Writing Assignment 1

What are the photographer's name, book title, and year published?
List three reasons why you personally like the 1st photo.
List three reasons why you personally like the 2nd photo.
Why did you choose this book?
What do you think are this photographer's strengths? Discuss at least three.
In general, what do you think makes a good photo? Brainstorm as many qualities as you can think of.

1.       The photographers name is Tony Mendoza and his book is called; Ernie A Photographer’s Memoir. The year this book was published is 1985.

2.       The first photo I chose is the one on the front cover. This image is what attracted me to the book in the first place. It is a black and white photo of a gray and white cat’s face. What I love about this picture is the cat’s facial expression, this isn’t just a picture of a cat, this is a picture that has character and charm. The cat looks shocked and you can almost feel it.

3.       The second photo is one toward the end of the book. The photographer is moving on and leaving the cat behind with its owner. The image is very dark, as it is a black and white image of a night scene. The moon is visible and there are big New York buildings looming in the background with their windows glowing with light. In the foreground a silhouette of the cat. It is a very calm quiet picture that also seems to evoke loneliness.

4.       I gravitated to this book because of the front cover as mentioned earlier. The decision to use it for this class solidified as I looked though all the whimsical and adorable photos.

5.       Tony Mendoza really studies his subjects and likes to show their world through his photos. A lot of these photos are right at cat eye level or close-ups.  All of his cat photography is in black in white and he uses this to his advantage as well. Some of the images have the cat fade into the background so the eyes and mouth really stand out as the photographer intended. Mendoza also really has a lot of whimsy. He decided to just photograph this cat and dived right in and made it into a success rather than trying to take photo’s that would be obviously popular.

6.       I believe a good photo should have soul and passion. A photo that tells a story is important too, but without a core essence that can move people and stir up an emotional response it falls flat as a piece of art. Of course a good photo should also be of good quality so it can be flexible and used in many different ways.