the dual perspectives of atlantic city
DESCRIPTION
The following photographs represent my outtake on how others may view Atlantic City. The resident vs. the tourist.TRANSCRIPT
The Dual Perspectives of Atlantic City
Yves Marchand and Romain Mefre in The Ruins of Detroit
inspire the following photographs. Having been raised near
Atlantic City, New Jersey my entire life I have seen the
highs, lows, and everything well in-‐between. As the months
have progressed, the interior of Atlantic City has begun to
deteriorate, casinos and businesses closing, while crime
rates have remained steady, and unemployment is at an all-‐
time high. While this has continued, many tourists have
disregarded the negative impact Atlantic City has had on
the community and its people. The photos in this album
show two different perspectives of Atlantic City, that of the
tourist, and that of the resident. I am attempting to depict
the struggle versus the party. Majority of the images are of
landscape and scenery, which is enough to portray this
time. I would like for each individual viewer to take these
photos into consideration, and to attempt to determine
which view of Atlantic City they have. If your views seem to
align with that of the tourist, perhaps you can take a step
back and determine if there’s something that can be done,
or feel sympathy for your favorite party place turning into
rubble. While that’s one way of viewing the photos, there is
also the perspective of those who live in the city. If you tend
to only see the negatives, take a moment to realize there is
still hope, and there are still a lot of events and places to
look forward too.
My point being, Atlantic City is what YOU make it, but it is
not a city limited to one perspective, it can vary. Realize
that there is a lot of depth to this city becoming ruins if you
search the interior long enough. Take a moment to try to
decide where you stand.
Photography & the Process to Present Atlantic City
Disclaimer: I am in no way attempting to portray every
individual’s view of Atlantic City, these are perspectives
that I have experienced in my twenty-‐two years of living
near the area, and it would be close to impossible to
portray such a unique city in only 12-‐15 photographs.
To record the images of Atlantic City I used my iPhone 6
along with filters from the apps: Aviary as well as
Instagram, with a combination of the three I was able to
depict various images yielding different effects depending
on the editing technique I used. The reason for my use of
the iPhone is because cell phones are one thing that tends
to be a common thread, whether you are a resident or a
tourist. Also, social media through the use of cellphones has
been a huge reason why people even know what is going on
in Atlantic City, and/or realize what there is to do around
the area. While each technique was different per
photograph, in the end I wanted them to somewhat be in
uniform in order to not throw off the story I am trying to
tell. Evidently, many images are lacking in saturation, and
clarity – having a gritty like state to them. I did this for the
photos pertaining to the residence’s possible view of
Atlantic City, somewhat lifeless, and fading. I wanted to
portray the “gritty version” of what this city can be like in
comparison to what a vacationer might see. The look I was
going for aesthetically was that of a vibrant city, such as
you see in the movies. I wanted it to be about the bright
lights, and fun colors, things that make a city “come alive,”
and a reason people come here for fun.
While the unfiltered photographs could have conveyed
similar meanings, I believe the after shots push each photo
more to the extreme, in a sense, filters can be thought of as
a type of rhetoric to use in photography. I wanted each
image to convey a meaning at first glance, whether it was
lively or pessimistic, and I believed the filters helped me
achieve that. The use of highly saturated photographs
versus low saturated ones automatically helps set the tone
for my images, and the way that I would like for them to be
perceived. I worked around Burgin’s theory in “Looking at
Photographs,” in that each reader deploys however he or
she is familiar in order to “make sense” of the photos (137).
This digital album is all based on perspective, which differs
for each viewer.
While each photo is different, they each help spread my
main point of this entire album, which is to portray Atlantic
City through two different lenses. I also attempted to fram
my work around Julie Berlins, article on “10 Top
Photography Composition Rules.” While the other articles
read inspired me, this one had a variety of rules that I could
go by for this assignment. Majority of the photos are of
landscape, and objects because despite the amount of
people that may reside in the area, most tend to focus on
what there is to do here, whether that is the casinos (work),
the beach, or home. Also, architecture is what tends to take
up Atlantic City, onto the expressway into Atlantic City, the
first thing you see are the huge casino buildings, so I
wanted my focus to be directed towards the objects. The
images depicted in this virtual album, are ones that I
believe best summarize my main goal.
The Woman Who Remains Nameless
First, to discuss the rules of composition
that are incorporated into this
photograph, I would have to say that I
was able to accomplish a great deal
more than I had expected when
originally taking the photo. Once I was
able to go back and truly study each
shot that I had taken, then was I able to determine whether
it well within the guidelines of composition. This was also
the photo that was critiqued in class, and seemed to get a
lot of positive feedback from my peers, after everyone
photograph was taken for this project; this one still
remained my favorite. One rule of composition that is in
this photo is the rule of thirds, whether going from top to
bottom, or left to right, there is something to be seen within
each area, and the focus of my picture
(the woman) is located on the third
block of the photo. Not only did I include
rule of thirds, but also balancing of
elements. Like I previously stated, my
main subject is off-‐center, yet there is
the window on the opposite side to help
even the space out. There is also a sense of patterns as you
can see the lines that run throughout the building. This can
also be noted as texture. It helps make the photo come to
life, and seem that much more realistic, and almost 3-‐D
(Berlin). Each of these aspects of this one particular photo
entitles it to be received as a well compositional
photograph. Despite the amount of shots I took of this
particular moment, in different angles, and with different
amounts of lighting, I found this one to be my favorite, and
the most appropriate for my message.
In John Berger’s “Understanding a Photograph” he
discusses how photography has become a lost art that can
no longer be appreciated. Going off of his statement I
wanted to depict a unique photo, one that is not seen on
Instagram as you constantly refresh your news feed. I
thought this photo was worth recording, and the woman
alone could tell her own story (292-‐293). It also brings up
the question, like Berger mentioned, what is not being
shown in this photograph? Which I think can be important
in determining how you view and depict this photo. Having
to construct your own idea of what might be next to the
woman if you were to zoom out. “Every photograph is in
fact a means of testing, confirming, and constructing a total
view of reality,” this was the overall point of out
assignment, to be able to create a message and meaning
through our own use of photography. (294).
This photograph represents a lot depending on which way
you look at it. My intentions when taking and editing this
photo was to show more of the solemnness that is Atlantic
City. While the original photo did not depict glee, with the
editing of the saturation and contrast I was able to depict
this photograph in a gloomy manner. The woman in the
photograph represents the residents of Atlantic City, the
people that this city’s downfall actually harshly impacts.
Going off of assumptions, the viewer can assume she is not
a tourist; she is not glammed up, or worrying about her
surroundings. Instead, she is focusing on whatever task is
at hand, because the life of Atlantic City has lost its
excitement, and is instead a dreary routine. The pop of
color in her dress (a color that lingers in a majority of my
photos) can also be taken as a sign of optimism – not
everything has to be seen as desolated, in fact there can be
signifiers, small and large that not everything is dead. Also,
commenting on the building in the background. You can
clearly see the grit and deterioration of the building,
representing parts of Atlantic City, as well as what AC is
now becoming. Many are aware of the downfall of this area,
with casinos closing and many individuals losing their jobs,
just as this building seems to be collapsing, Atlantic City is
as well. Another aspect of this building that furthers this
notion is the window and its reflection of the outside.
Rather than becoming too caught up in what is inside this
building we are looking at the exterior. In this photograph
the window/building is a literal and metaphorical
reflection of what the outside world is like in Atlantic City.
So while there can be positive aspects, there is also a lot
more depth to Atlantic City than what tourists see as they
drive to the main attractions.
Works Cited Berger, John. “Understanding a Photograph.” The Look of Things. Viking Press: 1974. Berlin, Jule. “10 Top Photography Composition Rules.” PhotographyMad. December 9, 2014.
<http://www.photographymad.com/pages/view/10-‐top-‐photography-‐composition-‐rules>
Burgin, Victor. “Looking at Photographs.” Screen Education, No. 24. (1977).