Weekly Blog Post 7

I have grown up with an appreciation for photography, having an aunt that constantly takes pictures in order to literally document every minuscule facet of her life. I've learned the value to cropping a photo to capture the desired subject as well as direct the eye of the viewer. Photos illustrate life and the beauty of it is that the photographer can manipulate various elements to correctly demonstrate the story that the artist attempts to tell to the person that is to view the picture. I've never actually been the artist, primarily the subject in my aunt's story of life though I have the ability to take pictures. To me there is a difference between pictures and photographs, pictures being the typical, cheesy posed images taken with friends and family documenting an occasion worthy of being commemorated. Photos on the other hand are a manipulated art form that is meant to document something beyond the literal image. I have a personal interest in natural photography such as the photo displayed above because the vectors of attention become subtleties so the eye is more free to explore the boundaries of the photo. Even though the attention is drawn to the subject of the water droplet contained within the dandelion seed, the photo is open guides guides the eye to the scenery inside of the droplet. The multiple layers within the droplet of water hint at a subtle hierarchy of the images, with the the foreground being the dandelion seed and water being the most prominent. The images within the droplet are vibrant with adjacent hues used to illustrate the sunset and the contrasting tone of the mountains against the radiant sky. Still life or natural photos inspire me the most because there is almost always hide a more profound meaning than the obvious figures in the photo. Photography would be an interesting outlet of art to explore since it has the ability to cross lines between reality and supernatural through computer manipulation for instance, but still retain a strong sense of realism.