I chose to discuss Laura Greenfield’s work that shows a freshman girl watching sophomores get high off an aerosol can in a high school bathroom during a lunch break. Formally, I think the image is quite interesting. Right off the bat, the angle catches my eye. You can see all of the figures and still get a feel for the space quite nicely. The colors seem quite realistic, not too bright or dull which I think works here because if it was one or the other, it would be too much. Compositionally, the image is well balanced. There is a triangular formation that is pleasing to the eye as well as perpendicular lines. In terms of contrast, the image well balanced, I can see the darkest dark is a black and the whites as being white. Laura is smart to take the picture from the angle that she did because the light is coming from the top left corner and if she had stood on the other side it wouldn’t have worked.
My first impression of the work was shock. My high school definitely had druggies, but to have them be exposed like that is amazing. I can only image the next girl that uses that stall probably has no idea what just took place there. What is interesting is that the girls in the stall don’t even look freaked out or scared that someone else is peaking in. This could be because they are too high to comprehend what is going on, or maybe the girl is a friend.
The theme of the subject is definitely drug use. It’s even more shocking because these girls cannot be older than 16. It is definitely very emotional and upsetting. I am wondering if their parents have ever seen this image. I am also wondering what is compelling these girls to get high? In high school, I find that most kids try to conform and do what is considered ‘cool’ even if it is dangerous. This image was taken at Hollywood high school which might have a large part to do with it. Most people in that area definitely see things differently than other places because of the obvious fact that it is Hollywood and many people try to be ‘out there’ and do/be the next best thing.
The work definitely shows some of the horrors of high school and how every person has their struggles and how the people you surround yourself with potentially affect the person you are going to be. High school is all about growing up and coming into your own skin. To me this image is probably way more shocking than to a kid seeing it that attends that school. I think Laura created this work not because she wanted to exploit those kids but because she wanted to show a real day in the life of these kids. Most parents/teachers are oblivious to what is going on and just think that their kids are going through ‘awkward stages’. While this is true, sometimes there is something else triggering unusual behavior.
Laura Greenfield’s work definitely caught my eye not only because of the subject matter but because of the way that she chooses to photograph these things. Depending on angles and lighting, she could have created a completely different story but I think she photographed them in a way that showed she was a neutral party which is good if you are going to be photographing these themes. I looked up her other work and am definitely a fan of the way she composes her images in terms of angle and lighting. I have found that I usually shoot from the same angles because that is what I am comfortable with. I am going to try to use more unusual angles like her overhead shot in the image spoken about above.
My first impression of the work was shock. My high school definitely had druggies, but to have them be exposed like that is amazing. I can only image the next girl that uses that stall probably has no idea what just took place there. What is interesting is that the girls in the stall don’t even look freaked out or scared that someone else is peaking in. This could be because they are too high to comprehend what is going on, or maybe the girl is a friend.
The theme of the subject is definitely drug use. It’s even more shocking because these girls cannot be older than 16. It is definitely very emotional and upsetting. I am wondering if their parents have ever seen this image. I am also wondering what is compelling these girls to get high? In high school, I find that most kids try to conform and do what is considered ‘cool’ even if it is dangerous. This image was taken at Hollywood high school which might have a large part to do with it. Most people in that area definitely see things differently than other places because of the obvious fact that it is Hollywood and many people try to be ‘out there’ and do/be the next best thing.
The work definitely shows some of the horrors of high school and how every person has their struggles and how the people you surround yourself with potentially affect the person you are going to be. High school is all about growing up and coming into your own skin. To me this image is probably way more shocking than to a kid seeing it that attends that school. I think Laura created this work not because she wanted to exploit those kids but because she wanted to show a real day in the life of these kids. Most parents/teachers are oblivious to what is going on and just think that their kids are going through ‘awkward stages’. While this is true, sometimes there is something else triggering unusual behavior.
Laura Greenfield’s work definitely caught my eye not only because of the subject matter but because of the way that she chooses to photograph these things. Depending on angles and lighting, she could have created a completely different story but I think she photographed them in a way that showed she was a neutral party which is good if you are going to be photographing these themes. I looked up her other work and am definitely a fan of the way she composes her images in terms of angle and lighting. I have found that I usually shoot from the same angles because that is what I am comfortable with. I am going to try to use more unusual angles like her overhead shot in the image spoken about above.
