I wanted to keep mine traditional yet a bit modernized at the same time. I was thinking of the candid photos I would often see along with people usually keeping a straight face in photos from that time. I wanted it to have a laid-back atmosphere while maintaining a sense of sophistication. With that, I distressed the image a lot with the custom brushes, as well as incorporating textures from my parents driveway which luckily, had cracks in it that gave a defined scratch look. Incorporating something from the library of congress was challenging only because I am indecisive and didn’t know which I should choose, but I finally chose the frame in my finalized version, which goes along with the colors. I originally didn’t have as much blemishes with the fear of adding too much, but I think in this case, the more blemishes the better it looked.
Old is New Again, by Madyson Young
ReplyDeleteThis is a photograph of two young women sitting close together prominently in the foreground with their hands resting on their knees with serious yet friendly expressions. In the background there appears to be the back of a booth or perhaps a church pew on which they are sitting. Although I am unsure where they are located but it does seem to be indoors based on lighting and items in the background. The women both appear to know each other as they are sitting very close together.
I interpret this to be projecting a sense of belonging and kinship. Two people that sit very close together yet are not having any other physical contact exudes friendship. The serious and calm demeanor they both have feels as if the subjects know each other in a professional or institutional way, alluding to them having a bond relative to that but perhaps nothing more.
The photograph is distressed in appropriate ways to mimic the wet-plate process. The placement of the scratches and other weathered features tend to frame the subjects with lesser defects in the center where they sit. This gives a sense of importance to the two individuals, drawing the viewer’s focus primarily to them. The frame that surrounds the picture is small and subtle yet provides a way to neatly contain the entire photograph offering a modernized appearance with the sepia tones and defects maintaining the feeling of nostalgia. If I could offer a critique, it would be the focus on the subject to the right is rather sharp in contrast to what would have been seen during the period represented. This is particularly important since the focal point appears to be the women depicted.
I wouldn’t say this piece is powerful, but I do recognize the relationship between the two and immediately formed a relatability to the concept I see projected. I too have formed many bonds with people over the years that were close, particularly at jobs, where the impact of our duties forced a kinship unlike any other. Closeness isn’t always intimate nor is it necessarily a life-long product. Often, it is forged by sheer circumstance. To me, this piece is a lovely and successful example of that.
-Kim B