Triplets by Diane Arbus

I chose this photo because I am doing my photography presentation on Diane Arbus and although I found most of her photos interesting, along with their meaning, this photo and its meaning stood out to me the most. This photo shows triplets wearing the same white button up blouse, skirt, and hair style. The photo is also taken in black and white. Although it is shown through this photo that each girl is wearing the same outfit from a fashion outlook, the internal expressions and genetic part is not shown which makes it somewhat of a mystery. When I researched the analysis of this photo and found out that Diane Arbus likes taking photos that give a mysterious question to them, I immediately was drawn to this particular photo. I find it fascinating that physically I can see that they look the same because of their outfit and their physical features, but mentally and internally, I do not have any information on them. This mysterious question can go even further when I look at each of the girls' expressions on their faces. Because they each have a blank stare and no smile, their personalities are also a mystery. Overall I think that Arbus really captures her mysterious motives in this picture due to its black and white features, fashionable attire, blank stares and the fact that each subject is a part of a genetic triplet.

"Rene Magritte in Bowler Hat" By Duane Michals

I chose this image because of its unique style. It is a photo that I have not come across in most of my findings on the internet. The photographer captures this man in multiple perspectives by showing a close up image that appears faintly in the background and an image of his full body as the actual picture. Both perspectives of the man are framed within each other in the center of the photo and the space around the man is blank. I think the blank space was a good choice for this photo because if there was some other background that was chosen, it would have taken away from the different perspectives of the man the photographer was documenting. In addition, the black and white color that was chosen for this photograph gave me the feeling that the picture was an illusion of some sort and if I stare at it too long, it actually makes me dizzy! However, I like how the photographer took two possible photos and made them into one. The two photos create some sort of fogginess and lightness around each other which makes the photo (especially because it is in black and white) not too dull and dreary. My observations of the man in the photo is that he is old, but well defined. I got the feeling from looking at him from far away that he looks like a happy person. However, the closer image of him looks like he is sad and withered. Overall, I found this photo to be one of my favorites out of the collection I have posted on here so far. I think this is because this is my first time seeing something like this and also because of the different emotions I get when I see the two perspectives of the man.

Changing Seasons

Way Off Track

I chose this photo because of its dreary look and the questions that I had when I first saw it. This photo seems dreary to me because the only lightness to this photo is the snow on the ground and the headlights on the cars. I thought that this was interesting because the car that went off the road does not have its lights on, which separates it from the rest of the cars. Also, the driver walking in the snow has a dreary effect because of the helpless actions that she displays and the fact that the driver is the only person in the picture. I thought the title "way of track" was perfect because of this reason. Another thing I found to be interesting is the divider the car is on. It looked like at first glance that the car was on a railroad track, but when I looked closer, I noticed that it was a guard rail. I think the photographer did a great job capturing an after view of an accident and I think the camera captured details, such as the car imprint in the snow, very clearly. This detail helps the audience understand that it must have been an accident and an idea of how the accident occurred. As shown from the wiper blades on the cars, it looks like it is still snowing/sleeting and that the traffic or heavy volume on the road could be because of the accident from the car that is on the guard rail. However, thinking about it a little deeper, I think that there may have been another car involved, just because there is still traffic after the car is off the road. Overall, I like the angle the photographer used and the actual moment that the photographer captured because although accidents like this are common, they are not often documented before the someone comes for help.