Photo Connotation Exercise

Loneliness

To represent loneliness we decided to take a wide shot on a canted angle to show a lot of background behind the subject. We did this to make the subject look isolated from everyone. We also picked a spot in the shade just out of reach of the sun, to depict the person being stuck under a metaphorical rain cloud. The shot was taken from a low angle to try create the illusion of the person being insignificant and small.

Fear/Danger

To depict fear we had help from a prop in the classroom cupboard, a painted airsoft handgun. So we found a dark place in the woods that looked sinister & secluded to set up our shot. We then used an over the shoulder shot to focus on the expression of Raffi's face. When looking at the photo your eye is automatically led down the arm and onto the expression, showing the fear. We wanted to use underexposure as well to add the effect.

Wealth

When trying to capture wealth, we took all our shots from a low angle. This was to make the subject seem powerful and to create the illusion the are physically large and looks down upon everyone else. We also went against a dark background and had the light source coming from out of shot, to make it seem as if there was a spotlight on the person, however I think we could of used a little more exposure in hindsight.

Strength

To connote strength we went for the simple & obvious, and headed straight for the gym. In hindsight we didn't put a lot of thought into the image since the subject seemed very impatient to get back to his weightlifting. However we ended up with a high angle, medium shot, which at the end of the day still depicted strength. The center subject has large muscles which really emphasises the strength.

Poverty

To show poverty we used an over the shoulder shot from a high angle. We wanted to create empathy in the image but taking the image as if it was yourself looking into an empty wallet. We used high exposure with a lot of lighting from above, to shine down into the wallet and over the subject. We focused more on the perspective of the picture though more than anything.