Emmet Gowin: Elijah and Donna Jo, Danville, Virginia, 1971

I like this picture because the children in it must be hot and thirsty. I also like how the younger boy is trying to help the older kid get a drink of water. The lighting is very nice and it is a large depth of field. If I had to retake the picture I wouldn't really change anything about it. I also like how it is symmetrical with the two kids on either side of the photo span and the hose in the middle between them. 

Emmet's work has a few things in common. A lot of his work is of his family and family members. They are very natural and do not seemed to be staged. All the lighting in his photos also seem to be natural light. The light is coming from the sky and the sun either directly or through windows. Most of Emmet's photos that I saw had a large depth of field as well. Also, a lot of Emmet's photos come from the same town.

I believe that a life time of work can be taken in one town. If the town inspires someone and offers new views and perspectives every time a photo is taken in it then it could work. As long as the photos remain interesting and not repetitive i think it could work out. 

Emmet Gowin: Edith, Danville, Virginia, 1971

This picture is pretty cool. The back of the picture is very light and the subject is darker. It seems as if the subject is behind a screen and she is leaning on it. I like how the screen thing is in focus (at least that is what I think it is) and so is the rest of the picture having a large depth of focus. If I could change the picture i would have the subject's eyes looking straight into the camera. I think that would look cool. 

Family, 
Danville, Virginia, 1970 by Emmet Gowin

This photo by Gowin is also a little weird. The family is just relaxing which is nice but why is there a split watermelon just sitting in the middle of the picture? It doesn't look like the family is eating the watermelon. If I could retake the picture i would not have the watermelon in it or have someone eating part of it. Also the baby looks like it is moving because the head is a little blurry. The lighting of the photo is nice. The people in the photo look a little bored. It might be mid summer's day so they all might just be hot and tired. 

By Emmet Gowin

Edith, Danville, Virginia 1971

The black and white photo is interesting. The focus of the photo is on the lady and most of the light is being shown on her dress, making part of her face shadowy. It looks like she is stretching but if I were to retake the picture I would have her put the arm that is up down by the other arm. The room is cool and dark and like in the photo "Willie Cooper", the  main source of light is coming from the windows and besides the subject, most of the other part of the picture is dark. However, there is a large depth of field so one can see that beyond the subject there is a bed and she is placed in a room. 

Willie Cooper 

By Emmet Gowin 

This picture is cool because majority of it is just dark and it seems like the picture was taken from inside a car. The light is coming from the windows of the car and shows an older man. His expression reminds me of deadpan experssion and style of photography. I like how the house and the man are both in focus. The picture also has a large depth of field so the background is clear, which i like. If i were to retake the picture I would maybe move in just a little bit closer so there is less plain darkness. 

By Emmet Gowin
Nancy 
Danville, Virginia 1965 


The photo's subject is nice and light and the ground is dark which is good so you can focus on the subject and her dolls. It looks like she is napping on a tarp which is a little weird. I think the dolls are a little creepy even though they might not meant to be. The girl kind of looks like a doll herself. If i were to change this picture i would maybe zoom in closer on the girl and have less negative space to the left of the girl. 

Similarities: In many of Annie's photos there are celebrities and many fantasy, disney like scenes. All her photos are telling a story and are somewhat playful.

    Alice In Wonderland

By Annie Leibovitz

I like this photo a lot. There is nothing that I would change about it. I like the lighting and the coloring. The background and set is very cool. Everything is in focus and the face on the model really draws you in.