David Snider Gallery: Jessica Ekhoff

Convergence Confab
I really enjoyed David Snider's photo gallery for a myriad of reasons. On the most basic level, I find myself particularly drawn to black and white photos because they seem to distract the eyes less and allow complete focus on the emotion and details of the image. Snider uses several unique techniques, such as pulling the gaze in opposing directions, as seen in the first picture of the boy skating away from the direction of the statue's arms. In addition, he seemed to have a mastery of background and foreground, as is evident in his shots of the Eiffel Tower with the lone man in front and the surving alley scene. I liked the fact that his display focused almost exclusively on people, not so much on objects or environment. There is something pure and simple to this strategy which seems as though it would appeal to any human being. Snider's ability to capture raw, uncensored emotions and reactions adds to the merits of the exhibit. His touches of irony did not go unnoticed either, such as the shot of the pair of blind walkers standing next to a lighted "walk" street sign. Snider definitely suceeded in his goal of capturing the simple beauty of humanity.