How can a photograph become more than just an "image"?
A photograph can convey a mood or message. A typical example of a mood would be a portrait. A person can be smiling, frowning, or blankly staring into space. The expressions on a person's face and their body language can portray determination, hopelessness, joy, and many other emotions. Emotions are also conveyed when photographs carry messages. For example, a scene of urban decay and garbage can convey that being wasteful results in eyesores in cities among other places. A photo can also carry a literal message. Many people are photographed with written messages in the photo, and the message itself can become the subject of the photo. The "image" goes to a deeper level when a mood or message is conveyed.
What affect does size or scale have on the power of a photograph?
Monumental and miniscule photographs have different effects, even if the same photo is enlarged and reduced. Monumental photos fill a space and demand the viewer's full attention. The viewer is pulled into the scene that the photo portrays. On the other hand, miniscule photos have to work to earn the viewer's attention if the photo is not the sole focus of the viewer's line of sight. Exceptionally small photographs must convey powerful subject matter in order to earn the viewer's attention. If they do not, they risk being ignored. Both exceptionally big and exceptionally small photos should contain powerful subjects, but the subjects are viewed differently in differently sized photographs.
How does location and context change the way we perceive and understand photographs?
Location impacts the way photographs are understood because different assumptions are made. When a photo is viewed in a museum, it is expected to be top-quality work. Only the best photographers can have works in a museum. In contrast, when a picture is viewed on Facebook, the quality of the photo is assumed to be much lower. Everyone can post any photograph on Facebook; therefore, it is assumed that the photo has less impact than a print in a gallery.
Context can also have an effect on photographs. When a planned photo of a celebrity is seen in a magazine, people assume that is edited extensively. Celebrities always feel the need to put their best face forward. As a result, a photograph of them is much less believable than a self-portrait of a teenager wearing a sassy expression taken with their cell phone in the bathroom mirror. These self-portraits typically have some noise and less than superb composition and coloring. However, in an unedited stage, it shows reality exactly as it was when the picture was taken. All published portraits have different contexts, and it makes self-expression more diverse.
What can you take from JR's photographs to make your images stronger? How might your pictures become more impactful?
JR got people involved in his work. He needed willing subjects for all his photographs, and he most likely needed some help editing his best shots. The locals put up all his photos on walls, trains, and roofs across the world. Once he gained publicity, prominent groups would fund him, and the whole cycle could continue.
In contrast to JR, I keep most of my work to myself until I post it on my blog. I don't take many pictures of people because I find portrait photography extremely difficult. I use my own or my parents' money to fund any costs of my photography. I also don't tell many people about most of my work. Instead of keeping my self-expression to myself, I can work to get people involved in my work. Posting my work on a blog is a good start, but I feel that I can do more. I can ask people if they are willing to pose for me, and I can tell people if I want to photograph them without them posing. By doing this, I will step out of my comfort zone. However, I believe that being dedicated to my work and taking risks is the only way to take my photography to a whole new level.
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