Blog #2

My mother is surely the most important person in my life, not only because she gave me a place in life, but also because she is the only person that can understand me without having to talk. The day I left home to make my way in life, she gave me a book called "School of Life". Usually I am not interested in reading books, but this book is an exception because my mother wrote it herself. The first time I touched that book, I immediately felt it's importance. The pages feel old and fragile, they smell like old pages. What surprises me the most, is that every time I touch those pages, I get the same feeling. The book has a brown color from the outside, and white pages inside. The first page starts with "If this book belongs to you today, you are the most important person in my life". I think this sentence brings me unique feelings of pride and happiness. My mother has always been a mysterious person, and she never told me what the book was about. I figured out by myself later that she is the writer, and she kept the book updated from her teenage until the day she gave me it. "School of Life" contains many advices and my mother experiences. Social life is the most covered subject in this book, and some of the best advices I can give as an example from this book are "Let the people live the way they want to live, and they will love you." and "Silence is the best way to answer jerks, silence is a powerful weapon." I carry this book wherever I go because I know that it covers steps of life, such as teenage period, college, and marriage. I am never far from crying when I read theses hand written pages, and it's not because my mother wrote them. The truth is that my mother sacrificed all her life for her children and I thought that her sacrifices would stop the day I would leave home, but I find myself connected with my mother's thoughts when I am with her book. One day, my mother will pass away like we will all do, and this book is going to remind me that I had the perfect mother. Another day, I will give this book to one of my children, and maybe he will love me for this. At the end, "School of Life" represents all my mother sacrifices for me and my future children. I still can't realize this, but one day I will and I will be crying.

Blog #1

1st part.

The Fernandez family enjoys a good life. I can see that all the family members are smiling, and the little girl is holding flowers in her hands. The blue flowers represent peace, while the pink ones have a meaning of happiness. The main color in the picture is certainly the red, as we can see it on the walls and the table. The red color communicates energy and love. 

The Fernandez family has a comfortable life. Food is one of the highest priorities of humans and it does not seem to be a problem for this family when I remark its abundance. I can count eight bottles of water per week for three adults and two children, which is sufficient.The Fernandez family not only enjoys food quantity, but also food quality. The family has the choice to choose between tomato sauce and Ketchup tomato sauce, and we can read "highest rate" written on the pizza packet. One of the most important details I can notice is surely the full smile that adults are using. A full smile communicates feelings of pride, and satisfaction and this is due to the fact that parents accomplished their duty toward their children.

Looking to this picture in another context such as an advertisement, would make me feel that those products are the main reason for a successful family life. In other words, those products are the clue for a happy and peaceful life.

2nd part.

Most of images of the ordinary we find in a popular magazine are images reflecting a perfect ordinary. We find objects designed to satisfy a specific need, for example clothes or alcohol. Those images are usually showing the object by giving it a bigger part of the picture than other elements, or by showing a model using that object. I also notice that special lights effects are used most of the time. The aim here  is that readers believe that they can be as attractive as the model using the object, or have an exciting life like the one the model seems to experience.

There is more than one  way to present a picture, and those ways depend of the picture's purpose determined by the artist. Magazine's methods to present pictures are different with those used by Menzel in his picture "The Aboubakar Family of Chad".

First, lets begin with emotions in pictures. Most of pictures found in magazines present joyful emotions, while the picture taken by Menzel shows instant emotions. For example we can see that some characters are smiling, and others are not.

Second, lets take a look at picture's angle. Menzel's picture is taken from a basic angle, unlike magazine's picture that uses a different angle. The magazine picture uses a special angel that makes the main character look taller than the skyscrapers.

Finally, lights effects are different. Light is a very important element in a picture, and light in magazine picture differs from the one in Menzel's picture. Menzel opts for a natural day light, in the other hand magazine chooses an artificial light.
Methods that Menzel uses to present his picture are different from the ones used by magazine. Those differences are noticeable when we look deeper to emotions, picture's angle, and lights effects. Surely there is a difference between the two worlds, however some similarities exist such as the outdoor scene choice.