Three Books - Ammar

In the photographic collaboration by Maria Alexandra and Stephanie Congdon ‘A Year of Mornings 3191 Miles Apart’ the two photographers used the soft light of the early mornings to photograph a year of the daily morning habits and routines while they were far apart. A fried egg in a pan, strawberries in a plate, a cup of coffee, the sun light on the window, and an empty bed are some examples of the subject matter of the photographs in the book. The photographs are mostly close ups of the subjects they are photographing and some other times the photographs show the top view of the subjects which is a perspective we don’t usually see of the thing laying in the kitchen table. By using the early morning light most subjects have shadows that add a special touch to the photographs. The arrangement of the subjects seems to be random which I think represents the spontaneity of the mornings. The frames of the photographs usually do not show the whole subject, but it cuts through them in an interesting way. The photographers wanted to share photographs that represent the quietness and the peacefulness of the mornings and they have succeeded in that through the cool colors and the smooth light in their photographs.

The second book I chose was “Under the same sky: Cairo” by the photographer Randa Shaath who documented the life of Egyptians who lived in the rooftops of Cairo old buildings. When she moved to the 14^th floor in a building, Randa witnessed different scenes from of the daily life of the people who live in the rooftops, and that’s why she decided to document this phenomena. The photographs capture the lives of the people in black and white which I think helped to remove any distraction and helped the viewers to focus in the story behind the photographs. Besides that, by not showing variations of colors the photographer succeeded to capture emotions and embed them in the photographs. Most photographs have high contrast and they show the very details of the old possessions and the poor conditions of the rooftops, the dirty bathrooms, the wet laundry or the satellites dishes. The photographer was able to use the lights and shadows to tell the story of the people who as the photographer said were hesitate at first whether to agree to be photographed or not, because they feared being evicted and forced to leave their small place in the heart of the 16 million people city. Most photographs were taken from a distance so that they would be spontaneous, and I think that worked the best for the photographs because it showed the people living their simple life and doing their everyday tasks.

“Tales from the West Side” is the third book I’ve chosen. It features big city themed photographs by the photographer Mirco Martin. The photographs show some violent scenes that are usually associated with big cities like Los Angeles, which is the city where these photographs were captured. Helicopters flying above the skyscrapers, a police arrest in an open street, a car crash, or a homeless man are some examples of the subject matter of the photographs. Mirco succeeded to give a good first impression to the viewers because one will think that the scenes in the photographs give an impression as if they are still images form movies and films, which is a thing that is associated with cities like LA. Most of the photographs have a big depth of filed and mostly everything in them is in focus which I think was necessary because there is something different happening in every corner of each photograph. It seems that Mirco mostly photographed during the day and specifically midday, because you rarely see any shadows in the photographs. The colors in the photographs are bright and realistic and the photographs were also well exposed. At last, I think that Mirco used a fast shutter speed so that he could freeze the actions within the photographs.