Photojournalism and Bias

 

Chief Petty Officer (USN) Graham Jackson plays the accordian as President Franklin 
Roosevelt's funeral train departs Warm Springs, Ga. April 13, 1945 Photo by Ed Clark

Seeing this photo, I can feel the somber mood that seems to have taken over the crowd. I see hands on faces, hanging heads, and the stream of tears and look of anguish on CPO Jackson's face while still playing his instrument. I feel the meaning of this photo is layered. President Roosevelt is held in high regard as starting the Civil Rights movement, championing social services, and ushering the United States through one of the most difficult times in history - World War II. While the Black Community felt a monumental loss, in this photo we can see that the loss was equally as difficult to the female and White community as well. To me, this photo documents a moment in time where color and gender wasn't a dividing factor and that mourning as a nation was more important than being divided. Diving deeper into the photo, I am somewhat critical of the framing of the photo. Much like Professor Nordell's examples in his second Module 11 video, the use of a serviceman of color being used as the main subject who is off center and in front of an exceedingly white crowd could very well be the specific truth of the photographer who thought the image woulf sell much better than a photograph of CPO Jackson by himself. As we can see, CPO appears to me mostly infront of the column. To me, this is reminiscent of the framing that Professor Nordell utilized in his photo of the groundbreaking. 

When assessing the photograph according to compositional principles, we can notice the following: 

1) Subject's expression: The expression of CPO Jackson can be noted as being emotional, raw, and real. However, he continues to play his accordian showing that despite being consumed by emotion, he is still performing his duty and paying respect. It is a blending of personal emotion, heartbreak, and professional bearing. 

2) Rule of thirds: CPO Jackson is off center to the left of the frame, although the dominant subject in the foreground. This positioning allows for the mourners in the background to be seen to create further context in the photograph. This framing strengthens the emotional context as we can see other mourners in states of distress by either crying, having their hands on their face, or heads hung. 

3) What feeling does the image create: The overall feeling of the image is grief. The emotion in the photo feels authentic and it is difficult to look away from CPO Jackson as his emotion feels so raw. The honesty in the emotion is powerful and yet feels so subtle. The somber tone seems to seep from the photograph into the viewer as if you were there at that exact moment. That feeling is reinforced each time you examine the photo. For example: the young lady with the cover on her head seemingly gazing at nothing with he head half down, sort of peering into space. Her expression is almost absent as if she lost a loved one. Just to the right of her is another young lady with dark hair, she looks as though she feels CPO Jackson's pain as he continues to perform with tears streaming down his face. 

"Crying Girl on the Border" June 12, 2018
Photo by John Moore

For my photojournalist non truth photo, I elected to show the photograph on the left taken on June 12th 2018 by John Moore. This photograph depicts a two year old child standing infront of her mother who is leaning on a US Boarder Patrol vehicle and is being searched. The photo was taken at night however, a flood of light is stratgeically covers the middle portion of the photo highlighting the young girl's red jacket and face while light shadow is cast on the top and bottom of the image. This photo is very interesting as at the time it was taken, there was great dissent among the American people and the President at the time. This photograph is certainly gutting to many as the implication is that of the mother and child being separated from one another. The emotion captured by the young girl and the fact that the mother is being what many would consider as being detained. This image won a World Press Photo award in the middle of a very intense political debate which witnessed the regualr occurence of children being separated from parents as they crossed the US-Mexico border - a policy put into place by the then sitting President which was later reversed. When I look at this photo, I initially am overcome with emotion; how horrible of an experience must that mother and child must have endured to leave their home to attempt to make a better life and the result is being searched on a dirt road in the middle of the night? How is a country built by immigrants so ready to persecute, break apart families, and deport those who are trying to make a better life for themselves? After that rush of initial emotion, I apply logic. Logically, US Border Patrol at the time had limited and confined arresting power to violent situations. There isn't a pair of handcuffs or zipties on the frame and there is no clear sign of the mother being placed in custody, only the exhausted and emotional child and a mother being cleared for weapons. As Shahidul Alam sates in the Module 11 video, "A story has many truths at many levels...they need to be analyzed at many levels." The need to set emotion aside to digest the image is very strong with this photo. The status quo at the time this image was taken was to simply assume that the political rhetoric was a constant truth, infelxible and unyeilding. Further, the photograph is reminiscent of Yellow Journalism in that the political environment at the time this photo was taken directs the initial instinct of the viewer to believe that the mother and child were being inevitably separated, a topic covered under "jingoism" where the inflammation of national sentiment via unidirectional stories. In the "Yellow Jounralism" article, we can see this phenomenon when they broach the subject of the Spanish-American War. 

When assessing this photograph, we see the following concepts utilized:

1) Quality of light: While lighting is natural to the situation and likely not added from a flash, the ambient light is likely supplemented from vehicle headlights. The use of lights clearly conveys that it is nighttime. There are a mixture of soft and hard lines that to the feeling of confusion and emphasize the young girl's expression and tension in the atmosphere. 

2) Keep it Simple: The compostition is simplistic, however every element serves a purpose. The viewer is directed to the child crying mouth wide open, and a bright colored jacket and matching shoes and the line the mother's legs make frame the young girl with a brighter white background from the vehicle door. While the legs and torso from the officer and the mother are visible enough to convey a story of being searched as the mother's hands are against the side of the vehicle. Just in front of the child's face on the door, we can see half of a crest and "US" on the door. 

3) Contrast: I would consider this image to have high contrast. The bright red color of the child's jacket and shoes pull the viewer's eye directly to her. There is a sense of drama created by the lighting as the child is in full view while light falls directly on her face and while being in sharp focus. The background softly fades into darkness as a result of the lighting creating a gradient yet emphasizing the child's distress while reducing elements not cruical to the subject's story.

Hong Kong protesters taken 2021 Photo by Ivan Abreu

For a photojournalistic image depecting truth, I elected to use an image from the Hong Kong protests taken by Ivan Abreu in 2021. The image depicts protesters wearing P-100 masks, hard hats, goggles, face masks, holding street signs to block less lethal munitions, and holding makeshift posters promoting a free Hong Kong. The lighting is dim in the foreground with bright backlighting. The reason I elected to use this photo is the highlight of a generational struggle for independence. This is a protest for freedom of oppression against a government known to be harsh to the people, lording over those who are loyal to the government and imposing harsh penalty for any perieved misstep. While faces are mostly covered, you can feel the tension, exhaustion, and yet energetic fever that is brought by these protesters. The want to remain in a democratic state is at their core. Something this photograph is akin to the Bettye Lane series about the woman's movement. Both Ivan and Bettye captured pivotal moments in society in difficult times and to quote the AARP article on Bettye Lane, "...prods the viewer to rethink society's priorities." What I find interesting about this photo is the careful preservation of the "FREE HK" sign in the frame while keeping the other elements beside it. It is as though the central message rings through with bravado in a sea of chaos with respect and dignity yet in affirmative tone. Shahidul Alam speaks of "a judgement that gives dignity to the people." This line in the CAN "I Want To Live" interview is particularly striking when assessing this photo as the setting, lighting, and subject all tell a story of struggle for independence. From Theory of Knowledge website, we can know that institutional control over others is far from right. The people in this photo are protesting against that level of control to preserve their freedom. 

Assessment concepts:

1) In or Out of Focus: The cental subject is in sharp focus. Details of the mask and helmet are obvious and the maskeshift sign is detailed enough to see that it is partially split on the viewer's right side. The background figures are discernable yet in slightly less focus which emphasizes the emotional impact due to the isolation of the main subject. This approach allows for viewer connection to the image. 

2) Background Compliments or Detracts: The background is busy and conveys action, however the lighting and focus help with distinguishing the main subject in the middle of the frame. Despite how busy the background is, the viewer can tell that his is a communal event which supports the narrative of a social movement. The layering of other subjects both infront of and behind the main subject holding the "FREE HK" sign adds to the dynamic feeling of the photo. 

3) Color of Black and White: The photograph is in color which assists in contracting the warm light in the background with the darkness in the foreground. This creates an almost intimate environment in a very obvious public setting that reinforces how serious and personal the cause of protest is to the subjects. The photographer had the option to select to use black and white or color, I believe that the use of color to capture a visually striking image was intentional and added to the feeling of urgency and statement of those protesting.