changing of seasons
DESCRIPTION
By: Gianna CammarotaTRANSCRIPT
Changing of Seasons
By: Gianna Cammarota December 18, 2014
Introduction: A photo is such a visual and useful tool of
technology. It is so easy for us to pull out our phones
and capture a moment in just seconds. The reason a
photo could have such a variety of categories is because
of the images that are depicted to us. No one person
interprets a photo the same. That is the beauty in
photography. Photography has indeed come far
throughout the decades. Not only have the tools and
technology used for taking pictures changed but the
quality of the photos themselves.
For my photo essay, I pondered on many
different topics. As this final assignment reminds us
that the semester is quickly coming to an end; I began
to think about the changes happening all around us.
One of my favorite changes is in the seasons. Therefore,
I decided to make my photo essay about the ever so
changing weather and seasons. For example, the
transition from the crisp, fall air and sunshine to the
bitterness of the stabbing cold and grey skies. Some of
my photos have a gray color scale to them and the main
focus is rain or a dark sky. The emotion you get as soon
as you look at these pictures is almost the same as if you
step outside and see a similar scene for yourself. On the
contrast, I also have bright pictures that have colorful
leaves and sunshine beaming in them. These photos
instantly uplift you. That is the fun part, not only can
you create a mood but an entire story based on the
scenes and images in your photos.
There are hundreds of qualities and
characteristics that make up a picture. In my photos for
example, the use of color, texture and time of day play a
huge role. Because of the changes from day to day as
each season transforms before our very eyes, my photos
are unique and relatable. In my photo essay, I transition
from rain to sleet to sunshine. I not only focus on
texture but also on literal things that remind us of the
seasons such as, Christmas trees and falling leaves. All
of these things symbolize something for us. There is no
question that our mood also changes because of the
weather and seasons. Just as no photo is ever the same,
neither is any day. They may look or feel similar, but
they are never identical by any means. This is the
message I hope to give in my photo essay.
A Look Into the Photos:
In my photo essay, I used both rhetorical and
aesthetic reasoning to capture the significance behind
the season changes throughout each day. From looking
at my photos, you can see the patterns and rules vary. I
have used the rule of thirds, patterns, texture, framing,
distance, lighting and more in each one of my photos.
In capturing each photo, I used a variety of different
devices and editing tools. Certain images required a
zoom lens and a more in depth focus. I used a Canon
3D lens digital camera, IPhone 5s and a Samsung
Galaxy S5. The apps I used to edit my photos are, VSCO
Cam and After light. I adjusted the saturation,
brightness and contrast in most of my photos. This
enhanced the images and brought forth the main focus
points.
The reasoning behind the images I chose to use
in my essay is due to the actual message being
represented. In season changes, the weather shifts and
has specific elements that make up its being. For
example, in the fall, there are colorful leaves on the
ground. In each photo, I chose to capture the daily
season changes in full effect as they took place. One of
the main features in my photo essay is simply that no
one photo can be the same. The leaves changing, the
rain falling and the sun shining all look different in
each photo. That is the most complex but interesting
part of it all. It’s almost as if the images do not require
any text or words. They speak for themselves. Just in
looking at one of the photos, you can feel a certain
emotion almost instantly in an aesthetic sense.
The rhetorical messages are portrayed strongly
throughout the elements that make up each photo.
Color also plays a vital role in each photo. I use a
rhetorical visual aspect by choosing either a bright and
happy color or a dark and morbid color. A photo that
has a grey scale and a photo that has bright colors both
portray complete opposite meanings. This is very easy
to recognize for the human eye. In Looking at
Photographs, Victor Burgin states, “Even a photograph
that has no actual writing around it can translate by
language once it is read. For example, an image that is
dark in tone plays carries significance of darkness.” (p.
131) This is done in each of my photos. Although you
cannot literally “read” the photos, you can still
understand the meaning behind them in just looking at
them.
This brings me to the aesthetic value in my
photos. As mentioned previously, the images
represented all have a very diverse environment to
them. Therefore, each one provides a different
sentiment. The Rhetoric of an Image states, “The
composition of an image evoking the memory of
innumerable alimentary paintings, sends us to an
aesthetic.” (Barthes, p.154) This is the soul purpose of
my photo essay. That is, to enhance and spark a
remembrance in my audience through just looking at
each photo.
“Sleet and Leaves” Photo:
I am choosing to evaluate the fifth photo in my
photo essay. I have titled it, Sleet and Leaves. The
reason I chose this photo is because of it’s dynamic.
Despite the technical aspects of the photo, I think it is
visually pleasing. Although, it is not the most uplifting
or colorful photo, it does indeed tell a short story. Just
looking at it gives you a glimpse into a memory you
have of a cold day. The photo took place on my outdoor
patio one early morning. The main focus point in the
photo is the leaves and the sleet falling on the ground.
Immediately upon taking this picture, I realized it
represented my exact mood in the moment I took it –
confusion. Is it Fall or is it winter? This photo
represents that exact question most of us have during
this time of year when the rain turns into freezing sleet
and the leaves still seem to creep into the soles of our
shoes. It isn’t quit a blizzard but it is surely a season in
mid-change. Although this process of nature is a
beautiful one, it can spark many moods. For me, this
picture did just that.
The photo itself did not require much editing or
color enhancement. In fact, I aimed to decrease some of
the saturation so that the picture had no distracting
coloring to it. It is almost as if you can feel my hands as
they began to freeze just taking the picture.
There are many different rules of composition
being represented in this picture. For example, patterns
and symmetry are represented in the cracks of the
wood and also the nails that are placed on top of one
another. The viewpoint is also important in this picture
because I got onto the ground to take it. I did this so
that you could see the sleet more dimensional as it fell
onto the leaves. I also used cropping to remove any
distractions on the outside of the patio. For example,
the trees and rocks that stood close by. They seemed to
disrupt the overall photo and I felt that removing them
enhanced the quality of the picture.
As you can see, the tone and emotion in this
photo relies on the rules of composition. In
Understanding Photography, Burger states, “The
retention of the image, its development and
multiplication form an ordered succession of steps
which composed the photographic act.” (p.290) These
rules and steps play a vital role in any photo and its
overall quality. Throughout this photo essay, I have the
ability to learn and experience first hand the complexity
of photography and its true meaning.
Works Cited:
Barthes, R. (1977). Rhetoric of the Image. In Image –
Music – Text. New York: Hill and Wang, pp. 32-51.
[pdf]
Berger, J. (1974). Understanding a photograph. In A.
Trachetenberg (Ed.), Classic Essays on Photography
(pp. 291 – 294). Leete’s Island Books: New Haven, CT.
[pdf]
Burgin, V. (1977, 2003). Looking at photographs. In A.
Wells (Ed.), The photography reader (pp. 130 – 137).
New York, NY: Routledge. [PDF]