Castillo-Place

Moonrise, Hernandez - by Ansel Adams: [|Source]
The first image by Ansel Adams is a portrait of a landscape, as it has a vast and distant view of the location with nature being the focal point with the moon, clouds and mountains. From viewing this image, I feel a sense of quietness and calmness because it's nighttime and it is as if everyone else is sleeping in this little village under the moon. In Adams' gallery, he has several other black and white images that are mostly centered around nature, with several other landscape portraits. This image also reflects his general theme, being a black and white portrait with natural details strewn across the horizon. Compositionally, this portrait has an effective sense of the focal point of the moon, as well as a level horizon. This enhances a viewer's attention towards the moon and the expanse of the land beneath it. I think that I was initially attracted to this piece because of the moon as the focal point and the clouds acting as a barrier of contrast. The element of value offered separation among the "layers" of the image from the moon and sky to the village. This also enhances the principle of contrast as mentioned to separate the moon from the sky and the village among it.

Maison Kirsch - by Tom Kirsch: //[|Source]//
Next, the second image by Tom Kirsch captures an interior-scape of an abandoned house, as it captures the spirit of the entry and staircase area in the house with what seems to be natural light. This image seems to have a sense of aging to it with the cracked ceilings, but also a relaxed feel, as the house doesn't seem meant to be kept clean or in perfect condition. In Kirsch's gallery, his typical portraits of places involve abandoned locations and capturing their spirit through his eyes. This photo definitely captures the history and "unkemptness" of this house. Compositionally, this portrait effectively incorporates the rule of thirds by having focal points placed in the intersecting points if the image grid were split into thirds. The open door, chandelier, stairs and paper are points in the image that guide a viewer's eyes. I appreciated this image because of how relaxing and welcoming an old and worn house could be, but the open door and sunlight make all the difference. The elements of space and color enhance this staircase area to seem realistic but offer the vibes of aged yet a friendly place with gentler colors. The principle of balance plays a role in this image as the staircase on the left and opening of the door on the right seem to visually balance each other.

Abandoned Graffiti - //unknown artist: [|Source]//
Lastly, the third image from WebUrbanist incorporates a portrait of a cityscape with a hint of an urban-scape, with the architecture of the graffiti-covered buildings is what a viewer may first be drawn to. This image makes me feel a sense of curiosity with the illegible graffiti art on the buildings and some want to just admire the colors of the graffiti but also the sky and how the colors interact. The artist's name was not given, but this image was chosen among others in an article about beautiful abandoned places, which I believe fits perfect, as there isn't a direct sign of life in the buildings, but still the sense that there are visitors here. In terms of composition, I think that leading lines were effectively used to guide a viewer's eyes. The chosen image point of view creates angles off of the tops of the buildings and the edges of the roofs interact with the space to point further into the space of the image. This image interested me in the sense that it was capable of being classified as 'abandoned,' yet the graffiti is an indication of visitors. Otherwise, the element that was most prominent and visually drawing in this image was color. It almost added life to the graffiti walls and interacted with the sky. Also, the element of space is present with the sense of grounds and distance among the buildings in this cityscape. The principle that I picked up on was emphasis or contrast with the wall with the graffiti versus the other walls in the image. It provided a glint of color and warmth in a more desolate and industrialized environment.

My plan: imagery, concept, printing:
For this unit, I plan on using a photo from the Pearl Harbor memorial in Hawaii and capture the more somber vibes of the location as locals and tourists pay respects at the memorial. I used natural light through the architectural ceiling holes, but it was a cloudy, gloomier day, which will contribute to the personality and history of Pearl Harbor. This almost "innerscape" will support my concept being that history rises above our capabilities of life in the present. History stands, even if there are few eye witnesses today and I plan on printing on silk organza or a similar sheer-like material. In support of my concept as mentioned, I think the organza will allow my print onto it to have a gentle and ghostly look, and I will filter my final chosen image to be black and white for more contrast. Otherwise, I am thinking of creating my own substrate to print on, such as using watercolor paper sized to my image (size depends on how I decide to crop and edit) and use watercolors as the substrate to add the contrast of color against the black and white image of Pearl Harbor. An example of these printing methods are below:

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