Author Topic: Results and Feedback for the "Rockwellesque" Assignment  (Read 1501 times)

keithsnell

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1407
Results and Feedback for the "Rockwellesque" Assignment
« on: May 23, 2010, 02:33:17 PM »
Thank you to everyone that participated in the "Rockwellesque" assignment.  This isn't a style I would normally gravitate towards; however, we had a lot of fun with the assignment, and now that I've come to appreciate Rockwell and his genius as an "illustrator," I suspect that I might use this style again in the future when it fits the situation.  The guidelines for this assignment were to attempt to compose an image in the "idealized" style of Norman Rockwell, with the recognition that one of the key characteristics of Rockwell's images was the wonderful quality of light used to accentuate the character of his subjects.  
 
Although it isn't really related to the assignment, I wanted to take the opportunity to point out the difference that "perspective" or shooting angle can make in your images, using the first two images as an example.  In the "Houston, we have a problem" image I shot from my normal standing height.  This is our normal tendency, and it takes a conscious decision on our part to change our position or shooting angle to better suit the subject.  In this case, I was jockeying to find an angle that would show both McKenzie's expression as well as Evan's.  Although I succeeded in capturing their expressions, this image is not as engaging as it would have been if I had shifted positions and taken the image on their level, and the background does not contribute to the image at all.  Overall this first image is much less effective than the second image, where I knelt down to photograph the scene from a perspective more consistent with a child's view of the world.


"Houston, we have a problem"
Photographed by Keith

Sad Day on Elm Street is the more effective of the two images, and is more engaging both because I am shooting from their height, and because we can see Evan's eyes.  In addition, changing my perspective enabled me to include the classic Rockwell-era house in the background, which contributes to the overall feel of the image and mimics the Rockwell style celebrating the "great American Dream."  Dave Leiker (prairiedust) used a phrase that made me appreciate Rockwell's genius even more when he talked about the "trademark Norman Rockwell clarity of composition," meaning the image includes only elements calculated to reinforce the "theme" or message. Thank you to everyone that voted for this image as People's Choice.  I think the credit goes to Evan and McKenzie, who both took the breakdown in stride, and were patient enough to let Dad photograph the scene of the accident.


Sad Day on Elm Street
People's Choice
Photographed by Keith


Michele did a great job capturing her Little Girl and Doll image, which conveyed the make-believe world of childhood much like Norman Rockwell would have.  The lighting in this image is very effective, with the splash of sunlight on the doll highlighting its presence and giving it a prominence in the composition which it wouldn't have had with more subdued lighting.  Great capture Michele!


Little Girl and doll
Photographed by Michele Bollhalder


I loved the body language in Michele's Maybe Tomorrow... image.  It was very expressive, and you could read the children's thoughts without even seeing their faces.  Great job setting up this image Michele, Norman would be proud!


Maybe Tomorrow...
Photographed by Michele Bollhalder


As you probably guessed from the title (and my image comments) the emphasis for my Into the Light image was on replicating the beautiful, vibrant light that I observed in some of Norman Rockwell's paintings.  Many of his portraits incorporate "natural light" and show bright highlights and well defined shadows that highlight the features of his subjects and bathe their faces in an almost magical glow.  As I mentioned in my previous comments, it's harder than it looks, and requires the softer, warm light of the sun low on the horizon in order to be successful.  I managed to get a few shots in decent light before the sun went behind the clouds and the late afternoon light lost its magical qualities.  ( I used fill flash to open up the shadows on their faces.)


Into the Light
Photographed by Keith


Rebecca's Tea Time with Bear image was another wonderful image that conveyed the make-believe world of childhood, while at the same time playing towards the aspirations of a life of prosperity promised by the "American Dream," echoing themes that were prevalent throughout Rockwell's illustrations.  Rebecca did a great job with the lighting in this image, balancing soft light from the window with fill flash bounced off the ceiling.  The soft, diffused light from the window wrapped around McKenzie's face and provided nice 3-dimensional modeling, and the diffused light from the flash bounced off the ceiling helped to open up some of the shadows.  This is one of those images that invites the viewer to explore the setting, discovering more little touches as they linger.


Tea Time with Bear
Photographed by Rebecca


Michele did a great job with her Mechanics on break image, capturing a vignette from everyday life that invites the viewer to linger for just a bit instead of passing right by in the rush of things.  We can watch the mechanics, wonder what they are laughing about, and smile with them, instead of being self-conscious that we are watching.  It is much like many of Rockwell's images, celebrating everyday life.  I like the light in this image, it captures the time of day without being foreboding, and the highlights help draw us throughout various parts of the image.


Mechanics on break
Photographed by Michele Bollhalder


Dave's Dunk Tank image replicates another facet of Rockwell's work, which was to show normal people recreating and having fun.  Ever notice how many illustrations Rockwell produced of people playing baseball, basketball, football, golf and other sports?  He loved to show normal folks enjoying life and its simple pleasures.  Dave's image reminds me of this, just normal folks having fun.  Dave's "white vignette" was very effective at puling the image together, and as Dave said, it echoed Rockwell's technique of placing a simple scene on a white background.


Dunk Tank
Photographed by Dave Leiker (prairiedust)


Naomi's image of The Three Amigos reminded me of several of Rockwell's illustrations of the "characters" we meet in life, those fellows that always have a mischievous glint in their eyes and are having fun at whatever they're doing.  (For some reason, this image reminds me of Rockwell's illustration of The Plumbers.)  In common with Rockwell's work, Naomi's image leaves me thinking these gentlemen would be genuinely fun to meet, and that we would all depart with smiles on our faces.  Great job capturing the character of these gentlemen Naomi.


The Three Amigos
Photographed by Naomi

Naomi's Lavender Ladies image is a great example of an image that concentrates on capturing the character of the subjects.  We get a wonderful sense of the ladies' personalities from their expressions, posture and dress.  The image is wonderful "feel good" celebration of life.  Great job capturing the personalities of these two ladies Naomi.


Lavender Ladies
Photographed by Naomi


Marilyn's Summer is here!! image was was a fun and interesting celebration of the happy times of summer, just like many of Rockwell's illustrations.  I loved the patterns and reflections in the water, and they added an interesting element to a simple scene.


Summer is here!!
Photographed by Marilyn McKinney


Thank you again to everyone that participated in this assignment.  The more I study various artists and styles, the more I can see that each one has a place in a repertoire of potential ways to communicate through imagery.  I definitely learned to appreciate Rockwell's use of light, and came to admire his "clarity of composition" and success at telling a story with his images.  I hope you enjoyed the assignment as much as I did.

Viewers are encouraged to respond to this thread describing why you like a particular image, or think it was particularly successful at meeting the guidelines of the assignment.

Keith
« Last Edit: May 24, 2010, 10:51:10 PM by keithsnell »

Michele

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 326
Re: Results and Feedback for the "Rockwellesque" Assignment
« Reply #1 on: May 25, 2010, 04:25:35 AM »
Hooray!!!  I love that picture!  It's your son's expression that takes the cake, but the all-around photo is just excellent.

I can't say I knew that much about Norman Rockwell, but thanks to your assignment, I learned a lot about this artist.  I have a new appreciation for his work.

Thank you, Keith.  Not just for the assignments, feedback, patience with all my questions...  but for stuff like that too. 

Have a great day, Norm.