For this assignment I chose a photo from the “Paradise Paved” photo series. Although I found many of the photos to be interesting, my two favorites were #2 and #5 though I’ll only write about #2. In this photo the subject is stretching barefoot in the empty parking lot of Walmart with the sun bright behind her. The shadows produced by her form, along with her car’s indicate that the sun has only recently risen. This belief could also just be fueled by the fact that she is stretching, and that the parking lot is bare of other cars.

The sun behind the subject gives off this subdued glow that could be described as soft, and matches her smile and outfit. The skirt allows some light through adding another glow besides the full bodied halo behind her. The short snippet of her story below the photo tells us that she is going to a yoga retreat, which makes sense considering her style of clothing (a new age kind of vibe even without the story telling us). What makes this photo work so well aesthetically however are the following things: the framing of the subject by the trees with the sun’s powerful yet subdued presence, the subject’s pose, and the shadows produced. Because of her skirt, her shadow is almost not even that of a human being’s, but when you look at her bent left foot touching the pavement, and the shadow’s version of this same foot, then the human is there. The car’s shadow to the left of her’s is a contrast, machine opposite human, but also her bedroom and chariot.

Her story and photo fits with the overall narrative as Walmart parking lots allow for people of varying motivations and backgrounds a quiet place to rest their heads if the night warrants it. As a person who every few years makes my way across America for the sake of some fresh air, the idea of sleeping in a Walmart parking lot wouldn’t be a challenge at all. I can relate to the subject’s waking in an empty area, having a blissful stretch in a quiet area with few people and disturbances. We can imagine that she is also smiling because the birds are chirping as they wake up themselves.

(Sorry there is no image. I tried for an hour and could not copy the photo from NYT’s slide show adequately nor embed it nor anything)