Vincent Laforet "River to River" Manhattan 2007

This Vincent Laforet photograph, "River to River" is unlike any other photograph I have ever seen it is created using a circular fisheye lens.  The fisheye creates an interesting "from space" quality to the Manhattan skyline.  I really like the way Laforet uses light in the photograph.

The way the street bisects the center of this view from the fisheye lens really creates visual interest.  The most exciting part of this image is the techniques employed, however, even without such a technique of view of the city from this high up is stunning.  Not only does this image have a "from space" quality, but also the detail and clarity in the image of the building is remarkable.  The way the rivers frame the city is also amazing.  It is so crazy to me that an image of Manhattan can have an unattainable aspect such as this. 

"V-J, Times Square, 1945" Alfred Eisenstaedt

Most Americans are able to recall certain photographs taken throughout history. The photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt was taken after the announcement of Japan's surrender in WWII.  Most people think of this photograph as a portrayal of a very intimate moment between a couple, specifically a sailor returning from his service in the war, however, the real story behind this image is quite different.  Apparently the sailor in this picture, for fear of another deployment, was running around Times Square kissing every girl he could find.  Who or how old the girl was did not matter.  Quite ironic if you truely consider such an iconic image of Americana has an almost secret story behind it.  

Nevertheless, I love this image.  In fact, I own a print of it, not because of what the real story is but because it is a beautiful photograph depicting many different emotions.  Other sailors and people walking by the couple, the excitement of Times Square itself and of course the passion behind the sailor's embrace of this woman.  Details such as the woman's kicked up foot along with the group of women behind the couple ogling and what is occurring.  Most likely making up a similar romantic story that the rest of the American public will soon embrace, the photograph was published in Time Magazine.

Fahrenheit 9/11

I wonder consider myself fairly politically liberal.  The soundtrack was the first aspect of the film to stand out to me.  The images would not have struck me as odd if the music was not with it. The soundtrack transformed these images into an eerie flashback of various speeches and press conferences and had a "limited access" emotion.  This sense of eerie images and limited dialogue caused me to wonder what would happen next.  The next scene is what I came to intrepret as the black box recordings.  Not only did I find these recording intrusive and disrespectful but after listening to this scene I had to turn off the film.  The fact that a private moment such as this was exploited by Moore disgusted me.  When thinking about the film all I can think about is the first 5 min, that include that black screen only voices and sounds scene.  To have such a strong opinion of a film is rare for me, however, it did a great deal to help me understand the "anti-Moore" sentiment in America today.