Work In Progress Critique #3 Response

 

This image fits particularly well with my concept because of the interplay between the overpowering structure and the absence of human presence. The photograph seems both intimidating and quiet. The building is approached from a low angle emphasizing its authority over the photographer. The dark set back passages suggest emptiness and a fearful environment. The building does not look like an appealing place to live. Here, the repeating forms are presented to emphasize the lack of human presence and the loneliness of this monotony.

For the initial manipulated image I hoped to add a sense of drama through my creative decisions. I emphasized the dark passageways to create a sense of emptiness. I focused specifically on enhancing the dominance of the structure.

For my second manipulation, I experimented with the way color could change the viewer's response to the building. The strange unnatural yellow projected onto the side of the building creates an eerie discomfort which is less prominent in the more naturalistic depiction. While the color is usually associated with warmth and the suns rays, its strange placement allows the building to seem surreal and almost dreamlike. Yet the buildings dominance remains, especially as a result of the cold blue reflected on one side and the dark mysterious set back passages.

I enjoyed this so much that I started experimenting one more time with the image, this time pushing the surreal element even further. I wondered how the image would look by creating an airy light atmosphere in conjunction with the overpowering structure. The building almost becomes ghostlike and even more frightening to approach. The absence of humans becomes more apparent as the viewer almost senses this building is from another world. It becomes harder to imagine that someone lives here. The building becomes alien, foreign and cold. I wonder if this pushes my ideas too far because the viewer may not be able to connect with the building as an apartment someone currently lives in... Does this make my message too overt?