Holzhauer-place

Portrait of a Place Research
The image on the far right, is a portrait of a cityscape. This photo was taken by Anthony Doudt, a famous photographer of Chicago that focuses on the city and cityscapes within the big city. I found this image on http://www.anthonydoudtphotography.com/project-4/. He is currently finishing up his project on Chicago and it's cityscape. Out of all of his photographs of Chicago, this image, The Famous Chicago Bean, specifically stood out to me because of the complexity within it. When I originally looked at this photo it reminded me of the good times that I spent in Chicago when I was younger because I used to live in Illinois. Every time I go back there I get this bitter sweet memory. I love how this was taken at night with the city lights and those lights,to me, bring the city to life. The point of view is unique because compared to the other people sitting on the bench, it looks as if the photographer is above them. But compared to the buildings, the photographer sits almost directly underneath them. This artist did a wonderful job with the point of view. Although the bean is in the center of the image, it has a symmetrical balance to it. One of my favorite things that I noticed about this image is the reflection of the buildings on the opposite side in the bean. When looking at the image we almost get a sense of the 360 view of this specific area of Chicago. The author also uses a horizon line that is implied because you can't see it directly because of the buildings, but you can guess where it would be. The buildings lead you up into the sky, and even that has its own complexity. The curve of the bean makes the viewer's eyes go around it and all around the image. This is my favorite cityscape I have seen thus far.

The middle image is an interior-scape of a sugar factory. This image was taken by Paul Raphaelson and I found this image on his website, http://www.paulraphaelson.com/portfolios/domino/#7. Raphaelson has done many different portfolios focusing on different places and he is currently working on the sugar factory. As I was looking through all of them, this specific one, Sweet Ruin: The Brooklyn Domino Sugar Refinery stood out to because of the implied texture and leading lines. You can tell that this sugar factory is very old and rustic, and by the lack of movement and people, I implied that this factory is abandoned and no longer used. The unity within the large holding tanks, gives the photograph and the view a sense of reassurance. I love things to be organized and in the correct spots so when I saw this image it was very appealing based on how in line and symmetrical the tanks are in. The point of view speaks to the people who would be in this spot. It is at eye level of a person so whatever we see is what a person who worked there would have saw everyday. Based on the lack of light and the harsh shadows, I would say that this artist does not feel happy when going to this factory. It looks a little creepy and would probably remind someone of a rough time in their life. Working in a factory is not a job anyone would dream of doing in their future. Another thing that I noticed about the compositional techniques in the photograph, is the framing that the tanks on each side do to the walkway between them. Also the leading lines that lead you to the very small speck of light at the end.

The image on the far right, Moon and Clouds, California, 1959, was taken by Ansel Adams, found on his website, http://www.photographywest.com/pages/adams_prints.html. Ansel Adams is a a famous landscape photographer who focuses on the entirety of the space instead of a specific area. This landscape has a dreary feeling to it when I look at it. The majority of the image focuses in on the sky and the sky is so dark with wispy clouds that it doesn't give me a bubbly feeling. The horizon line is very low and because of that the point of view is very interesting because it looks as if the photographer was on a cliff looking over this meadows with the hills in the background. The clouds, because they have a more swoop to them, they lead me up into the dark sky and it doesn't focus me in on the meadow and trees below. That speaks a lot to the type of artwork he does and how the mood changes based on the surroundings. This artist also utilized rule of thirds. With all the compositional techniques and the lack of light, it really gives me a dark and mystical feeling when looking at this image because I feel that there is a sense of hovering as the clouds hover over the ground.

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My idea for my image transfer, portrait of a place, is to transfer my chosen image onto a canvas. I have many sunset and sunrise pictures that I am leaning towards using for my final image I feel that these would work well because they will run off the edge. I haven't seen people use canvas before so I would like to experiment with it. The process seems fairly easy but I will need to go out and buy my own canvas. My concept for this project is relaxation, serenity, and security. Whether I am in my room or in Naples, Florida, I feel all these characteristics and I want to take that feeling I get and share it with other people. A sunset or sunrise is a great way to show the beauty and peacefulness of Florida. Within the image I am leaning towards, it does have sunrise, unset, natural lighting but if I choose to do the image of my room, that is artificial lighting. Both forms of light give off the effect I want it to, that is why I chose to shoot the pictures of my room after the sunset. If I choose to do Naples, that is a landscape but if I were to do my room, that is an inner space. Both have two completely different ideas and effects of the viewer, but to me they are both safe places and getaways. Depending on the canvas size and the maximum paper size I can print on, that will vary the sizing of my image. This technique is new o me and I would love to experiment with it. Plus if it turns out good, I have the ability to hang it in my room right away!