Project 1 - Sequence Development (Sea)

.SEA.

[First Image] I compiled photos that I think might be good for depicting the theme of 'sea'. I wanted pictures that communicated the ominous quality of the vast oceans these past soldiers have braved. To achieve this, I wanted to choose shots that feature a large portion of water so that the idea is reached across easily.The water fountain at the war memorial was chosen to be the subject for this theme.

• 1st Shot- The refracted light on the floor of the fountain and the light reflection on the walls create a beautiful effect between light and water. However, this is not the intended 'ominous' or mysterious effect so it would not be suitable to be part of the final sequence. The lack of symmetry would be out of place because I was hoping for a neat, uniformed coherency between the images.
• 2nd Shot - Compared to the left image, this one communicates the intended objectives better, and the angle provides a good view towards to the bottom of the fountain; this creates a sense of depth much like an ocean's. The lack of clarity in position (the whole image is filled up with water and nothing else) is very effective as it portrays the feeling of disorientation and intimidation that soldiers must feel when travelling the ocean. The light refraction further enhances the repetition and endlessness of the ocean (very much different from the effects of lighting from previous image; image layout changes very significant things).
• 3rd Shot - The right-angled format (compared to the lop-sidedness of the left shot) is more suitable for the theme of war and soldiers as they are associated with uniformity and propriety. The rule of thirds is evident here, with the stone wall> lion's head> opening. The ratio of water surface to the other elements in the picture is moderate, not as much as I had hoped. The surface of the water seems a bit too calm to be able to express the qualities that I wanted to show, however. It also seems like the wall is out of place in an image that is supposed to portray 'sea'.
  

[Second Image] I wanted a different angle of the water fountain for the second image of the sequence that also had a good ratio of water in order to represent 'sea'. I also wanted this to link to one of the other elements I was exploring; land would be most suitable because the association between land and sea have existed long before the sky has been used by men as a battefield. This reference is effective because it is the initial part of the sequence and would also make the chronology of the sequence more coherent.

• 1st Shot - The angle and depth of field is interesting and creates a sense of movement as well as drama. However, the solid wall surface dominates the picture and this would make the image fail to represent the theme of 'sea'. The link between land and sea was overdone.
• 2nd Shot - The symmetry is effective as it portrays the uniformity of a soldier's life. However, the harsh lighting created an obvious shadow over the fountain floor and this destroyed any sense of symmetry and the intended symbolisms.
  
• 3rd Shot - Shadows are a lot weaker here, which gives a clear view of the layering of the fountain floor (which was the reason why I snapped a picture from plan view). This was the intended effect because I wanted to communicate the concept of 'layers' in the soldiers' formation (front line, rear, etc). As for the stone floor at the top of the image, I had another picture that did not feature that but I wanted to have it appear in the photo because the drastic difference between the water and the stone floor reflects the difference between the opposing powers in war. Along with the formation idea, this picture effectively reflects the idea of a battle.
  

For my final images for the theme of 'sea', I decided to choose: