For our final project in Visual Literacy, we were assigned a choice of a number of options to display what we have learned in the course. I decided to pick the photography project and focus on the theme of nature on a trip I took to my grandparents’ cottage in Haliburton, Ontario, Canada over Thanksgiving.     

Posted here are additional photos to supplement those printed out for the Final Project portfolio.      

Sunset over Koshlong Lake

The last breath of a beautiful day in northern Ontario washes across the shores of Koshlong Lake. The firey sky reflects onto the surface of the water revealing gentle curves amid a tumultuous end to a day in the Canadian countryside.      

Balancing Berry

After a heavy rain, a fragile forest plant of not more than three inches struggles to balance its five berries and water droplets from the storm. The stem bends in multiple directions, but does not break and stands firm against the elements. Hope rises anew from hostility.       

Trees Stand Tall Together

In the face of a canopy of deciduous giants and a forest floor littered with maple leaves that crowd out other species, life in the woods can be inhospitable at best. While these miniature trees are only inches off the ground, they stand tall against the elements through their common roots and bonds.      

Over the river and through the woods...

 A small creek by my grandparents’ cottage. It’s winding banks and smooth ridges make for a visually pleasing composition.      

A Spider Web in the Clouds

Stripped bare of their leaves by the harsh fall weather the trees’ scraggly branches intertwine like a spider web. The picture is naturally framed by the tree trunks with the viewers’ eye drawn upwards to the intricate branches atop forest.     

Angular Sunset

Angular Sunset - Black and White

 While other pictures of the sunset may be more beautiful, these two have special significance. While the foreground appears almost perfectly level, the trees in the background are at a slight angle. As the viewer looks at the image from left to right, they see the lake expanding as a metaphor for life with light and opportunity increasing as time progresses.   

Leaves of Grass

Leaves of Grass black and white

 A maple leaf sits silently surrounded by water droplets amid a field of long grass. The depth of field in the image highlight’s the maple leaf’s ridges and veins running parallel to the grass.    

Fungus in the Forest

Fungus in the Forest black and white

A pair of fungi rest on a log jutting out against the forest floor. The semicircular fungi guide the viewer through the photograph towards the rough and distant trees beyond. The curious looking fungi appear menacing at first as they resemble saw blades cutting down a tree in the background.

Inukshuk

In Canada, an inukshuk is a symbol of welcome and friendship. While harsh Canadian winters can easily topple individual rocks, Inukshuk’s have a remarkable ability to weather the elements and stand up for years in the face of adverse  conditions. This photograph shows an inukshuk basking in the last light of a fall day. The spaces between the rocks reveal unique geometric figures.    

Sprouts from the Earth

 Rising out of the foreground, sprouts with angled lines shoot up from the ground. In the midst of a mighty forest, it is inspiring to see the detail and determination of the smallest plants struggling to survive in a difficult environment.   

  

A Ripple and Reflection

A Ripple and Reflection black and white

After a heavy rainstorm, a seasonal creek develops in the middle of the woods. The mighty oak and maple trees in the background reflect off the pools of water in the foreground and create a unique effect of line and texture.    

Branch of Light

As the sun sets, a pine tree burdened with water droplets tries to soak up the last rays of light. The tree’s natural frame of the sunset and the convergence of the tree’s branches on the trunk makes for a visually interesting photo.    

Water like Glass

The surface of the water as it reflects the setting sun is beautiful on the lake. I tried to capture this amazing sight through the lens of a slanted tree sloping into the wondrous water.    

Chaos in the Moss

As tiny plants on the forest floor try to reach upwards for the sunlight and nutrients they need to survive, they are beset by a number of obstacles. Falling leaves decimate the ranks of the moss plants as their brethren shoot straight up in the face of adversity.    

Forest Fire

The light emitted from the setting sun over the lake is so fantastic that the forest appears to be on fire.

Reflection

Reflection black and white

In the last picture of the lake, the surface shines like glass as sunlight reflects off the water. the sun emits a soft glow and creates a semicircular shadow around the top third of the photograph.

The Long Road Home

The black and white photograph of the road leading away from my Grandparent’s cottage is eerily beautiful. While I am sad to be leaving a place that I spent much of my childhood, I will always remember the memories that I had and the beauty of nature in northern Canada.

The final draft of our painting to life video.

1. MCU   Laying on bed

2. CU       Hands on stomach

3. CU       Reaction shot of surprised faces

4. CU       Reaction shot of girls’ sheepish face

5. MCU   Sitting up

6. MS      Walking in to TDR

7. MS      Looking at food

8. CU      Weird faces, shaking heads, not happy

9. MS      Grumbling stomach

10. MS    Leaving TDR dejectedly, light bulb moment

11. WS    Waiting for Shuttle

12. LS     Running up and down isles

13. MS    Actors bump into each other in front of soup

14. MS    Stomach grumble

15. CU    Soup can

Bicycle Thieves is a classic neorealist film exposing the poverty, desperation, and frustration following World War II in Italy. Like many neorealist films, Bicycle Thieves used non-actors for its characters and filmed on location using natural lighting.  The story follows Antonio Ricci as he seeks a job to support his family and then his quest to reclaim the bicycle that was stolen from him on his first day of work. Bicycle Thieves illustrates many important themes that are as relevant today as they were at its release in 1948. Common human struggles to find employment during difficult times, community solidarity, and the nature of morality are all explored in the film.

In Bicycle Thieves’ penultimate scene, protagonist Antonio Ricci and his son, Bruno Ricci are faced with a difficult dilemma. As Antonio’s job and future in jeopardy without a bicycle, he is presented an opportunity to steal a bike from an unknown fan watching a football match at the stadium. While the Ricci’s face tough socioeconomic conditions, throughout the film, they are presented as fundamentally decent people that would never steal from their fellow man. In the scene however, Antonio tells his son to board a streetcar and not to watch him steal the bike, but Bruno ends up seeing his father’s actions. The scene is powerful not only as a climax for the film, but it demonstrates the immense power that poverty and despair have in turning moral and decent human beings into those contemplating criminal actions.

The scene also serves as a haunting juxtaposition compared to the previous bike theft perpetrated against Antonio at the beginning of the film. Instead of a rapid getaway, Antonio ponders whether or not to steal the bike and approaches it very slowly. Soon after he mounts the bicycle, cuts in the scene quicken and music intensifies. Shouting occurs and the viewer is drawn into a chase scene. Director, Vittorio De Sica cuts rapidly between wide shots of the chase, and close ups of Bruno’s reaction. The impact of poverty, economic distress, occasional child abuse can be plainly seen in Bruno’s expression and illustrates an important consequence of difficult conditions in post-war Italy on new generations. After Antonio is caught by pursuers accusing him of theft, Bruno’s love for his father is illustrated as he desperately pushes through the crowd. The scene climaxes as both Bruno and Antonio are in tears when they realize their fate. With no money, no job, and a possible criminal charge, the Ricci’s serve as metaphors for broader Italian society not seeing hope for the future. In Bicycle Thieves, masterful camera and editing techniques create a compelling neo-realist film for its political message and convincing story telling.

Scene Analysis – Bicycle Theives

1  WS  Static  Antonio steals a bicycle;    25 sec.

     Ominous music plays as Antonio approaches the bike, shouts of ‘thief’

2  WS  Static  Men from the street respond to shouts, chase Antonio;    2 sec.

     Antonio steers away from pursuers

3  WS  Zoom Out  Antonio speeds away from chasers on stolen bike;    6 sec.

4  MS  Truck Left  Antonio bikes towards camera, passes shot into the street; 8 sec.

     Men follow Antonio from every direction

5  CU  Truck Right  Bruno sees his father, looks puzzled and alarmed;    4 sec.

6  WS  Pan Left  Antonio rounds a bend still pedaling away from pursuers;    5 sec.

     Antonio losing ground to people chasing him

7  MS  Zoom In  Pursuers catch up to Antonio, dismount him from bicycle;    6 sec.

8  MCU  Static  Bruno looks at scene in horror, runs towards his father;    3 sec.

9  MS  Static  Antonio is punched, beaten by crowd repeatedly;    5 sec.

    Voice: “Here! I’ll teach you to steal bicycles!”

10  MS  Truck Left  Bruno desperately tries to reach his father through the crowd;    9 sec.

     Bruno grabs his father’s hand, starts crying and shouts “Papa!”

National Building Museum

Jonas Bendiksen’s exhibition, The Places We Live is a powerful collection of photographs and stories of slums in four of the world’s largest cities. Bendiksen explores the lives of families in Nairobi, Kenya, Caracas, Venezuela, Jakarta, Indonesia, and Mumbai, India. Across different continents and cultures, Bendikesen’s art draws attention to common problems of poverty, overcrowding, and poor sanitation. The exhibition is particularly effective at putting a face to  urban poverty and drawing the viewer into the stories of those affected by residents of slums around the world. Instead of a gallery of still images in which museum goer’s walk around to view each photograph, the exhibit is like nothing I have ever seen in a gallery. Viewers enter each section of the exhibit and are surrounded by four walls that serve as screens for alternating images that are synchronized with music and narration. The larger than life images projected on all sides make the viewer feel surrounded by the cities featured in the exhibition and immersed in the lives and issues of people profiled by Bendiksen. In addition to the medium in which Bendiksen’s photographs are presented in, the images themselves are spectacular as they employ artistic techniques such as the rule of thirds and depth of field masterfully. While The Places We Live is only a temporary exhibition and is leaving the National Building Museum soon, it is a fantastic art gallery and is worthy of future viewing.

The second gallery important to Visual Literacy is the Form and Movement exhibition showcasing the photographs of Philip Trager. The Building Museum’s decision to display Trager’s work is appropriate as his art is primarily focused on photographing buildings. Almost all of Trager’s photos are black and white and make use of shadow, line, and movement in a hauntingly beautiful way. It was interesting to learn about the techniques Trager uses to produce his artwork. The exhibit explained the way in which a darkroom can be employed to make the contrast in images softer or more intense in order to enhance the vision of a photograph. My favorite Trager photographs juxtaposed urban and rural buildings all over the world. Trager’s has an incredible ability to take visually engaging photographs in diverse locations from the urban jungle of New York to the rural Southwestern desert of New Mexico. The harsh and jagged lines of buildings of the city contrast with the soft, curved stone of the countryside.

The National Building Museum’s The Places We Live and Form and Movement exhibits were extremely interesting and will be helpful in developing my own work. I am very glad that I had an opportunity to visit.

We were asked to pair emotions and principles of design with different camera angles.

1) Emphasis: Extreme Closeup

2) Exhaustion: Wide Shot

3) Perspective: High Angle Shot

4) Affection: Medium Shot

5) Repetition: Truck Right

6) Pride: Low Angle Shot

A compelling musical score, patriotic graphics, and powerful cinematic themes make The West Wing’s introduction one of the best in television. Throughout the entire sequence, the American flag ripples majestically against the characters as they are being introduced. This visual gives The West Wing its characteristic gravitas and develops its patriotic theme. The montage of images showing each character in different settings gives faces and personalities to what some in the American public views as an impersonal and uncaring federal government. The beautiful and inspiring music complements the visuals in the title sequence and gives the show an air of importance and heroism as members of the White House work to solve the nation’s problems. The relatively small but elegant fonts displaying the names of actors in the show illustrate the dignity and importance of public officials while simultaneously preserving the concept of institutions being larger than individual men and women in government.

The title sequence skillfully employs repetition through an overlayed and semitransparent Presidential seal that  gives the show context by illustrating the purpose of each character in serving the President of the United States. Overall, the opening credits flow extremely well with the viewer being drawn into the program more and more after each cutaway. While the title sequence could be slightly shorter and more varied in different episodes, The West Wing’s status as an influential, intellectual and intelligent television show is significantly aided by its masterful opening credits.

I created this poster to publicize the upcoming International Day of Climate Action on October 24^th in which events will be held around the world to advocate for action against climate change. In Washington DC, thousands of environmental activists will gather at Malcolm X Park and march to the White House in an effort to put pressure on the federal government to pass meaningful and immediate climate change legislation. 

More information on the event can be found here.

Earth Days - Now in Theaters

While it has several positive and negative aspects, overall the Earth Days poster is effective at motivating moviegoers to see a powerful, engaging, and educational film. The poster is particularly captivating in its unique use of repetition. The dozens of buttons promoting countless environmental causes from banning nuclear weapons to wilderness preservation come together to form a beautiful yet chaotic Earth. Symbolically, this has the effect of illustrating the unity of all fields of environmental activism to work as one to save the planet. The repetition of the buttons has the added effect of showing viewers the depth of the environmental movement and its multifaceted agenda. Critics may dispute the merits of this visual concept in terms of policy however, as solving complex environmental problems requires much more than potentially polarizing sound bites and bumper sticker slogans.

While the font choice of Earth Days is effective with subtle touches of green and the leaf forming the  letter ‘A’, I wish that the font size was larger to attract viewers who may not have enough time to read the entire poster. Also, grouping in the poster could be improved with “THE SEEDS OF A REVOLUTION” title moved from the top and placed below the “Earth Days” type at the bottom of the sign. This would create more visual harmony in the poster, improve flow, and guide the viewers eyes through the design.

Earth Days is a compelling film and has a solid poster accompaniment to promote it. While certain elements could be improved such as the placement and size of typeface, overall it is a visually interesting and persuasive design.

More Information on Earth Days: http://www.earthdaysmovie.com/