Alumni Photography Exhibit

Brian Powers, Class of 2013

           

             I chose to look at and write about a photograph taken by Brian Powers who graduated in 2013. I found it really cool that he received his degree from UNH for marketing and advertising. I hope he uses his photos  for advertising because they are definitely captivating. I really liked both of his photos, but one in particular stood out to me. The picture of the building with a large brick path caught my eye the most.

            I know exactly why this is the photo that captured my attention. I am a person who is really into dark and dreary photography. I love photos that have a creepy atmosphere and look slightly underexposed. This is probably why I love scary movies so much, I just love the cinematography. This piece by Brian Powers is a great example of a photograph with an eerie overall feel. Some other adjectives that come to mind when I look at this photo are, dreary, gloomy, menacing, soft, and melancholy. I think this is do to the fact that this picture is not fully saturated with color. The only really bright part of the piece is the rooftop. Even the brick pathway is a muted red. I think this adds a lot to the picture.

            The part of this photo that catches my eye first is the red and white brick path. It leads the eye directly to the building which leads to the saturated roof and then to the tower-like structure at the top of the building. Its hard lines and dark color really stand out against the soft fluffy-looking gray sky. After looking at the sky, my eye then goes to the trees that surround the building. Their vertical lines lead the eye downward and back to the brick pathway which once again leads to the building. I think this gives the photo a great flow and keeps you within the picture.

            In terms of composition, I absolutely love the symmetry in this picture. If it were to be split in half, it would be so close to looking like an exact mirror’s image. This makes the photo really interesting and flattering. I also love all the texture. Everything seems to have its own texture. The bricks, the roof, the siding, the grass, and the sky all add different texture to the piece. Because the sky’s texture is so vastly different from the rest of the piece, I think it acts as a perfect backdrop and really makes the building pop.

            I think there are a few meanings to this picture. At first glance, I think the house looks very lonely and abandoned so it could be synonymous with loneliness and abandonment. But when looking closer the photo almost looks threatening thanks to the tower on top of the building. Something about it is really unnerving. It really makes me think of a thriller. Overall I love Powers’ work. I think his pieces are phenomenal.