Weekly Blog Post 8

The boys in this picture may not know each other personally or very well, but they all have a lot in common. They come from the same community, dealing struggle within that community. You can see the community's struggle by looking at the boys. I see it in their clothes and shoes. They have average clothes. It does not look particularly torn but none of it looks anything near designer, just average street clothes. The most effective to me is their sandals or no shoes. This is popular in communities that are not as well off and in that part of the world. By looking at them from behind, you can not see their faces, what makes a person most unique from one to the other. From behind they all look very similar. Although ever person, besides identical twins, look a little different from this angle, you can't tell them apart. This adds to them being all being like brothers from their community.

Most likely the two groups of three do know each other more than just by their community, possibly as friends or as brothers. Though you can not necessarily tell if they are talking, it does not appear that they are talking to each other. I assume that because they are all looking out past the railing and not a single one is looking at another person. For boys at this age to be around other boys they know as friends or brothers and not be talking must mean they have a lot running through their mind. It makes me sad to think of kids at that age with so many burdens and so many worries. It is typical to see kids having fun, but not a single one looks like they are having fun in this picture.

Showing the boys slouched and resting their heads on their arms or on the rails shows them having the emotions of being tired, disappointed, or distraught. Showing the kid walking to join them makes me think of all the other kids around that are feeling as they do, like more and more could just keep walking into the picture. The vector of attention is toward mainly the sky and somewhat to the water or peninsula. The sky mirrors the attitude of boys, being gray, cloudy and dull. The water is also gray, not the beautiful green or blue color. It does not seem to be too rough but it is not completely calm either. The peninsula off to the distance could be their village or a village close to theirs, either way it is shadowed with the clouds overhead. The angle in which he took the picture adds to this effect too. Because it is at an angle and not straight on the gray sky and long railing look as if they go on forever. It makes me feel as if it represents how they are feeling, that the rough times are going to be their forever. I found myself staring at the picture determined to find some sun peeking through to show some hope, but there is no sun. This picture makes me feel sympathy for these kids and their families.

Weekly Blog Post 7

I have never been too involved with photography, just taking a few pictures on my digital camera and being in various pictures, but never knowing the techniques or the vocabulary. I never considered myself a very "artsy" person so I did not take the classes offered in my high school. My parents also were not too involved in photography either just basic pictures at events or vacations. Although I have never taken the classes or been too concerned with all the technicalities I can find some photographs breathtaking. I enjoy looking at them to see what friends or family have been up to and I love looking at scenery pictures. The absolutely gorgeous scenery pictures have the power of making me dream about how I wish I was there, or could have scene that beautiful sight. So, I guess in some ways I was interested in it, but not overly, just as a small way to pass time and brighten my mood.

I am a little concerned because I don't know how exposure, different lenses, or other options in photography work or what effects they have. Since I have only taken basic pictures making what I wanted to capture straight, front, and center, I am slightly worried that I will not be able to look at the photographs and necessarily know what the photography was trying to capture, or the point they were trying to make. However, after reading chapter 11 I now understand simple differences like vectors of attention and framing. I understood what the book was saying and the effects they were pointing out. It was even a little interesting to me the different arguments they could find in a photo essay or even one photograph. It is slightly unnerving to know that I will be studying and writing on things that I do not have much background knowledge in, so I will only know the basics, but at the same time it is exciting. What I learned so far in chapter 11 did make sense, was interesting to me, and gave me something to think about and consider when looking at different photographs.

Weekly Blog Post 6

The video begins by showing his legs walking down the sidewalk. The viewers eyes are drawn to his moving feet and keep their focus on him as the camera moves up to show his face. This makes him the focus of the whole video because he is presented first as the "protagonist", the visual hierarchy has been set. Towards the beginning of the video there are a few shots where he is not in the shot and the camera is showing multiple groups. They are spread out and the ones that are placed in front are more unique and therefore grab your attention. With these shots the few exceptions, for the most part the creator has the video composed to clearly direct the viewer exactly what to look at. Either you are following Eric and look at whomever he interacts with, or if he is not in the scene it zooms in on a specific group of people or a thing, such as the ice cream or the sign with his name. Although the people are spread out at first, the camera moves in one direction showing that they are headed to one destination. As the video continues the people get closer together and are in a straight line in that same direction. The creator did a great job producing a video so that the viewers know where to look and can follow it without being overwhelmed.

The point of this video, and the song, is about people acting the way they please and not worrying about how everyone else is responding. The arrangement of this video, its appeal to logos, brings this out very well. Showing him first, making him the central focus of the video, draws the viewers into his actions and his story. He is the one being contrasted with all the different people, acting how he pleases without worrying about the others. With the creator of the video making it very clear what to look at the viewers see this video through his eyes, making an appeal to ethos. By knowing what he expects the viewers to look at we can think about what kind of person he is to be moving in one direction, following the line to the front. Also, the individuals he focuses in on, are those ones most unique to him? As the video continues, showing a clear line, headed in one direction, the viewers are drawn in to know where the line is headed. This is an appeal to pathos as it makes the viewers excited or anxious.

Weekly Blog Post 5

In the video "Rock and Roll" the appeal to ethos begins right away. He is dressed differently from the people around him, and acting different by moving along and singing with the music. Despite some of their initial sour responses to him, he always holds a smile on his face. This shows us that he is a happy guy, who is also carefree. He doesn't care if he doesn't fit in, which is also what the lyrics of this song are about. The song is about two people who, it says "if they want to rock they rock, and if they want to roll they roll" meaning they are also carefree and don't worry about fitting in. Him and the people in the lyrics just care about having a good time for themselves, not about the norms. The appeal to ethos is very effective because of how the lyrics and his actions line up.

The appeal to pathos is intended to make the audience feel happiness and even humor. The humor is seen by all the stereotypes shown throughout this video, and also how they react to him. For example, at one point they show one man in a business suit dancing along with him, right next to another man in a business suit who is stiff and without emotion. Just the thought of these business men dressed as they are in this long line is odd, but having the two total opposites right next to each other makes the stiff one look funny. The way Eric Hutchinson moves with a little bounce, and a smile on his face projects the happiness on to the people at the front of the line, or at the end of the video, but also onto the audience who watch the video. By showing all the happy and carefree people, they are using pathos to give us the same emotion. This is achieved because smiles are contagious. I can never watch this music video and stay in a bad mood.

Weekly Blog Post 4

Normally strolling down the street is quite normal and expected but in this video it seems weird because everyone else is stationary, waiting in line. So although Eric walks by people doing various odd things in line, he seems like the odd one, because he's the only one walking. This video is interesting as of context because it shows so many different types of people doing different types of things and how they each react to him. He does not change what he's doing but they do. At first everyone pretty well ignores him or seems annoyed by him. They are more spaced out in little clusters so that he is not included at all. As they begin to become more of a line, they interact with him more. His mood and his behavior is more accepted by the people. Eventually he gets closer to the front of the line and everyone is clapping and enjoying him. It makes an interesting point that although they all had the same goal, to get ice cream, they were all going about it differently, with different activities in line, and had different attitudes, towards him.

Although the lyrics are talking about a different scene, this video matches it perfectly. The lyrics is composed of a story of two people and how they do what they want to have a good time. They may dress or act sleazy but it is okay, even envied by some, in that context. That would be at a bar. Just like he is walking will everyone else is standing, they are acting how they want to act on the weekend nights. Like the beginning of the video there is a lot of people that go about having a good weekend differently and don't agree with what the two in the lyrics would do. However, just like at the front of the line, some people "want to be her" and probably him too. Some people adjust their behavior to fit other people's view of the situation but others just go about it how the please "rolling with the punches".