For this set of pictures, I wanted to focus on taking pictures that made a more dynamic, exciting composition via angles. But, upon evaluating my shots more, I liked the way I could simulate a feeling of superiority and power through framing the image from worm’s-eye-view. Generally, a worm’s-eye-view perspective makes the viewer feel small and insignificant, thereby emphasizing the grandeur of the object focused on in the photo. Additionally, I wanted to bring back elements from my previous two Gestalt projects; namely nature in modernity and centrality. Some of the photos incorporate the power of nature and its longevity, despite our constantly evolving technology displacing plant life while the composition of most of the the images focuses on a single element, which is framed by the environment around it. By combining some or all of the elements together, I tried to create a set of images that conveyed both the beauty and power of nature over man, the magnificence of a cloudy sky over the world, or invasiveness.

Some of my favorites of the set include the Gustav Klimt inspired dress with the reflected image of the sky in the background, the picture of my shadow, the picture behind a tree, and the picture of the weeds on the sidewalk. Starting with the woman on the dress- I thought the dress itself was creative and gorgeous, but what really struck my attention was how the reflection on the window made it look like the background to the woman, despite her being behind a secluded window. It creates a somber story of a trapped figure under the guise of freedom- only accentuated further by the window distorting the image of the sky in the reflection, a fake recreation of liberation. The shadow, under a similar theme, is taken from the opposite viewpoint, a bird’s-eye-view, which conveys the opposite effect of the bird’s-eye-view in that it makes the viewer powerful and the object inferior. Especially in such a vulnerable area on the street, the shadow is put into a position of subordination and objectification by me, the picture taker. The picture behind the tree is an example of nature over man, how it shows the greenery concealing modernity by covering the space of the photo, leaving little room for the street. The sheer size of the trunk and the vines compared to the street enforce its staying power in today’s age of infrastructure. Finally, the weeds are the purest form of how the worm’s-eye-perspective creates superiority: The weeds tower above the sidewalk, so much so that they cast imposing shadows on the pavement. This creates a picture of the weeds as having overcome the seclusion of the pavement.