The Title of My Photo is: An Existential Photograph of a Jelly Fish
The significance of the jelly fish in the photo is that it is hopelessly far away from the sea. The consequence of it being beached is that it has become deformed, trapped and covered in sand. The jelly fish must wait patiently hoping for a return to home.
Response to the Assignment
After reading through the article based on David duChem’s 10 Ways to Improve Your Craft. I tried to take a photograph where I balanced my perspective and depth. I did not intend to make an existential reason behind my picture, but as I saw the jelly fish on the beach and lay down to take a picture of it, I felt sympathy for its struggle. I went to the beach on vacation and took this photo with the following areas in mind.
- Better Contrast Makes Better Stories: A jelly fish is a creature of the sea, so it is not that unusual to see it on the beach, but there is something strange about seeing it out of it’s natural habitat. The difference between a beached jellyfish and one in the sea is very noticeable.
- Change My Perspective By Changing Yours: I took this picture lying on my stomach looking through the jellyfish to the background beyond.
- Create Depth: I tried to create depth by focusing on the micro so that the macro in the background would look even further away.
- Get Balanced: I used the rule of thirds in my placement of the horizon. My visual mass is the jellyfish and it take up most of the picture. Vertically it takes up more than a third, and with the combination of sand in the background it appears to take up 2/3s of the picture, creating a sense of depth and distance from the sea.
- Put a Great Foreground in Front of a Great Background: A said before, the Jelly fish in the foreground and great distance to the background creates a sense of futility and hopelessness for the jelly fish. Though beautiful and in a beautiful environment, it is not its home. There is a great journey to return it to the sea.