Connecting Essay 1

This image is the work of Musa Nxumalo and features a man with a guitar. I find this image very intriguing as the photographer has managed to perfectly capture how focussed the man is on what he is doing with his guitar. This could imply that music is very important to this person and a part of who he is - a part of his identity. I feel that the use of black and white in this image helps to draw focus entirely to the man in the centre as there are no bold or vibrant colours to distract the viewer. I also feel that the fact that this image is in black and white makes it seem more relaxed and calm as the tones are all quite similar, meaning there is little contrast. Another way that this image gives a relaxed feel is that the man is not wearing a shirt. This implies that he is comfortable in his surroundings and that he is in a place where he can unwind and become his true self.

The image below is from one of my own shoots. This shoot was conducted at my friends house on a  night where just three of us were together. This was more intimate than a party or a get together as there was just three people and so the girls felt more comfortable in being themselves in front of the camera. In this particular image, the girl is searching through a box of memories such as cards, letters and pictures. I find this image interesting due to the way that she appears to be some indulged in this box, with her head down as she flips through the objects inside. What I also enjoy about this image is that you can see a cup and a bottle of drink on the floor around her, which shows a stereotypically rebellious side of youth. This creates contrast with the way she is looking through the box as here she appears to be quite innocent and perhaps vulnerable. 

I feel that these images connect well and that there are quite a few similarities between them. Firstly, both images are in black and white which helps bring more focus towards the actual subject through the use of tones rather than colours. Secondly, both of the subjects in these images appear to be absorbed in what they are doing - in Nxumalo's image, the man is focussing on his guitar whereas in my image, the girl is focussing on looking through her belongings. Another similarity is that both of these images focus on youth, portraying what they do in their spare time and, in a way, representing their personalities.

However, there are some differences between the two. The most obvious difference is that Nxumalo's image features a man, whereas my image features a female. This could perhaps show how the different genders spend their time/what their interests are. Another difference is with the framing - in the first image, the shot is horizontal and the subject of the image is directly in the centre of the frame. On the other hand, my image is vertical and the subject is to the left of the image.