SUBJECT MATTER/CONTENT
I HAVE DECIDED TO ANALYSE THE TOP LEFT PHOTO, OF THE WINDOW. IT IS QUITE A COLD PHOTOGRAPH SHOWN THROUGH THE COLOUR OF THE INSIDE OF THE BATHROOM, WITH THE WINDOW BEING THE FEATURE POINT ALLOWING YOU TO SEE THE TYPICAL AUTUMN HAMILTON SETTING. YOU CAN SEE THIS BY THE COLOUR OF THE LEAVES ON THE TREES AND ALSO THE BARE BRANCHES. THE HOUSE BOARDERS ONTO THE RIVER WHICH RUNS RIGHT THROUGH HAMILTON AND IS VERY CENTRAL. THROUGH THE BACKGROUND YOU CAN SEE ONTO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER BUT THE MIDDLE PANE OF THE WINDOW WEAKENS YOUR VIEW, AND I CANNOT TELL IF THERE IS A PATH ON THE OTHER SIDE OR NOT. IF THERE IS NO PATH I WOULD ASSUME THAT THE AREA WHERE THIS HOUSE IS SITUATED MAY BE OUT OF THE CITY OF HAMILTON ITSELF, OR IT MAY SHOW THE AGE OF THE PHOTO AS MANY OF THE PATHS AROUND THE RIVER HAVE BEEN ELONGATED SINCE I HAVE MOVED HERE, AND THAT WAS ALSO WHEN THIS BOOK WAS PUBLISHED. I CAN TELL THE PHOTO IS IN A BATHROOM BECAUSE OF THE RUSTIC SHOWER CURTAIN ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE PHOTOGRAPH. THERE ALSO APPEARS TO BE A BAR OF SOAP POSSIBLY ON THE WINDOW SILL IN THE FOREGROUND. ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE PHOTOGRAPH THERE IS AN EMPTY CLOTHES HANGER ON A HOOK AND THIS COMPLETES THE PHYSICAL OBJECTS THAT APPEAR IN THE PHOTO. HOWEVER THE WALLPAPER AND THE OLD FASHIONED AND DEGRADING WINDOW SUGGEST THAT THIS HOUSE HAS BEEN AROUND FOR A WHILE, OR BEEN WELL LIVED IN. THIS HOWEVER DOES NOT GIVE US AN ESTIMATE ON HOW OLD THIS PHOTOGRAPH IS BECAUSE HAMILTON IS AN OLD CITY AND THERE ARE MANY OLD ESTABLISHMENTS AROUND THE CITY. WE CAN MAKE ONE MORE CALL HOWEVER AND THAT IS THAT IT IS MIDDAY. THIS IS DONE PURELY BY THE REFLECTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN CAST ON THE WATER OF THE TREES. THEY ARE STRAIGHT JUST LIKE THEY WOULD BE IF THE SUN WAS HOVERED ABOVE THEM. THE CONTRAST OF THE COLD INDOORS AND THE WARM OUTSIDE IS IRONIC BECAUSE AT THAT TIME OF YEAR, YOU WOULD EXPECT IT TO BE WARMER INSIDE, HOWEVER IT IS CATCHING FOR THE VIEWER AND ALLURING TO WHAT IS OUTSIDE. WHEN I LOOK AT THE PHOTOGRAPH MYSELF I FEEL FRIGHTENED AND IF I WAS INSIDE THE HOUSE I WOULD TRY AND ESCAPE AS QUICK AS I COULD. THE COLD FEELING AND EMPTINESS OF THE HOUSE WHICH IS HIGHLIGHTED BY THE WARM COLOURS OUTSIDE MAKES ME FEEL UNEASY. THE EMPTY CLOTHES HANGER HELPS TO ENFORCE THIS FEELING AS IT FEELS LIKE SOMEONE HAS LEFT. HOWEVER I DO LIKE THE COMPOSITION OF THE PHOTO, I LIKE HOW I CAN SEE TO STORIES, OF THE OUTSIDE AND THE INSIDE IN ONE SINGLE PHOTOGRAPH. THIS WORK WAS CREATED BY DAVID COOK AND COLLECTED INTO A BOOK TITLED RIVER ROAD, WHICH I HAVE LINKED ABOVE. THE BOOK WAS FINISH AND PUBLISHED IN 2011 YET THE PHOTOGRAPHS COULD HAVE ACCUMULATED FOR DECADES AS COOK IS A HAMILTON BASED PHOTOGRAPHER. AS I FOUND THESE PHOTOS ON THE INTERNET I AM NOT ABLE TO SEE THE DATE OR THE TITLE OF EITHER OF THE IMAGES.
COMPOSITION
THE COMPOSITION OF THIS IMAGE IS SHOWN THROUGH THE PHOTOGRAPH. THE SYMMETRY OF THE PHOTO AND THE CLEAN SHARP LINES OF THE WINDOW AND THE ROOM DIMENSIONS LEAD INTO THE FOCAL POINT, ALSO FRAMED BY THE WINDOW. ALTHOUGH WHAT IS INSIDE THE ROOM MAY BE CLASSIFIED AS IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THE VIEWER I THINK COOKS MAIN OBJECTIVE WHILE TAKING THE PHOTOGRAPH IS FOR THE VIEWER TO FOCUS ON THE RIVER AND THE AUTUMN TREES THAT CROWD IT. THIS IS HELPED BY THE CONTRAST OF THE COLORS IN THE PHOTOGRAPH AND ALTHOUGH THE BACKGROUND IS OUT OF FOCUS DUE TO THE CONVENTION OF DEPTH OF FIELD, THE COLOURS HELP TO DRAW THE VIEWERS EYE TO THE IMAGE OF THE RIVER. THE ROOM IS NOT WELL LIT, AND I BELIEVE IT WOULD NOT BE LIT BY ANY TECHNICAL LIGHTS, HOWEVER THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE DAY SHINES THROUGH THE WINDOW WHICH ATTRACTS US TO THE WINDOW. THE RIVER IS ALSO CENTRAL, SHOWN BY THE ANGLE OF THE PHOTO WHICH IS FRONT ON, AND THE LARGEST AREA OF SUBJECT MATTER AND IT IS CLEAR WHAT IT IS UNLIKE THE OTHER OBJECTS THAT LITTER THE PHOTO. TO ME, WHEN I LOOK AT THE PHOTO, THE SHOWER CURTAIN AND THE CLOTHES HANGER ARE MAINLY IN THE PHOTOGRAPH TO CREATE SETTING, WHICH IT DOES SO EASILY. I BELIEVE THAT THE PHOTO MAY HAVE BEEN CROPPED TO CREATE A MORE STRIKING IMAGE AND TO CREATE MORE EMPHASIS ON THE WINDOW. i SAY THIS AS THE PHOTO IS A REPLICA SIZE OF THE WINDOW, IT IS A SHAPE I WOULD DESCRIBE AS A FAT RECTANGLE. IT IS NOT SQUARE EXACTLY, WHICH WE CAN SEE ALSO IN THE FRAME OF THE WINDOW. I BELIEVE ALSO THAT THE PHOTO IS TAKEN FROM A STATIONARY POSITION AND THEN ZOOMED INTO AS I DO NOT BELIEVE ONES BATHROOM WOULD BE SO NARROW AND SMALL. THIS IS ENFORCED BY THE FACT THAT THE SHOWER CURTAIN CONTINUES OUT OF THE FRAME OF THE PHOTO. AS PREVIOUSLY SAID IN THE ABOVE PARAGRAPH, I LIKE HOW THE PHOTO IS GIVING A GLIMPSE OF TWO AREAS AT ONE TIME. IT HELPS TO GIVE THE PHOTO PERSPECTIVE AND SHOWS HOW TWO AREAS, ALTHOUGH EXTREMELY CLOSE TOGETHER CAN BE EXPERIENCING TWO SEPARATE THINGS. ONE IS COLD, AND ONE LOOKS MODERATELY WARM ALL SHOWN THROUGH THE COLOR OF THE PHOTO.
PHOTOGRAPHIC CONVENTIONS
i THINK A MEDIUM FORMAT HAS BEEN USED OT TAKE THIS PHOTOGRAPH AS THE PHOTO DOES NOT SHOW A HUGE AMOUNT OF SPACE OR SUBJECT MATTER. HOWEVER IT IS NOT A LARGE FORMAT AS I WOULD EXPECT THERE TO BE A LARGE AREA OF SPACE IF A PHOTO WAS TAKEN ON A LARGE FORMAT. THE WALLPAPER HELPS ME TO MAKE THIS DECISION AS ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT THE FOCAL POINT OF THE IMAGE AND THE PHOTO IS TAKEN WITH A MEDIUM DEPTH OF FIELD, TO SHOW THE WINDOW AS THE MAIN FOCAL POINT, THE WALLPAPER IS NOT CLEARLY IDENTIFIED. I CANNOT IDENTIFY THE PATTERN, OR EVEN IF THERE IS A PATTERN, MAYBE IT IS JUST DIRTY, CLEARLY AND I BELIEVE THIS TO BE AN OUTCOME OF THE MEDIUM FORMAT. I HAVE SAID PREVIOUSLY THAT I BELIEVE THERE WAS NO ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING USED INSIDE THE HOUSE, BUT THE EFFECT OF THE NATURAL LIGHTING WASHING THROUGH INTO THE ROOM WAS ENOUGH TO HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANT FEATURES OF THE ROOM. I THINK THIS WAS DONE TO ALSO HIGHLIGHT THE OUTSIDE RIVER. THEW NATURAL LIGHTING HELPS TO CREATE A COLD FEELING INSIDE THE ROOM AND AS WE CANNOT SEE CLEARLY IT MAKES THINGS APPEAR DIRTY AS WELL. BUT IT WORKS WELL AS IT HELPS TO CREATE THE STRONG CONTRAST OF COLOURS BETWEEN THE OUTSIDE AND THE INSIDE. THERE IS A MEDIUM DEPTH OF FIELD MEANING THAT THE WINDOW IS IN FOCUS RATHER THAN WHAT IS OUTSIDE THE WINDOW BUT I BELIEVE THAT IT WAS A SHARP AND FAST SHUTTER SPEED, AS THERE IS NO VISIBLE MOVEMENT COMING FROM THE TREES OF THE WATER. HAMILTON IS KNOWN TO BE WINDY AT TIMES, AND THE RIVER IS ALWAYS MOVING AT A CONSTANT STEADY PACE, AND QUITE OFTEN THERE ARE VISIBLE RIPPLES IN THE WATER BUT NONE OF THAT IS PRESENT IN THIS PHOTOGRAPH. I WOULD BELIEVE THAT THERE HAS BEEN MANIPULATION TO THE PHOTO THROUGH THE COLOURS AND CREATING THE RIGHT CONTRAST. i WOULD SAY THIS MAINLY BECAUSE OF THE TIME PERIOD THAT THIS PHOTO WOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN IN, WHICH I CAN ONLY ASSUME, BUT MOST PEOPLE WITH DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS NOW EDIT THEIR PHOTOS TO CREATE THE BEST IMAGE THEY CAN. IT IS SOMETHING THAT WE NOW HAVE TO ASSUME WITH THE DIGITAL AGE TAKING OVER. WITH THIS I CAN ASSUME THAT THE PHOTO WAS PRINTED ELECTRONICALLY WITH A HIGH QUALITY PRINTER, TO CREATE A SHARP IMAGE THAT APPEARS JUST LIKE IT WOULD ON THE COMPUTER SCREEN. NO OTHER DOCUMENTATION WAS GIVEN WITH THE PHOTO WHICH ALLOWS THE VIEWER TO ANALYSE AND INTERPRET THE IMAGE WITH THEIR OWN VIEWS AND CONCEPTS.
WORKING METHODS
The artist and the photo seem to be quite separate and Cook hasn't interacted well with his photo. But i think this makes it more successful as it helps to develop that cold and lonely feel. I personally dont see a story through the image but i can see an idea of hope and i think this is important to the photographer and therefore he decided to publish it.
PERSONAL RESPONSE
I enjoy this photo as its personal, as if i myself am looking out the window to a brighter future. It shows hope, and maybe new beginnings. Yet i do not find it as appealing as when i first came across it. It know more or less scares me at the loneliness of the photo. However i do think it is a successful photo as it has manged to evoke these emotions, and that is better than not evoking any emotions at all. For me however, the photo is a little bit bland with colour, and i wouldnt be able to hang this in my house, as i would soon feel like i had those same, cold emotions as the bathroom.