201102687 Lee, Jun Ki / Same but Different / Final Draft / Thursday 56

A picture catches a scene as it is, but do you know that it is very subjective? These pictures shown above are both Empire State Building, NY. However, as you can notice, they do have same subject but give you totally different feelings. The angle of camera and time of the day when picture was taken affected the entire composition of pictures. Technics also changed the feeling we get from the pictures. They are 'same' picture, but at the same time they are opposite from each other.   http://i.bnet.com/blogs/empire-state-build-777631.jpeg              Firstly, to explain the picture taken from the bottom, it placed its subject Empire State Building at the center of scene. Since it was taken from the ground the skyscraper seems very tall as if it would reach the sky. It feels as if you are looking up. If you look carefully, the building in the front actually takes up more space than Empire State Building, but the interesting thing is that we all know that it is just a part of the background. Gray Buildings on the side of the pictures are distinguishable with blue sky of a sunny day. The sky draws a line among buildings giving the subject the spotlight. The triangular shape of Empire State Building also fits well with the composition. Basically, although there are many other features in this picture, we automatically know that Empire State Building is the subject, and it is the only thing that catches the eye when we take a glimpse at the picture.   http://manofdepravity.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/empire-state-building-night-new-york_26741_990x742.jpg              Secondly, now to talk about the picture taken from the sky, it also placed its subject in the middle. It shows the part of Manhattan along with the Empire State Building. The time of the day is when the dusk starts, and all the buildings have their lights on. The sky takes up upper half of the picture and the bottom half of the picture is the scenery of city. All of these features are very common in the skyline pictures. Buildings lighting makes all the part of the city look very unison. If it was a day time all the buildings would have had different colors and shapes, however, the dark covered it all and only lights are shining from the buildings. The Empire State Building is less distinguishable as we can only see the lighting of it. We all notice that Empire State Building alone takes huge part in this picture, but it seems that this picture is more about the beauty of the city.                Lastly, I want to compare and contrast these 2 pictures with same subject. The triangular shape of the Empire State Building was used differently in each picture. In the first picture the triangular shape make the building stick out from other features in the picture, but in second picture triangular shape makes the picture seem very stable. It looks as if the building is the roof for the other buildings. Another main difference is that they have same subject but different feelings. The first picture tells us how tall the Empire State Building is, but the second picture shows how beautiful the city is 'with' the Empire State Building. The message that these to pictures are telling us are clearly different.                In conclusion, the first picture is all about the Empire State Building, and the second picture is more about the city embracing the building. Pictures are supposed to catch the actuality, but from these two pictures we can tell that it also holds an opinion of the camera holder. It is very interesting that how two pictures with exact same subject could give such a different feeling. Photo is not just the scene. I believe it is another way to talk and send messages to people.