Photojournalism Bias

 

Photo By: Ed Clark

Image Source: http://www.thegreatleapsideways.com/?p=209 

This image represents a Navy ship man following the burial service of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The first thing I see is the emotion of the woman with her head in her hand. After looking closer, I saw the tears in the ship man's eyes. The emotion of this picture is what makes it real to me. To me, this is a depiction of patriotism and nationalism. For someone to mourn a leader so intently and respectfully speaks volumes. As Tom Zachmeier said, in order to be objective, photojournalists need to be an "invisible camera" from a distance. However, Clark did a good job here of balancing his distance and connection. It is apparent that Clark was in the distance, maybe a passerby or even a participant because he is not fully divulged into these peoples' lives. At the same time, he connected with these people enough regarding the situation that the people felt free enough to let these emotions flow.

Principle 1: The subject's expression is very natural. In fact there are a few main subjects the grasp my attention. None of the subjects look posed. If they did, it would look more synchronized.

Principle 2: The rule of thirds is used excellently in this image. The main subject is of to the left. His face and the expression on it is in the upper left while the instrument he is playing, another focus, is the bottom left. In this case, the rule of thirds adds a creative appeal.

Principle 3: The use of lines is used in many places in this image. First of all, the beam in the back right adds structure to the photo and emphasizes the crowd. The black horizontal lines on the instrument stand out because of the color contrast. Also, the vertical lines on the instrument are noticeable because the clash with the balance of the subjects. If these lines weren't present, the crowd would look too average.

Photo By: Corey Arnold

Image Source: http://www.coreyfishes.com/koken/albums/human-animals/

This image represents the truth to me because it shows the innocence of children. Children have a such big hearts until the reality of the world slowly starts to destroy them. My way of knowing in this situation is my sense of perception. Therefore, I can see and perceive them in my own mind. I have seen children decide what is right and what is wrong. Obviously in this case, the seagull was hurt and it was the girls' first instinct to help it. Also, the girl in pink looks like she is recommending what to do with the bird. The ideas of children in a crisis situation are very raw and based almost completely on emotion. Professor Nordell stressed how truth can and does change. What is interesting here, is that the photojournalist's truth had undoubtedly changed since he was a child. Although the implications to both the girls and the bird of holding the bird in this manner were known, Arnold avoided his bias. Perhaps when the girls look back on this photo, their truth will have changed and they will not understand the motivation behind their actions.

Principle 1: The use of light in this image is very clear. The reflection from the snow almost puts a glow around the main subjects. Also, the bright light allows for the colors of the girls' clothing to be very crisp and clear. The light is not too bright because it is balanced by the overcast.

Principle 2: There are various types of textures elicited in this image. First, there are the clumps of snow which looks icy and therefore creates a bitterly sense. Also, the texture of the seagull's feathers look majestic which correlate with the manner in which the girl is holding it. Finally, the texture of the snow pants shows how wet the children are from the snow and it elicits the memories of childhood.

Principle 3: The depth of field is just right in this image. If it was any more out of focus, the seagull would not be identifiable in detail which is the whole purpose. If it was any closer, the actual action would not be understood. Some use of shallow depth of field is apparent because the subjects are crisp while the far background begins to blur.

Photo By: Steve McCurry

Image Source: http://stevemccurry.com/galleries/deep-southhttp://stevemccurry.com/galleries/deep-south

This image does not represent the truth to me because the subject is too different from the setting.  The setting is obviously extremely run down and crippling upon the subject. However, the subject is well-dressed, looks sturdy, and appears healthy. For a man who keeps himself so put together, my mind does not connect the antithesis: his house. Also, the point of photojournalism is to tell the news, through photos. Although this may bring awareness to the issue of poverty, it is not hard news of a current event. This contradicts Hearst's Journal which would "get the news, no matter what it costs." It may have been easy for a photojournalist to travel to a nearby sight like this one, but it only ignites the temporary emotions of a viewer. Similar to Professor Nordell's experience at the rally in Boston, just a different type of camera transformed the truth of the event. Perhaps this photographer found this one home set off the road within a decent neighborhood. Maybe it is not an exception and this is commonplace in this town. The truth is not completely told through this one photo.

Principle 1: The feelings this image creates are pity, sadness, and confusion. The well-dressed man in such an ugly setting confuses me. The pity for the man is furthered by the strong contrast. The falling stairs and roof surrounded by boards makes me sad to see that anyone lives in this environment.

Principle 2: The contrast of this image is excellent. The red and green really go together but are separated by a bland brown so it is not overwhelming. The blue sky gives the image life from rustic colors. The ultimate contrast is the blue sky with the dead grass in the foreground while the two together make the image holistic.

Principle 3: The main subject in this photo is not obvious. Is it the house or is it the man? I think it is the house but this image is not complete without the man. The size of the man is too small to make him the main subject but usually people are the focus in photojournalism.