Gabe Kleinschmidt Dr.

Shepherd English 101 Photo Essay Feel at Home

Kleinschmidt 1

In this photo is the Ward Admissions House at Adrian College, a nice house that is a new addition to Adrian College. I believe that this picture is a perfect representation of an at home feel, It was formerly the presidents house they have updated the house but still kept the at home feel that Adrian is all about. When I look at this image I feel as though I am walking to my own house. As a new student myself looking at this image gives me the feeling that even though I am at school I can still feel at home. When you look at this picture you dont really think of it as a campus building but more of a home. As well as the aspects the picture brings forward, such as the drive that leads up to the house it seems as though youre walking up to your own home.

Kleinschmidt 2 A picture is worth a thousand words. The saying we all know, to me this mean that every picture has a story. In Pavel Zemlianskys Literacy Is Not Just Words Anymore, (James Madison University) he talks about how imagery is also a part of literacy. In this reading he discusses many examples of how imagery can impact a person. In one example he brings up a picture that was published on the website of Times Magazine, The photo showed the three candidates against a backdrop of a large American flag, during the performance of the nation anthem. One of the candidates neglected to place his hand on his heart for the performance of the anthem, thus breaking a long standing patriotic tradition (Zemliansky). Once this photo was published the Internet went crazy with people claiming that this candidate was now unsuitable for office. This picture alone can change the opinion of a whole country. This is what Zemliansky was trying to convey; as he said this story demonstrates that visual messages can shape the opinions and actions of individuals. With the picture of the Ward Admissions house it has that small town, small school vibe to it. As if you family is inside, which in a sense they are. At Adrian College you get that small school feel and the sense of a family. As Zemliansky was talking about, many pictures can present an argument to people. In my photo of the Ward house I believe that the argument may be whether this house really represents that Adrian is about an at home experience. With Adrian being a small school you can feel at home as the staff and community are like a family.

Kleinschmidt 3 Another interesting way pictures can impact the human mind is what Molly Bang talks about in her essay Excerpts from Picture This: How Pictures Work, Bang brings up the idea that gravity is the strongest physical force that we are consciously aware of. In her examples she has pictures with shapes in different places and talks about the meaning of the placement of the shape. In her first example there is a long thick horizontal bar at the bottom of the picture. Bang says Smooth, flat, horizontal shapes give us a sense of stability and calm It is interesting that just the placement of angle of a picture can attract certain emotions. With the Admissions house the angle of the house it almost seems as though you could drive right up the driveway. The home I positioned higher to represent the higher status that it might have. Though this picture I think that it can attract certain emotions to you. At the beginning of Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwrights Excerpts from Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture, they bring up Representation and its meaning in imagery. Their definition is The use of language and images to create meaning about the world around us. We use words to understand, describe, and define the world as we see it, and we also use images to do this. (Sturken and Cartwright). In the picture of Ward Admissions House we see the representation in this picture is to convey an at home feel. In the end there is a lot one person can take in from a picture whether it is a picture that creates an atmosphere of happiness and a welcoming feel or a picture

Kleinschmidt 4 that conveys darkness or sadness. A picture says a thousand words but those words are up to you.

Works Cited: Picture of Ward Admissions House. Adrian College website. Pavel Zemliansky. Literacy Is Not Just Words Anymore. (James Madison University) Molly Bang. Excerpts from Pictures This: How Pictures Work. Marita Sturken and Lisa Cartwright. Excerpts from Practices of Looking: An Introduction to Visual Culture.