I was Drawn to Carolyn Drakes work, due to the simplicity and the well thoughout composition of each shot. The shots genreally contain a lot of white, often framing the main subject. The effect of this within context is isolation, the subject tends to be surrounded by white and ‘secluded’ within the shot itself, symbolic to the project being about Covid-19. All of the images work well together as a series and have a common theme of white and using objects such as windows to frame the subjects.
This is my favourite shot from the series. It is so simple, yet very effective with telling a story about the pandemic. I like that the shot isn’t flat in terms of being face on, as it brings a more complex and interesting angle and composition. The use of a window framing the subject is both symbolic to the events of isolation and it works well complementing the subjects tones, making him pop within the shot, without being lost in his surroundings. The image seems to be shot only by the sun. The image was taken in America, so the sunlight is quite strong, casting shadows onto the building. The shadows break up the shot softly, bringing more depth and interest to the shot. It seems a shallow depth of field has been used, with the subject being sharp, however the rest of the shot is still in focus, suggesting it was taken around f/8. Due to the sunlight, a low iso would have been used, 100 or 200. The shutter speed would have also been reasonably fast, due to the amount of light present, I would guess 1/250. I would like to take similar shots in my project. When using this image as inspiration, I will take into consideration the angle, as it is easy to take a more generic face on shot, which sometimes works, but I feel shots like this tend to be more effective and interesting. The photographer is stood top the left of the building a couple of metres away.
I think this, again, is a great shot. The framing of the shot works really well, showing a family in isoaltion within the window of their home. You can also see a dog with the family, giving us a real insight into the whole family. Most of the family are in the shadow within the shot, with the skys detail being reflected within the window. In the foreground a car is slightly out of focus. The car breaks up the shot and works well in bringing an alternative frame to the window. Due to the shallow depth of field being clear from the car, it suggests it has been shot at around f/8. The iso would be reasonably low, due to the American sun, between 100 and 200. The shutter speed would also be fast to ensure it wasn’t over exposed. I like the concept of the image showing a whole family together, looking outside and it works well with the chosen theme, being about isolation. The photographer is far away from the subjects and has zoomed in, focusing on the window, shooting with the car out of focus, but still visible.
This shot is slightly different to the others by Drake. It shows an insight into her family life, rather than others. It works with the series as the subject is still framed by white. There are some brighter colours within the shot that stand out, such as the red, which can be seen echoed throughout. I like how the subject isn’t central within the shot and breaks up the rule of thirds. It also works well being shot in portrait so we can only see what we need to without distractions, which is her partner doing DIY from within their home. The shot, again, seems to lit by sunlight, coming from a window, towards the right of the shot. The image seems to be shot at around f/11, with the iso being at 200 and shutter speed 1/100. She seems to be knelt down too with the view being on level with the subject, with his body in preportion, rather than be looked down on.
Jodie Tovey PJD blog 