A Still Life: Lock and Key

    In a continuation of my previous post on compositionally affective still life's, I would like to share this photograph of- what is basically- a lock and key. What really lends this piece it's superiority is the single beam moving from the fore front to the very back, working almost as a bridge to your eyes- if it wasn't for that beam- if the picture was hypothetically taken with a white background, the lock would be in a very awkward place on the piece. The key also lends a smidge of asymmetry to lock, shifting the focal point slightly from the dead center.

A Still Life: Chairs

    There are a lot of factors that make a good photograph, but one of the most essential components is composition. I felt the still life attached, of chairs, models this well-- this is because the photo users the "Rule of Thirds" without necessarily going with an overused perspective.
Another thing to note with the composition is the clever use of layers and angles, which make certain chairs pop out more than others. For instance, I find the Artist's intentional tipping of chairs at the ends worked very well in drawing the eye to the inside of picture.

     Eyes of the great depression, a series of photos depicting the grim reality of one of Americas darkest eras. One photo in particular struck me as compelling- a single child posed in the forefront, shifting her weight against what appeared to be a wire fence, eyes downcast. The composition of the piece really spoke to me- the picture has a certain mood that can't be reproduced easily with Photoshop and expensive cameras. In the era this photo was taken, certain aspects of photography simply did not exist that we now take for granted. For instance, most pictures were limited to a monochromatic color scale, and cameras were often unpredictable- not too mention film development. This picture speaks of a course, raw underlying meaning to photography we rarely see today- the art of merely capturing the essence of something, an emotion, feeling- one child speaking for an entire era.  

http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/tutorials/photoshop/3d-printing-from-photoshop/

    The link above presents an intriguing article taking one through the step by step process of 3-D printing using Photoshop. The idea of 3-D printing alone was news to me, and so I expected it to be a rarity and for the extremely wealthy, but the article notes that, the process is getting cheaper and more common- certainly not a household object, but nonetheless approaching that zone steadily. The novelty of the process soon wore off with the article's simple, clear instructions. Overall, informative and captivating.

http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/news/creative-business/creative-educators-warn-ebacc-could-lead-uk-losing-generation-of-talent/
     The article "Creative Educators warn EBacc could lead to UK 'losing a generation of talent'", by Neil Bennett, is about- as the title suggests- exploring the creative cons of the newly invented EBacc education system in the UK.
     The EBacc, or English Baccalaureate, proposes to have 5 main 'pillars' in the British school system- English, Maths, Science, one language class and either a History or Geography class. However, research has shown that instigating this program- because of its exclusion and even aversion of the Arts, will lead to an overall decline of creative skills in students. Educators who support this side of the controversy suggest either adding sixth 'pillar' for the Arts, or cutting the program completely.
      Though I am not a citizen of the UK, I find it interesting to relate this epidemic to the many school budget cuts taking place in America today- where Music and Art classes are often enough the victims. I believe that though Art may not seem particularly practical and therefore necessary in today's economy, education on the subject is vital in a deeper, fundamental sense. In order for us as human beings to grow and develop to our full potential, Arts are necessary.