ENC 1102 Final Draft

Joshua D. Johnson

ENC 1102-Warren

Essay 1 Final Draft

Love, Hate or Whatever

Love, hate or whatever, but find three photos to write about is a broad subject to me. I found four photos to talk about and wanted write to about more as I looked at my cell phone pictures. I found there were even more photos that I could have talked about or even complained about. There were many photos in the competition, but few I felt I could talk about. Here is a quote that I found that represents how I feel about a few of the photos and is a quote that I enjoyed reading. “In my view you cannot claim to have seen something until you have photographed it." This is from Emile Zola a novelist and journalist who passed away in 1902. I felt it was a statement that made me truly think about some of the photos I saw in the gallery.

            My favorite picture in the photo gallery was a photo by Kaila Bacon, titled Mermaid. I enjoyed the photo most because it seemed to blend photography and art into one picture. I enjoyed how unique it was with blending the face of a pretty woman and the tentacles of an octopus. I found there to be a good use of many different bright and beautiful colors. The photo itself actually placed second, which I think was a fitting spot for it. Though, the photographer was actually the same photographer that placed first. It was quite different to use the name mermaid for the photo when people normally would picture something completely different when they hear the word mermaid. They would not think a pretty face and octopus tentacles.  It was not what you expect from just hearing the word mermaid. This also drew me to the photo, how different the name and actual image was.

            I enjoy photos that are from my home town, Jacksonville. Specifically of places that I have been to and have fond memories of going there. That’s why the second photo I choose to write about is another photo by Kaila Bacon called Home. It was a photo of the Jacksonville Beach pier. I liked it because it reminded me of the many good memories I have at the beach and of the old and new pier. The timing of the photo was something I enjoyed. It was sundown on a cloudless day, very serine, and peaceful. The photograph reminded me of the night I proposed to my fiancé on Jacksonville Beach. It was a beautiful night as represented in the photograph, but a little later in the evening. Looking at the photograph more I began to see my life and how it has changed from that night when I proposed to now having a family.  I would have like to have seen the photo taken in the morning, as a sunrise. I feel that the sunrise is more unique than a sunset. I liked that it was a fairly clear sky in the photo and it appeared to be a low tide with a damp beach. With what appeared to be a nice evening on the beach after a hot Florida day. I could almost see myself walking on the beach barefoot with my son running in and out of the surf and playing while the cool evening breeze blows off the surf after a hot day. That is what I truly enjoyed about this photo. To me it brings good memories to mind, and after looking at it I found myself day dreaming of my family and the fond memories my family and I there.

The one photo that I saw that I don’t think should have been in the competition was, Taylor Davidson's “Vicious Solutions”. I liked the actual art that was in the photo, but to me the photographer only photographed another artist's work. In the first photograph by Kaila Bacon (Mermaid) it appears to be her personal art work not a photographed picture of someone else's art. In Taylor Davidson's photo it seems to be unknown who the artist is, but is not Taylor Davidson. I don’t believe you should be able to photograph another person’s art and enter a competition. I did like that it was street art. I enjoy many street artist works such as Alec Monopoly.In this photo competition it was a better photo than some of the other photographs in the gallery, but was not an original. Some of the photos in the gallery were very tasteless without any real thought to them. Some of the photos were originals and seemed to go along with common or easily selected subject.

            I choose these photographs to write about because they each gave me a different feeling. The first by Kaila Bacon, ‘Mermaid’ I like due to it being so unique using a woman’s face andintrigate an octopus with a lot of bright hues, it was different and off the beaten path. I like how she also blended art and photography in the same piece of work. The second photograph also by Kaila Bacon, “Home” I was really able to relate to. I liked being able to envision myself inside the picture and remind myself of good memories I have had on the beach and on the piers in Jacksonville. The last photograph I wrote about was to give anargumentative point. I felt as though it was not an original piece of his and he only took a picture of another artist work. With the first two photographs I was able to really look at them and see what the artist was trying to capture. They brought back good memories and gave me a drive to go photograph some of the special places I have been so that I may proof to the claim that I have been there.

Acknowledgements: www.pixiq.com for Emile Zola quote