Photos Connotation Exercise

Purity

We used water in this photo to show purity. The reason for this was because water has strong connotations of purity, life and clean living. We placed the bottle on the grass to also help draw forth this idea of purity. Furthermore, the colour green produced by the grass is often associated with being ECO Friendly, recycling and nature; all of these things connote purity. The bottle is placed slightly on the right of the frame to help give the image balance. The camera angle is level with the bottle. This was chosen because we wanted to avoid giving the perception of power from the angle, whereas, by keeping it level, it keeps things humble .

Strength

This image shows strength through very literal reasons as well as some hidden semantics. The guy in the photo is lifting weights ,which after repetition, commitment and hardwork, you increase as well as define muscle. This dedication shows that the individual has to have strength in his personality as well as body to achieve the desired goal; strength. Therefore, we felt that the connotations of the the gym and the action of lifting weights along with the attitude needed for the task was the perfect representation for strength. The main focal point of the image is the red face of the individual lifting the weights. This could be because of the colour, as red draws the eye thanks to its striking tone. Red also connotes danger, passion and strength. The second major focal point is the dumbbell in the top right hand corner which falls on the rule of thirds. Pacing the the dumbbell on the rule of thirds helps to draw attention to the object, further influencing the perception of strength in the image. Lastly, you can see slight motion blur from the movement of arm lifting the weight. This suggests speed and as the weight appears large and heavy, the guy must be moving the image quickly suggesting that he has the strength capable of such a task.

Fear 

In this image, we tried to show fear through the use of shadow, positioning and camera angle. The subject is curled up into a tight ball, in the corner of the image with the shadow of a figure projected above. This shows fear and vulnerability because the subjects is shying away from this figure as well as hiding his face in an attempt to protect himself.  We used shadow to create our 'monster', as this still keeps the detail and what it potentially is, a mystery. Which adds to the fear factor as we are often afraid of the unknown. The high angle shot helps to further enhance this feeling of vulnerability and fear.

Danger 

Danger is shown in the image through the use of colour and signage. This image has a red sign with flame and an extinguisher marked into it. Red was most likely used because it's striking and bold and we associate this colour with danger. Furthermore, the producers of this sign knew this and used it to help get the attention of others as they are trying to warn people of this potential threat. The photograph focuses on the flame and extinguisher. The use of a wide aperture helps to amplify the part in focus, the flames extinguishers, once again, drilling this message of danger into the image.

Desire 

We used food as our desire as everything else would not be college appropriate. This image contains a hungry teenager gazing into a vending machine, filled with sugary snacks. We felt like a low angle shot would help to maximise the power of desire by making it more significant than the viewer. Thus, giving you this impression that temptation is a powerful thing. We also chose food as our subject because it is something which people universally crave and need. Not to mention that we are gazing upon chocolate and crisps, which are notorious for being something we all want but shouldn't have. Our lovely modal has his hand pressed against the glass, suggesting an almost pining for the content behind the glass.