PHOTOGRAPHER RESEARCH PROJECT Peikwen Chen

Biography  Born 1975 in USA.  Has a degree in Product Design from Stanford.  His work appears in publications, exhibits all over the world. and magazines.  His style is documentary photography.  Documentary photography has a connection to real life situations, especially the issues that take place in our world. In this style, photos help contribute to social change.  Peikwen’s inspiration is not known, but he is a self-taught photographer.  He Is Chinese-American, currently working in Beijing.

“Lamp Mobile”- Black Rock Desert (2000)

Critique #1  The lighting used in this photograph is natural lighting.  The light seems to be coming from the right. The light is also very grey, foggy, and dull.  In this photograph, the main subject is the lamp in the foreground.  I can tell that the lamps are the main subject because they are the first thing you look at in this photo, because they are in the foreground, unlike the bikes which are in the background.  The lighting and lines in this photograph make it striking. The lighting, being so bright and foggy gives the viewer the sense that the photo is of a dream. The lines in this photograph, such as the bars holding up the lamps and the spokes of the bicycle makes this photo more visually interesting by creating geometric shapes.  In this photograph, Peikwen was trying to communicate a sense of playfulness and unrealism to the viewer.  I selected this photograph because of how strange and whimsical the lamps are. I also really like how in the background there is a person in a cow suit riding a bike.

“Summiting”-Black Rock Desert (2000)

Critique #2  In this photograph there is natural lighting.  The light seems to be coming from all over the frame, but especially from the top of the frame.  In this photograph the main subject is the group of people at the top of the pyramid.  I know that this is the subject because they are at the tip of the triangle, which is where the viewer’s eye is first drawn to.  The lighting and leading lines are the composition techniques that really make this photo striking. The blurriness of the lighting towards the bottom of the picture allows the subject to be the center of focus because it is more clear. Also the leading lines in the pyramid, lead to the tip where the subject of the photo is.  The message that Peikwen conveyed in this picture was a sense of glory and of being in a dream.  I chose this photo because the geometry of the pyramid itself and the shapes in the pyramid are very visually interesting.

“Anime Man”- Black Rock Desert (2000)

Critique #3  The lighting in this picture is also natural.  The light seems to be coming from the right side of the frame.  In this photo the main subject is the man in the foreground.  I know that this is the main subject because he has the most contrast with the background of the photo, and is in complete focus.  Selective focus and rule of thirds are the composition techniques that make this photo special. Since the man is the only thing in focus, you can see all the details in his attire. In the 3x3 grid of the rule of thirds the man is placed in the third column and the 3 sections of his body (head, torso, legs) are each in a different row, adding visual interest to the photo.  The message that Peikwen conveys in this photo is how people usually hide the wacky parts of themselves under what is viewed as “normal,” however this entire photo is so strange, yet visually appealing.  I picked this photo because of how unusual it is. It seems like this strangely clothed man is just trekking in a remote area.

“ Free on the Range”-Black Rock Desert (2000)

Critique #4  The lighting in this photo is natural.  The light is coming from all over the frame, but especially from the right side of the frame.  The main subject of this photo is the man on the horse in the center of the frame.  I know it is the main subject because it’s the first thing you look at when you seen this picture and because it is darker and clearer than the background.  Symmetry and Lighting are the composition techniques that make this photo better. The symmetry in this photo, like the legs of the horse, the two ends of the rocker and the two sides of the shadow, makes this photo more visually interesting. Also, because the background is lighter than the subject, it draws the viewers attention to the ‘cowboy’.  The message conveyed in this photo is that everyone has their “child self” still in them, even adults.  I picked this photo because I thought the body movement of the man on the horse was visually appealing and because I enjoyed the symmetry in the picture.

“Sweet Nothings”- Black Rock Desert (2000)

Critique #5  The lighting in this photo in Natural, coming from outside.  The light is primarily coming the right side of the frame.  The subject in this photograph is the woman leaning into the entrance (the ear) of a man’s head.  I know that the woman is the subject because she is the thing that pops the most in this photograph, because she is darker than anything else.  The composition technique that makes this photo exquisite is rule of thirds. In the 3x3 grid, different items of the photo are placed in each column and row. In the first column is the man’s left eye and nose, in the second is the man’s right eye and the third is the woman. In the first row is the ground, the second is the man’s facial features and the woman leaning over, and the third is the forehead and sky. Successfully portraying the rule of thirds makes any photo more visually interesting.  The message conveyed in this photo is how beautiful simplicity can be. Although, there is not much interaction in this photo it is still very interesting.  I picked this photo because of how unusual the situation is. I also picked it because I liked the shadows of the woman and of the man’s face.

Sources     forum/00UVwc forum/00UVwc