Photojournalism and Bias

Photo by Ed Clark

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

Everyone in this world has different views and perspectives, no two people would ever view an image the same though it may be similar never the exact same. We all look at images differently and we all get differently feelings and emotions from them. In this image, particularly I see the main subject, navy shipman Graham Jackson, playing the accordion with some deep emotions going through him. In the background, I see women and men both dealing with some strong emotions themselves. Everyone seems to be in mourning. They are all mourning the death of president Franklin D. Roosevelt. What I like about this image is how close it is because as Shahidul Alam stated, “you cannot tell the stories about people from a distance.” The closer and more personal the story the more impact it has as I get from this image. I can understand why these individuals are in such despair because he was one of the greatest presidents and did so many amazing things for his country. Though I have not experienced the death of a great president in my lifetime, we are now going through a great change with the new president that was elected, Donald Trump, which has everyone questioning so many things and has some people very upset.

In or out of focus

            This image is in clear focus of the main subject, while the background is slightly out of focus. I liked the way the photographer did this because though the background is out of focus it still shows the raw emotion of sadness that they feel, just like the main subject. I think this really helped to emphasize how sad these citizens were from losing such a great president.

Subject’s expression

            The subject’s expression of this face is clearly sad. His body image looks tense and it definitely reflects how he feels. The subject is also blinking so we can tell he was not posing for this image.

Is the image in black & white or color?

            This image is in black and white. It’s in black and white because at this time the photographer didn’t have a choice. I believe it being this color made the image much more powerful. 

Photo by Joshua Lim

Image Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/slideshow/vigils-across-country-remember-victims-pulse-massacre-n590776

This picture is an example of an image that speaks the truth to me. Just by looking at this image I can tell it was not a staged image it was the pure truth of what these people were going through at the time of the Orlando Nightclub Massacre. The truth of an image is one that has not been staged or manipulated in any kind of way and I believe this picture represents just that. This image shows how deeply saddened and hurt these people were at a vigil for the many people who lost their lives during the massacre. Just looking at this man's expression as he hugs this woman we can see the raw emotion and hurt in his face, this to me is as true as it can get, they weren't paying attention to the photographer they were merely having a strong moment. In the article, The Rules of Photojournalism are Keeping us from the Truth, it says, “Thesedays, the most in-demand news photo is that of happenstance — typically dodged,burned, cropped, dramatized and with “extraneous” details within the frameexcised.” With all of the editing going on these days I believe this statement is true, but as we can see from this image no editing needs to be done to get that in demand photo, because this unedited photo is so strong and truly shows us what these people were going through. Based on the four ways of knowing article, I would choose sense perception. I would choose that because just by looking at the image you can just see and become aware of the sadness these individuals were feeling. If you are someone like me and sometimes need a break from the sadness you can go to “Good News Network” to see good news and some amazing stories.

Rule of thirds

            The photographer did place the subject in the middle of the image. If this image were broken down inti thirds, the subject wouldn’t be in any of the outer thirds. I believe the photographer did this to really show the emphasis on the main subject without many distractions in the backgrounds.

Keep it simple

            This image is very simple. You can see a couple people in the background but that’s about it. I think the less cluttered the more attention it gives to the seriousness of the image.

Depth of field

            The right amount of area is definitely in focus. If you look at the image close you can tell the focus is on the two people hug and the background is slightly blurred. This helps to direct the viewers attention right to the two hugging.

Photo by Iranian Revolutionary Guard

Image Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/02/05/the-most-famous-photoshopped-images-of-all-time/photoshopped-image-of-iran-missile-launch-the-third-missile-from/

This image to me represents something that is not the truth. It has come out that this photo was photoshopped as the right middle missile did not launch. Instead of publishing the true image of the missile not launching, they decided to photoshop the image to make it look as if they all launched, and as if they were successful. Some photojournalists edit their images to get more attention to their stories and images, which is why I believe they edited this photo. But it is not fair to the public, it is not fair to show false images. In the article about Betty Lane it says, “words strive to appeal to the logical portions of our minds. But the images captured by photojournalists often take hold of our hearts and reach us on a more primal emotional level.” I love how they worded this because images get people on a much more emotional level which is why photojournalists should never falsify an image to the public, the public wants the truth. However, everyone’s truth is different and as Professor Nordell said, “it depends on the lens choice, the angle, and what perspectiveyou’re really trying to get across with your photograph.” So, ultimately what we, the public, see is always going to be the photographer’s truth.

Texture

            The texture of this image is rough. I believe it helps to create a feeling of the danger of missiles being launched. I also believe it helps it shows the seriousness of them.

What feelings does the image create?

            For me seeing things like this gets me a little nervous. Maybe someone else looking at this would think it’s something interesting to look at, but that is not the case for me. The instant I saw this image it made me think of war, which scares me.

Background compliments or detracts from composition

            There is nothing but dirt in the background, which does not compete for attention in the photo. Having nothing else in the background really helps the viewer to solely focus on the missiles. Also, all the dirt blowing around helps distract the viewers from knowing the image was edited.