Criticizing Photography
Explanatory
Ray Demski
Descriptive
Kimberly Diaz-Hanzer
Interpretive
Kimberly Diaz-Hanzer
Aesthetically Evaluative
Kimberly Diaz-Hanzer
Ethically Evaluative
Ami Vitale
Theoretical
Victoria Ivanova
Descriptive: My photograph is descriptive because the box shows a special edition switch and it is purely describing how the switch will look outside the box. The purpose is to show the consumer what they are buying.
Explanatory: Ray Demski's photograph is explanatory because it is a sequence motion photo. It shows the precise movements of a skier while they ski.
Interpretive: My photograph is interpretive because I used my cat as the model. This image is not giving an absolute truth and viewers can come up with their own interpretations.
Aesthetically Evaluative: My photograph is aesthetically evaluative because the elevation from being on a plane created an appealing landscape view you wouldn't see on the ground. The clouds also get a more 3d effect due to being so high in the air which also helps draw the viewer in.
Ethically Evaluative: Ami Vitale's photograph is ethically evaluative because this photo is part of a book she created to help document the release of pandas back into their habitat. By selling this book with this image and many others, she hopes to bring awareness to her cause.
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Theoretical: Victoria Ivanova's photograph is theoretical because I found out she is Russian and against the ongoing war and she named her photo, "The new generation. Make love, not war." She is creating political/social commentary using chess pieces depending on how you interpret this photo.
Multimodal Presentation
Synopsis of Multimodal Presentation
For my presentation, I have chosen to interpret the work of Mary Ellen Mark. She is a well-known photographer having many of her works published in galleries and well-known publications such as the New York Times. Her work follows a pattern of being Ethically Evaluative and Explanatory. She tends to photograph social issues such as homeless, people with mental illness, drug addiction, and many other things. She wants her photography to focus away from mainstream society and more on the “Trouble fringes”. Her photography isn’t meant to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye. Some of her images are actually a bit graphic. By photographing the world that people don’t see, she helps bring attention to those issues hoping that one day they may be addressed. The images I’ve chosen for this presentation are from her popular collections Streetwise and Ward 81.
My New Perception of Photography
Mary Ellen Mark’s work helped me see that images don’t necessarily have to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye and can have a much darker theme. I mostly capture things that are bright and eye-catching and Mark proves that it doesn’t have to be that in order for it to be significant. It was interesting seeing what was “normal” during the 20th century as well. For instance, there were probably more kids like Tiny, but due to the stigma, no one probably batted an eye seeing her before Mark took photos of her. This also shows me how significant photographers are in helping any social cause.