A photo of soldiers and a dead body in Africa (found in the third section of photos on page eight), and a photo of a crowd pushing for food (found in the third section of photos on page 20) really struck me with emotion, but for different reasons.
First the photo from Africa. In the background are soldiers, but they are distant, turned away from the camera, or their heads are out of the frame entirely. Instead, up close and personal in the forefront of the photo is a dead body almost reduced to the skeleton. The focus on the skeleton is especially poignant because the head is completely weathered away to a white skull that stands out in contrast to the tan and brown background. For me, it was shocking to realize that I was looking at a real skeleton that used to be a living person, when I’ve been so desensitized to violence and skeletons from movies and halloween decorations. It was emotional to realize that I was seeing a real dead body, forgotten in a desert and left to disappear completely.
In the second photo, the chaos and stress of the scene could be felt through the crowdedness of the photo. The frame is filled with people and there are too many grabbing arms, hands, and empty bowls to count or assign to the right face. What is most striking is the face that isn’t preoccupied but instead seems to be looking right into the camera. It is a little boy, his face half-covered by someone taller pushing past him, and he has the telling expression on his face that he is about to cry. By looking at the photo, one can feel the overwhelmingness of the scene and the fear of the little boy.
Addario tells her story well with words, but including photos from her travels makes them come alive in a way that words cannot. We can see the faces of the people that are hurting and the bodies of the people that are dying, and it makes it so much more real for the reader.
On a lighter note, in my passion blog I am including pictures of my dog Charlie and I might include a video down the line, because like Addario’s photos, it makes the story come alive. Photos bridge the gap between the writer and the reader, and allow them to immerse themselves into the experience.
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I loved your juxtaposition of two images with similar purpose! While both proved eye-opening and disturbing, different focal points, color schemes, and angles yielded quite different perspectives. We both chose the image of the skeleton, but you took a slightly different approach. Instead of focusing on the angle (like I did), You talked about the desensitization of the skeletal symbol, which resonated with me profoundly! I’ve never thought of it that way, so you really enlightened me there. Additionally, your focus on color contrast interested me. I took this element for granted, but the white color of the skeleton on a brown background, or the child among a sea of strangers, tell a story about what the focal point truly is. Great insights 🙂