"The Black Spot"

I would call this story ‘The Black Spot’. I would call it this, because when I heard about the black spot, at the lottery, it made me really wonder why the black spot was so bad. Why everyone seemed surprised that Mrs. Hutchinson got it. When the ending was not given, I felt the tension building up. I was really eager to see what was going to happen to happen to her. When I was given the ‘mystery paper’ I was keen to see what was in it. I knew something had to relate to the story, because the void had to be broken sometime. To be honest I didn’t really follow the instructions, because the letter was just so tempting. What made it tempting was the words on the front. “Do not open until 5pm, and follow the instructions”. The black box, and the black/black spot, was what gave the tension When I read the ending of the story, I was surprised because, I didn’t know that it was going to the end that way. My prediction, that it had to do with the ending was right. I felt happy about that, because then it kind of didn’t put so much tension in me, because I kind of knew what it was going to be about. The author left those voids in the story because, if the author didn’t add them then the story would not have been that interesting because, then it would not have cause us to ask questions about it.

The Power of the Void

Power of the Void

Part 1:

The International School of Kuala Lumpur provides (silence) an exceptional education that challenges each student to develop the attitude, skills, knowledge and understanding to become a highly successful, spirited, socially responsible global citizen.

The place I think, creates the most tension is after the word “provides”. This was my diction because, you wonder what does ‘ The International School of Kuala Lumpur’ provide. And it creates that void because, it makes you ask questions about it. Like, does it provide good education, opportunities, sports, challenges and so on.

Part 2:

Composers create tension by adding in a void. And when they create that void, they make the listeners ask questions. For example, in the piece Eine Kleine Nachmusik, in measure 43- 44, the composer added in a sort of scale, which gradually went up, without a dynamic, and as it gradually went up, it got stronger, which probably made the listener more eager to hear what’s going to come next. But the composer added in a little twist, he added in a rest to have that silence, then continued. Which released the tension from the silence.

"But what matters most is that each picture stands on its own, with its own place and feeling."

-Cambodia, 1999

"What is important to my work is the individual picture. I photograph stories on assignment, and of course they have to be put together coherently. But what matters most is that each picture stands on its own, with its own place and feeling." – Steve McCurry

Steve McCurry, born in Philadelphia in 1950, travels the world searching for breath taking photo scenes, as he says the “unexpected, the moment of serendipity.” He positions a classical balance in his photos, which makes them delighting, and sometimes discomforting, expressing true emotions. Making a deeper understanding. Making you “look beneath the surface.” But McCurry didn’t at first pursue the dream of being a photographer. He aspired to be a documentary filmmaker. His career began when he passed the Pakistan border into Afghanistan, and shot the civil struggle. One of his famous pictures is of the Afghan girl, with the scorching green eyes. McCurry has a taste for letting the soul drift up into view.

“If you wait, people would forget your camera and the soul would drift up into view,” – Steve McCurry. This quote shows how he likes to let the picture come on its own. Let the feeling of it grow and fit where it needs to be.

McCurry explores the themes of war and its effect on humanity in this picture. And so that’s why this photo puts me in such a gaze, because of its heart-warming connection. The handprints are so boldly outlined, that it’s the first thing I catch a glimpse of. The hands look as if they are trying to break free. As if they are screaming. Trying to get out of the agony. I have a feeling that many people can relate to this sense of desire to shout and come out of the bars they’ve been hiding behind. And I’m wondering what’s going on behind those white sheets. What is that person trying to scream away from? What kind of conflict is happening? The flames behind the hands give me an assumption that fire might have broken out and everyone including this person is suffering and fighting for their lives. The flames are important because with out the fire, then there isn’t a point for the hands to be there in the first place. As well, Steve McCurry used excellent positioning. With the hands being press up in the front, and the flames an orange blur at the back. There’s a clear and concise connection between the hands and the fire. And with that connection, you can see that sometimes fighting fire with fire just creates an even enormous and more intense fire, in my opinion. And I think this because, usually people who are causing the conflict, only think short-term. Never long-term. They desire to win. They think about the victory, and how good it’s going to taste. They don’t think about the people who they’ve caused pain too. Just like the hands in the picture. Which shows that war does have a huge effect on the humanity.

His photos are excellent because they have made my understanding of photography even greater. I learned that sometimes you have to look beneath the surface, to truly understand what’s going on, to find the more significant meaning of the picture. To look between those nooks and crannies. And if you do look beneath and between, it can make a change because; you feel the emotion and have the feeling, to make your heart feel different. It’s touching. And that’s what Steve McCurry is great at doing. McCurry’s photos can endue and last for a long time, because there’s always another story unfolding when you look at it for a second, or even a third time. His photos tell a story, because they show the journey of daily life. They’re not some kind of fantasy land, (although he can make you feel like your in one.) they’re the real thing. There’re reality. And when he does that, it makes every picture of his a gift to gaze at.

"What is important to my work is the individual picture. I photograph stories on assignment, and of course they have to be put together coherently. But what matters most is that each picture stands on its own, with its own place and feeling." - Steve McCurry