In class, we was given a seemingly simple picture, but once we looked deeper we could come up with many ideas of what it may mean, and why the photographer took the picture.
If I had to explain the photograph to someone who hadn't seen it yet, I would start off by explaining that the picture is split in the middle by two parts, the and the ground. Then its split again into 3 parts, the foreground middle ground and background. In the foreground there is a sign that is shaped as an upside down triangle with a pole coming out of the bottom and on the floor angled slightly to the left is a shadow of said sign. As you continue backward, into the middle ground on the far left is a tree,the tree is triangular and very tall, almost reaching the top of the photo. Under-neeth the tree is a white trailer with two wheels in the middle of it. If you continue slightly more to the right there is a white come with 3 windows placed in a triangular shape. When you continue further to the right, there is a large cluster of trees with a triangular peak and under the trees is a white car with black windows. When you continue more to the far right of the page the view changes into the background which is a street view and telephone poles spaced equally slowly getting smaller the further into the background they get (because of perspective) When you come back to the foreground on top of the previously spoken about sign, there is a cloud with 3 humps, the one in the middle bigger then the two on the sides making it look like an ice-cream cone.
Space in this photograph is represented in a very unequal way, middle ground holds the most to view like the trees and the cars and the home, and very little is in the fore and background, but that adds emphasis to the sign in the foreground, though there is only one thing.. the sign.. it adds a lot to the picture.
In the photograph, most things are in focus but the very background.
When I was looking at the photo, the one thing that really caught my eye was the trailer. It may seem simple but there could be so much behind it. It seems so mysterious, so many questions came to my head like why is it there, who owns it, does anyone own it? What's inside? Why was it parked there specifically? How long has it been there? How old? Does it move about? Or has it always been there..?
I decided to think of some questions to ask the photographer, like.. why did he decide to take a picture of that frame, why did he angle it that way? Why did he decide to put the sign in the foreground? Was it a conscious decision, or not?
Then, I started to think of how it would feel.. like.. I was there. I could feel the beating heat on my sweating skin, and crickets chirping and hopping in the background. The street is completely empty of people, probably staying inside to stay cool. The odd breeze here and there makes the trees dance, but its not a cool breeze, it's warm. Making me hotter. Its midday, so the sun is at its peak.. sitting just above my head. On the floor there is a trail of ants, some are sadly dead because of the heat. The sign just ahead of me, its so hot I can felt he heat beating off of it. I decide to flea from the heat, before I pass out.
That made me think, why did he stop at this one place when it could of possibly been so hot. Did it mean something to him, did that sign had some significance to him, or did he just find it pretty, or interesting.
This photo, personally, I find very effective in the way its taken, positioned and angled. The way the sign looks like an ice-cream come and the fact that there could be so much and so little meaning to it. Theres so many questions to be asked and there could be more behind the picture.