For this work, I was inspired by famous photo hoaxes of Bigfoot and Nessie. I decided to use my own image of Red Rocks Park in Colorado to bring the "Devil Ram" to the photograph. The urban legend of the Devil Ram tells of a creature that hunts livestock, stalks farmland, and terrorizes humans for pleasure. The origin of this myth can be traced to the 19th century, the reason for the black and white adjustment layer with the grain texture. The element of the human figure and ram skull are from Unsplash (stock imagery), while the signage, hiking gear, and campsite are Generative AI.
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ReplyDeleteThis composition is titled Devil Ram of Red Rocks by Jonah Sanderson. These images play around with scale and curves. From the beginning of the gif, you notice the beautiful, bright image full of color. After the image was inverted to black and white, the sky was a bit overexposed, allowing the overall feel of the old 19th century. The texture of worn-out grain contributes to the narrative context of the image. Adding this texture creates a variety of visual interests, allowing the viewer's eye to engage with the composition. The mood within this image carries a sense of tension and unease. The photos that were chosen for this composition all blended, allowing the viewer to ease their way towards different elements in the composition.
ReplyDeleteThis work is supposed to tell the urban legend of the Devil Ram, a creature that hunts livestock, stalks farmland, and terrorizes humans for pleasure. At first glance, you can see a campsite from a distance, creating depth of field in the composition. The image of the devil's ram in front of the hiking gear creates eeriness. Even though there isn't any blood or body parts anywhere in the composition, it still makes sense to question. The sign that states "stay on the path" creates the narrative that some hikers stray from the path they are being told to follow. This could create the illusion of a missing person. The head of the ram symbolizes power, determination, and leadership.
The composition itself is put together very nicely. However, some elements could've been added to grow the urban legend of this creature a little more. I suggest adding shadows and playing around with the lighting with some elements. For example, the hiking gear looks a little bright compared to the ground, which can be said with the Devil Ram as well.
Playing around with shadows behind them would allow the illusion that it's crouched down looking at the viewer. The Devil Ram is floating just a little bit from the ground on the left side. Playing around with perspective would help a little. Adding a little bit of flowers on top of the Devil Ram would help give the illusion that it is crouched down in the bed of flowers. Adding a little more shadows provides the image with a more profound eeriness of a not-so-bright day.
Pulling from the inspiration of this composition it was related to/ inspired by the hoaxes of Bigfoot and Nessie. Two of which were significant sought-out hoaxes that were deemed trustworthy. There was "photographic evidence" that was presented to the media. Hoaxes are relevant to our larger culture because they can influence public perception and, nowadays, influence the one thing everyone is influenced by: Social Media. Speaking of media literacy, people eventually will have the ability to decode and analyze produced media information. This image could have been shared to make hikers aware and not stray away from their group or campsite. Other options could have been related to the government trying to hide something just as an area they do not want anyone to be in. The article The Atlantic: The Teen Dramas that Reject Modernity states, "We're living in a moment of abundant options. And yet we're compelled to seek out entertainment that quiets the present moment rather than interrogating it and relating to Area 51 and those conspiracy theories that the government is hiding aliens or something unknown to humanity. Why is this place such a secretive place? This could be related to this image: The Devil Ram of Red Rocks. It is allowing this kind of imagery out to the public to scare them. This allows an alternative reality to let the unknown stay unknown.
ReplyDeleteOverall, this composition, The Devil Ram of Red Rocks, shows a ghostly phenomenon. It creates a sense of something you don't expect to see if you are hiking in Colorado. Each of the elements creates a broad narrative without having to put any human beings in the mix. The texture and black-and-white imagery play into the role of it being from the past and not the present. It conveys a connection to the unknown. Allowing the element of question: where are the humans?