Describing: a. Where was the photograph taken? i. This photo was taken in India and it looks like it is in a hospital or a doctor’s office. b. Look at the subject matter and describe it as clearly as you can. Are there people in the photograph? Is it a landscape? Does it show the country or the city? List as many facts as you can. ii. Even though the subject is so small, the baby is a boy and you can see the parents how happy they are because boys are more desired. The baby doesn’t seem very old but it does have money next to his head which I infer as a gift because he is a boy and shows just how their culture is so wrong. You can see the baby is wrapped in all sorts of blankets and nice warm clothes, when girls from other photos I saw are wrapped in small blankets. c. Look at the elements of design: color, line, shape, value, form, space and texture. How are these used in the photograph? iii. The bright colors in the photo bring out how happy the parents are and their own wealth in the country because everything and everyone looks clean. By having the dad’s hand on the boy, it shows just how small he really is.
Analyzing:
a. What can you learn from the clues in the photo? What draws your eye immediately? Also, look closely at other perhaps less significant, details. What information can they give you? i. That this family is going to have a normal life. The baby takes my eyes first, but then I notice the money next to his head which shows how much this country loves boys. Also the parent’s smiles are bigger than their faces because they know how well their life will be. Also the father has his nose pierced which I find very strange for a man to have his nose pierced with a big diamond in it. b. If there are people in the photograph, what kind of clothes are they wearing? How old do the people appear to be? What do you think the relationships between the people are? What do facial expressions and body language suggest? ii. They are wearing layers, but the colors and choices are very interesting. The mother is wearing a green sweater then a Harley Davidson hat. The dad is wearing all black, and the son is in a blue onesie with a red hat. They seem to be in their 30’s maybe because their skin is wrinkly and it makes them look older. They are a family and they are super excited to be parents of a boy. c. What is going on in the background? Do you see any writing in the photo (signs, or posters, for example)? Are there recognizable buildings or landmarks? What time of day does it seem to be? Think about overall mood or feeling. How do the various elements work together? iii. In the background there is a plastic bag when zoomed in it says “Fixed Prices Shop” so if that is theirs, maybe they are a lower income family and that’s why they are beyond happy to have a boy. Because the boy will bring in more money for the family. Interpreting: a. Can you now say exactly what is happening in the photograph? What is the photographer trying to say; that is, what is the intent of the photographer? Why was the picture taken at this time? Why did the photographer select this angle? i. What I take from the photo is that this family just had a baby and they are just beyond happy that it is a boy because it is more desired. Also the photographer is trying to show how much this country cares about the male gender over females because of the money near his head and the smiles. I believe he selected this angle to show most of the baby and the parents staring, smiling at the boy and not even caring about the photo being taken. b. Consider what is in the picture and what is left out. A photographer uses the boundaries of the photograph as a frame. There is always a conscious decision to focus on some things and leave other things out. How do these decisions affect the meaning? ii. The photographer almost completely cuts out the father of the photo. I believe he did that to make you focus more on the baby and the smile and praise the baby is receiving when he has done nothing.
Evaluating:
a. What do you think about the work? Make a judgment about the value, the significance and the importance of the photograph. What does it add to your knowledge of the subject? i. The work is an alright photo, I say that because you can go to any hospital and take a photo of a new born with their parents and obviously the parents are going to be happy to have a healthy child. Just this family is happier to have a boy instead of a girl. It just really shows how much parents care about having a boy instead of just a healthy child with ten toes and fingers.
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Describing In describing the photograph, you must first make note of as much essential, factual information as is available. a. Where was the photograph taken? 1. Either this photo was taken in a studio because of the perfectly painted walls and how clean they are, but further research explains that there is a center for women that are victims of sexual and domestic violence and he wasn’t allowed to talk photos in the center. b. Look at the subject matter and describe it as clearly as you can. Are there people in the photograph? Is it a landscape? Does it show the country or the city? List as many facts as you can. 2. There is a women in the photo and she is missing one arm possibly both but it’s hard to see the other arm because it is a side view. She looks like an older women with her very curly hair and glasses. She is wearing a black tank top or a black swim suit. c. Look at the elements of design: color, line, shape, value, form, space and texture. How are these used in the photograph? 3. He used the dark background and he dark outfit of choice to show how serious the photo should be taken. Also he seems to use artificial light to create a shadow on her shoulder to deceive you that she may or may not have her arm.
Analyzing:
a. What can you learn from the clues in the photo? What draws your eye immediately? Also, look closely at other perhaps less significant, details. What information can they give you? i. That since this photo is about domestic and sexual violence it shows a women that has been affected by it. She doesn’t look sad though, she almost looks angry or determined to get justice or revenge. The shadow on her arm makes your focus to try to figure out if she has an arm or not when she doesn’t. a. If there are people in the photograph, what kind of clothes are they wearing? How old do the people appear to be? What do you think the relationships between the people are? What do facial expressions and body language suggest? ii. The women in the photo is wearing a black tank top or swim suit. My best guess with her age is she is in her thirties. She is the only one in the photo because she was abused by an ex-lover and her injuries were so bad that she lost her arm. Her body language shows that she has some anger built up, but she is determined to live her life to the fullest. d. What is going on in the background? Do you see any writing in the photo (signs, or posters, for example)? Are there recognizable buildings or landmarks? What time of day does it seem to be? Think about overall mood or feeling. How do the various elements work together? iii. The background is just a gray wall or back drop because he really wants you to focus on the women in the photo. It also shows that the subject has a dark story to why she has her injury and he wants you to take this very seriously. Interpreting: a. Can you now say exactly what is happening in the photograph? What is the photographer trying to say; that is, what is the intent of the photographer? Why was the picture taken at this time? Why did the photographer select this angle? i. He is trying to say that people need to understand that violence either sexual or physical in a domestic partnership is wrong no matter if they are married or just dating. That it is still a human being mistreated by another human. He wanted to show what had been done to her but also show her as a person and that she looked just like everyone else. a. Consider what is in the picture and what is left out. A photographer uses the boundaries of the photograph as a frame. There is always a conscious decision to focus on some things and leave other things out. How do these decisions affect the meaning? ii. He left out the rest of her body to really focus on her face and her injury. But he also almost took the photo as a portrait but wanted to show injury when making the photo like a portrait, it shows how normal some people think of domestic violence and how often it can happen without being noticed.
Evaluating The final stage of your decoding is an evaluation. a. What do you think about the work? Make a judgment about the value, the significance and the importance of the photograph. What does it add to your knowledge of the subject? i. I love this photo, it really captures the women showing how strong she is for living without her arm and how she has overcome so much trauma to get to where she is today.
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http://www.worldphoto.org/news-and-events/wpo-news/a-conversation-with-walter-astrada-human-rights-photographer/
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/25/world/europe/in-norway-gender-equality-does-not-extend-to-the-bedroom.html?pagewanted=all