What I like about the first one is they dynamic feel it has. I think the clouds, mixed with the waves and the raincoats all add dynamics to the picture. Also, I think the photographer's tilt with the camera works awesome in this one. The way the guy on the right is positioned it gives you the impression that the boat is rocking way back and forth and again adds dynamics and a feeling of danger and uneasiness in the photo. I remember learning in Phil's class how diagonals add dynamics, and I think this photo is proof of that. Normally it bugs me if the horizon in a picture like this isn't perfectly straight, but I think it works in this case.
The second picture appealed to me most because of its composition, perspective and the contrast between the red and the white. I think it's a good example of using color to make a photo more interesting and appealing.
#1, Fisherman
Image: Nick Hall / Aurora Photos
Fatalities: 129 per 100,000 workersReported Injuries: 61 per 100,000 workers
Salary: $27,950
Recent tragedy: In January 2009, lifelong fisherman Bill Meldrum departed from the New Jersey coast to fish for flounder and yellowtail on the 65-foot Lydia J. Meldrum's legs got caught in one of the boat's pulleys and he died after going into shock from blood loss. At the time of his death he was 53 years old and had been married just five months to Isabel Meldrum, who told the Asbury Park Press that he was known for his devotion to other fisherman. "I can remember him coming home from work one night and saying, 'Let's go to Wal-Mart and get boots,'" she said. "He bought three pairs. He gave them to workers he had seen that morning that were tying plastic bags around their feet to keep dry."
#19, Animal slaughterers
Image: Getty Images
Fatalities: 2 per 100,000 workers
Reported Injuries: 1 per 100,000 workers
Salary: $27,200
Recent tragedy: While worker deaths at animal slaughterhouses are comparatively low, reported injuries can be severe and may go unreported, according to activists. At least 24 workers at Minnesota, Indiana, and Nebraska slaughterhouses developed complex neurological problems from inhaling bits of pig brain, researchers found in 2008. One slaughterhouse employee told Human Rights Watch, "I think I have an allergic reaction to hogs. But I'm afraid to say anything about this because I'm afraid they will fire me."
Here's the web address: http://www.thedailybeast.com/galleries/1500/1/?redirectURL=http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-04-08/the-20-most-dangerous-jobs/
These pictures also brought up a question to me that I'll ask Jerome if he doesn't respond to it on here. Can we have more than one person in the overall shot? For instance, the butcher shop overall photo has several people in it but I feel like it's crucial to cover the overall picture of what the workplace is about. Even the first photo seems like it needed both of the guys in it to capture the overall job.
You can have more than one person in your shot, as long as the primary person you've selected is the main focus of the photo.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said about the first photo regarding the clouds, waves and diagonal composition. The colors of the rain coats really make the two guys stand out in all the gray. There really is a strong sense of unrest that supports the caption very much.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with what you said about the second photo leaving me with little to say. I will add that the hanging carcases in the back create an interesting rhythm and keep the eye from leaving the top of the frame after following the perspective created by all the converging lines of the counters and the conveyor belt at the bottom of the chute. The contrasting colors really make this photo pop.
I really like the first photo quite a bit. As a photographer I would not be attracted taking this type of shot... first off, I don't like being cold and wet, second I don't find fishing very interesting... so I appreciate the ability of this photographer making the photo very esthetically pleasing. It's simplicity and colors work very well; orange and yellow rain coats, red and blue buoys. There is nothing in the photo that does not pertain to the story. Even the netting is sorta the same greenish color as the ocean. The lines work very well, drawing your eye out into the horizon and sky.
ReplyDeleteThe second photo is no fun for me to look at because I fear I might have some idea of what really goes on in those slaughterhouses. Also, I find it interesting what people will put up with to keep their job... such as risking complex neurological problems due to inhaling pig brain matter... I think I'd rather die. But I don't have kids or a mortgage... interesting... and sad.