1. Exactly. Bresson was a master. The great, as you say, make it seem effortless.

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  5. She is definitely predatory, from the teeth and wide grin to her pointed fingers. Subtle commentary on women and their "competition" to catch men?

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  6. I think at first glance she does look overjoyed, yet looking closely, her smile looks biting. Like is she really having a great time? Is she hamming it up? I think her feelings in the moment are so extreme, it warps her expression.

    Like she's feeling so much, her smile surpasses a "cute" one and becomes the smile equivalent of a snort-laugh.

    I do like how her face is focused and her hands blurred. The movement in generally is really captivating.

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    1. Now, here's my point... Women who view this photo get into the mind of the female subject and imagine what she's up to. They have empathy for her which leads to either compassion or judgment (good/bad). MEN who view this photo don't do that. They don't put themselves into the subject's head because they couldn't imagine themselves inhabiting that space. Instead, they make external, usually superficial responses like "She looks like a vampire." To me, this different gender-response is the most interesting part of the photograph.

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    2. Lol! Well one thing I remember from my 2D design class (which also focused a lot on art creation theory) was that ALL humans are first drawn to Face and Hands. Our natural sight lines go to faces then hands, but I think you're very right about how we then interpret that information.

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  7. It’s funny, because my first thought was “she’s having the time of her life” and I wouldn’t have noted the vampirish side of it without the comments (I’m female... but not artsy!).

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  8. When I first looked at it, I thought she just looked so unbelievably happy but then I read what your replied to others and now I can't unsee the vampiric thing!!

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  9. Spontaneity, happiness, surprise, and perhaps a bit of flirting (and maybe just a hint of trepidation, which so often goes hand-in-hand with flirting) all spring to mind for me as I gaze upon this deeply lovely mid-century capture.

    Autumn Zenith 🧡 Witchcrafted Life

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  10. This is such a fascinating photograph to study. At first instance she seemed happy in a vampirish sort of way. It almost looks like she's going to bite into the neck of that guy. The photo seems to have a dark vibe to it...but the funny thing is that the more I thought of it and looked into it, she started looking more like an ordinary lady who is having a blast and being genuinely happy.

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    1. After reading your comments, it seems that my interpretation of this painting was a mixture of female and masculine glance/ interpretation. I think it's fascinating how you explain the difference in the way two gender experience it and I think you're right. Different genders often see things differently.

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