All-American House

This is one of the photos I took for my final project over Easter break. I was trying to experiment with what kind of houses I photographed and in what way. All of my photos for in-progress had the same composition which could be strong, but I didn't want to choose that without exploring more compositions. This house pretty much had to be shot in a vertical format because of the shape, and I think it is much more successful this way. The warm/cool contrast is interesting and the landscaping and red door lend to the portrait of the person living in the house.
This house seems like an all-American house with the manicured yard and the bright red door. From this image, you can see that whoever lives in this house cares a great deal about the way it looks. We work on what we care about. Whatever it is, we take care to make it look good. When it comes to our houses or possessions, some people put a great deal of effort into making it look a certain way. While I've been paying more attention to houses and what each looks like, I have to wonder how much it reflects the person living in it. Some people hate the way their houses look, leave it the way it was when they moved in because they don't care, and some design it specifically to who they are. By taking photos of and calling out these houses, I am making an assumption about the people inside of them. We often make assumptions about who people are whether it is based on a feeling or a physical attribute or appearance. I think to some extent this can be valid, but this kind of intuition can lead to false assumptions and judgments. As much as these things can speak to who we are, they can also create a facade that may or may not be representative. The moral? You can think you understand, but don't be so close-minded to think that it has to be true. Through these photos, I am creating curiosity about who lives there and each viewer will create their own story to go with the images, but I have to be fully aware that these stories might be made up. I think that's what makes them interesting though. We don't know for sure... that's why we find ourselves curious and guessing.