The
guidelines for this assignment were to compose an image that conveys the concept of "disconnected." "Disconnected" was defined as "not organized in a way that seems sensible or suitable, showing no logical connection or relationship, detached, disengaged, or cut off."
I enjoyed the giant reflection of the wasp in Chris'
Reflecting on their situation image. You have a creative eye to see and capitalize on that reflection Chris. Nice take on the theme.
Reflecting on their situationPhotographed by Chris Franklin
Michele's
Unplugged image was the well deserved winner of the
People's Choice vote. I appreciate a well designed image that is purposely created by the photographer (instead of one that is just "found") and so have also awarded this image
Editor's Choice for Artistic Merit. Michele did a great job incorporating different elements into this image to convey a message and create the mood she intended, including the prop of the unplugged cord, her pose, her expression, and the lighting of the scene. Although it is a very subtle effect, designing the image so that the light transitioned from brighter, vibrant light at the left edge to darker, flatter light where Michele is tucked into the image helps to emphasize the withdrawn mood. It was obvious from the comments in the gallery that many of us connected with the message and mood conveyed by this image. Extremely well done Michele!
UnpluggedPeople's Choice and
Editor's Choice for Artistic MeritPhotographed by Michele Bollhalder
Michele's next image contained great symbolism for
A world disconnected. The composition of the image again helped to emphasize the message that the pieces were "disconnected." The depth of field was well chosen so that we could see enough detail in the front pieces to tell they were pieces of a map, and the gradual transition to blur was a great way to "remove the limits" of the edge of the puzzle.
A world disconnectedPhotographed by Michele Bollhalder
Alan's (Ribot's)
Blue Sapphire was an intriguing image. Converting the scene to monochrome was a great way to "abstract" the subject and pique the viewer's curiosity. Once you've grabbed the viewer's attention, it's much easier to convey the message.
Blue SapphirePhotographed by Alan Albrecht (Ribot)
I really enjoyed Lars' whimsical series of
Disconnected Objects, especially the refrigerator scene in
Disconnected Objects 3. There's something fun about surprising the viewer with discontinuity, and it is a great way to lead the viewer to question their view of reality. This was a fun series Lars.
Disconnected Objects 1Photographed by Lars
Disconnected Objects 2Photographed by Lars
Disconnected Objects 3Photographed by Lars
Lars'
Feeling blue und etwas "Disconnected" was another image that incorporated symbolism to convey a message. I might have tried a little less saturated blue color to convey the mood of being blue and disconnected. The blue Lars chose is perhaps a bit to vibrant to convey the mood I think he intended, or then again maybe it it was part of the "discontinuity" of the image.
Feeling blue und etwas "Disconnected"Photographed by Lars
I also enjoyed Luc's series of images that played on the viewer's perception of whether or not the subject was connected or disconnected. I loved Luc's very perceptive message, reinforced by this series of images that "Sometimes it is not totally clear, if they are connected or not... it is like in real life: it is rarely black or white." Sometimes (often, always?) we don't see enough of the picture to understand how things are really connected, or how "disconnected" they might be. Very profound Luc.
Between Connected and DisconnectedPhotographed by Luc Bigler
disconnected railway wagonPhotographed by Luc Bigler
but I far prefer this connected railway wagonPhotographed by Luc Bigler
I struggled with the design of my
different State of mind image, and wasn't quite able to capture on film (sensor) the scene I visualized for the bottom part of the image. I think I was successful at creating two different moods for the image, and conveying that I wanted to get from one "state of mind" to the other. (The image was also symbolic of the fact that "state of mind" is strongly influenced by place.) This image is illustrative of the fact that sometimes photography (or any form of art) can be a great catharsis for the artist.
A different State of mindPhotographed by Keith
Something that struck me about Marilyn's image of
Mutilation of the ancient past was its strong graphic design. Whether intended or not, this was a beautiful image. The beautiful light, and the resulting texture, tonality, wonderfully rich colors, and play of light across the scene gave this image a sense of reality and immediacy that really helped hammer home the message. Very well done Marilyn, and deserving of
Editor's Choice for Technical Merit.Mutilation of the ancient pastEditor's Choice for Technical MeritPhotographed by Marilyn
Rick's
Cell Phone Disconnect image was a fun image that made an astute observation about our society. It also made me wonder whether a cell phone keeps us more connected, or more "disconnected" from the world around us.
Cell Phone DisconnectPhotographed by Rick Peppin (TrvlRick)
I've grouped Dave's two
Disconnected images of the Davis Memorial together so that you could observe how much difference a change in quality of light imparted on the final image. Dave and I commented that "sometimes the light is magical, sometimes it's not." One of the skills of a good photographer is being able to recognize and capitalize on beautiful light. A great time to observe the changes in quality of light is right before (and slightly after) sunset. It's a good exercise to photograph the same scene from an hour before sunset to just after the sun has dipped below the horizon. Although we logically understand that there is a difference in quality of light, looking at a series of images taken during the time when the quality of light is transitioning so rapidly will really drive the point home. Notice how the change in light affects both the mood and the emphasis in Dave's two images.
DisconnectedPhotographed by Dave Leiker (prairiedust)
Disconnected #2Photographed by Dave Leiker (prairiedust)
I thought it was fun how Marilyn's image
Replicating disconnection in Red Square played on the theme of "disconnected" at several different levels. It's amusing that the bird droppings on the statue add a final symbolic act of distain at how "disconnected" Lenin was from reality.
Replicating disconnection in Red SquarePhotographed by Marilyn
Rebecca's
Love and War image was another fun composition and commentary at the sometimes amazing "disconnects" between the way men and women think. (Nice light and background too.)
Love and WarPhotographed by Rebecca
Sue's image of
The 36 Year Old Dump underscores the point that sometimes "a picture is worth a thousand words." This was a great illustration of Sue's point that "These people were disconnected from what they were doing to the land, water supply and the wildlife."
The 36 Year Old DumpPhotographed by Sue Pepin
I have to say that this assignment was one of the assignments that I found most satisfying. Not necessarily because of the technical quality of the images (although they were all good) but because of the additional meaning and feeling that was buried in each one of these images. We truly were communicating with each other on a more complex level than just sharing pretty pictures. It's images like these that reinforce my belief in the power of photography to convey ideas and feelings in a way that sometimes words alone can't do.
Keith