Photographs of the Lillis. Basic Elements of Photography and Representation versus Reality - Essay Example

Even the elevators, which often, in school buildings, are run down, this was not the case in this building. The elevator, too, looked modern – it was chrome, and like the rest of the building, was clean. That was probably the word that I would most use to describe this experience and the space - it was clean and uncluttered. I also liked the open-air feeling of the atrium, and the large windows gave the degree of natural light that was very relaxing for this experience. I can see why this would be a popular place for students, because the entire space gives an air of some place where people can relax, socialize and study.

And this was the theme that was presented in this building – it is obvious that the architects of this space had a relaxing and clean aesthetic in mind. There was nothing about this building that was industrial or garish or harsh. The walls were not painted in bright or dark colors, and there was very little wood that was exposed, either. No real industrial look, like exposed pipes or something like that. From the tiled floors to the large meeting rooms, to the large atrium meeting hall, that was the aesthetic that was felt in this space.

This was what so appealing about this space. As for what was unappealing about the space, I felt that perhaps the hallways, which were captured as part of these photographic sequences, seemed a little claustrophobic. They could have been widened a little to give even more of an impression of detail and relaxation. My photographing of this space was both intuitive and rational. That is, I gravitated towards certain parts of the building, just naturally – this was something that I used to determine which photographs to take, which was the places where I felt most comfortable and relaxed.

That said, there also was a rational approach to the picture taking. The rational approach was that I knew that I had to diversify in taking the pictures – I couldn’t just take shots of the beauty of the building, without also taking shots of the mundane. Therefore, I felt the need to make sure that things like the chrome elevators were featured in this spread, as well as other things such as metal boxes and drinking fountains and other things that are important to a building, but may not be the main draw.

I felt, consciously, that I needed to completely represent the building, as opposed to highlighting the high points. I did feel that the digital camera would give me a slightly different result than a traditional camera. That is because I would be able to see, in real time, how the photographs looked, and this is what I based my portfolio on. The real time photographs. I was able to note that I was hitting the points that I wanted to hit. If I was taking pictures with a traditional camera, this would not be available as much.

I chose two photographs. The one photograph that I chose was the one of the students in their tables, with the open air windows in the background. The other photograph that I chose was the photograph of the metal boxes that were lined against one wall. The reason why I chose these two photographs, in particular, was that these represented opposite ends of the spectrum, in terms of aesthetics. I felt that, by choosing these two photographs, I represented the building the best. In other words, the building was not just about the beauty, but also about the mundane things that makes a building what it is.

I felt that this was the best use of my photographer’