Chapter 8: Photojournalism and Bias

Photo By: Ed Clark

When looking at this image, taken by Life Magazine photojournalist Ed Clark, it is difficult to not get emotional. The man playing the piano accordion appears to be a sailor as he is wearing a United States Navy hat. Just the raw emotion on the mans face is enough to bring tears to my eyes. It seems that he is experiencing the loss of someone he loves potentially a friend he served alongside. That kind of loss is something that we can all potentially relate to, which makes the emotion even more intense.
As Professor Nordell states in his video Photojournalism and Bias-Part 2 “Today, I more likely subscribe to the rule that I wouldn’t want to photograph somebody in a way that I, myself, would not want to be photographed”. This photograph captures one of the moments many would not want to be photographed. The subject is in such a vulnerable state right now due to the loss he has experienced. The rest of the people in the photograph seem to display the same sadness, which contributes to the melancholy interpretation of this photograph.

Is the Photo in Black and White or Color? This photograph being in black and white really adds to the emotion portrayed. The grief in this photo is emphasized by the darkness and lack of bright colors. The choice of using black and white draws the audience’s attention to the subject

Subject’s Expression: The subject of this photograph is extremely upset. He is in tears while grieving the loss of a loves one. He appears to be holding it together enough to be playing the music at the funeral.

Obvious main subject, about ¼ to 2/3 of image area: It is very obvious who the subject of the photograph is. The man takes up the most space in the center of the photograph. He also appears to be the most emotionally impacted.

Photo By: Tara Copp

                             

The article The Rules of Photojournalism Are Keeping Us From the Truth by Donald Weber describes truth as “objectivity, righteousness, infallibility, etc”. This image displays what I believe to be truth. Soldiers who were killed in the Korean war over fifty years ago were finally brought home in 2014. During this event, they were recognized for the bravery and loyalty to their country and they were finally put to rest. In his video Photojournalism and Bias-Part 2, Professor Nordell talks about “opening the doors for the photographs and ideas, a viewpoint of photographers from developing nations”. This image is one that can resonate with almost anyone of any culture or background. The emotions this photograph brings on are so pure. The families of those who were killed can now get closure for their loved ones.

Depth of Field: The appropriate amount of area is in focus in this image. The main focal points can be seen with is. For instance, the flag-covered coffin can be easily seen along with the military personnel gathered around.

Background compliments or detracts from composition: There is a lot to this photograph. For instance, there are people gathered all around and even farther back are the graves of other soldiers who have died. All of these components compliment the photo and make it more powerful.

In or Out of Focus: The image Is very sharp. You can see great detail in the entire photograph. For instance, the tree branches and writing on the closer tombstones can easily be seen.

Photo By: Joe Raedle

I chose this image to represent not truth because there is not a career more filled with lies than that of politics. It is a known fact that some of the most well-known political faces have been caught in severe scandals, some even resulting in actions like impeachments. In my opinion, politics is the least important societal aspect today. There are people in this world that are starving and rather than actually getting up and doing something about it, these people will sit around and debate over how they would change it if they were elected, and those who are elected rarely ever follow through with the promises they made that got them elected in the first place. A perfect example of this is from the Watching America article The American Circus by Francisco G. Basterra who says “The man in the White House has caused the international order to become unhinged, detaching it from its classical axes. The international reliability of Trump’s America, wrapped up in itself, has evaporated”. People in other countries can see just how messed up our political system and priorities as a country are, but citizens of our own country cannot. This idea can be connected with that of yellow journalism. For instance, in module eleven content, there’s a New York Post with the headline Trump slams media over sham dossier with the caption “yellow journalism” under Trump’s photograph.

KEEP IT SIMPLE: The image isn’t too cluttered. There are three subjects. Attention is brought mainly to Elizabeth Warren, as she is in the center of the photo. The background of the photo is pretty simple.

Contrast Appropriate: There is a lot of contrast in this photograph. There is a lot of dark colors that can be seen in the background and on the male clothing. Brighter colors appear on Warren’s clothing, the podiums, and the flag displayed in the background.

Quality of Light: The light can be seen as both engaging and dramatic. For instance, the bold colors add a darker tone drawing the viewers’ attention in. The lighter aspects and more of a dramatic aspect in contrast to the darker areas