This photo was taken by David Guttenfelder  on Feburary 16^th 2012  this was a ceremony that took place in North Korea. It was in honor of Kim Jong-Il the late supreme leader of North Korea.  His son Kim Il-un is now left to fill his fathers large shoes.

This photo in particlour is important at least to me because it is shows the new young leader in a light that I feel to be true.  In this picture Jon-un is standing out in this picture not only because his jet black jacket stands out of the row of dark olive green martinis to the right of him.  He is also certainly away from the pack, I feel as though being the lone man on top of the castle can get pretty lonely.  I can not forget that his fathers death was just a few months ago he must still be morning his fathers death.  This is a public event and it is certainly of most importance for him to show no pain.  The entire worlds eyes are on this man, he is the ruler of a country that Western society denies and he must lead a country that has been under the same ruler for nearly two decades.

With this photograph I really think the color template is sweet.  The row of red roses behind the line of officers are a perfect match and the Guttenfelder’s POV could not have been better to line the two images together.  Also you get that feeling of isolation because Kim is all the way to the right of the frame.  If the photographer decided to get pan more to the right we would have probably seen Jon-un surrounded by other officers and probably taking that imagery out by doing so.

His body language does most of the talking anyway.  This is a great picture, I am going to look up more work from this photographer after seeing his work for the Associated Press.

 

Trading In Extinction

This image from the series “Trading In Extinction” by Patrick Brown struck me as particularly powerful. The viewer’s immediate reaction to the subject matter is shock. It is in this way the photograph is effective. Because it is in a series intended to raise awareness and concern for illegal trade of endangered species, this photograph of what was once a beautiful tiger influences the viewers emotions.

You can tell that the photographer is highly displeased over this issue by not only seeing the series as a whole but just by viewing this photograph alone. The head is in sharp focus, brining it into direct attention. Instead of just photographing the head, the photographer gives the viewer context by backing up from the subject and showing the whole office space. The viewer is clued in that something is up because there is something so unusual and possibly disturbing about the presented scene.

The intention of this photograph is to move the viewer and it is very effective. It works just by itself but is even more powerful when standing alongside like-images from this series about illegal animal trade. Together they are informative and moving. I believe that the light shed on the project by the captions about what is going on also greatly help tell the full story. The questions that are raised by seeing the pictures need to be answered because the photographs are so engaging that the viewer is inspired to investigate further.  In this series, the photographer has struggled against beatings, arrests and foreign illnesses to document this subject that he is passionate about. Furthermore he has had a hell of a time even getting published. This back-story and the captions fill in the blanks of this series and together packages an issue that the photographer has effectively used to educate and move me. 

Death in Benghazi, Libya

This photo was taken by Lynsey Addario. She and her coworker Tyler Hicks went to Benghazi, Libya to document chaotic events that had been occurring there. After reading a narrative of Addario talking about her journey to Libya and seeing the collection of photographs she had taken while she was there, this photo seemed to stand out the most. When you’re directed to the short NY Times article or narrative you are immediately shown this image of a recently deceased man, Mohammad Abdul Salam who had been killed in the fighting in Libya. Among the other photographs of the violence that is currently taking place there, this photo seemed to represent something different.

When looking at the photograph your eyes are instantly drawn to the lightest part, the man’s face. The small but defined light that appears on the man’s face is what I found so moving and appealing about the image. It forced your eyes to look only at the man on the table. It made me wonder what this man had been like while he was alive. Maybe he was a father or maybe he was a really awful man, but the fact that he died, what seems to be alone, is saddening. Addario doesn’t talk about this man or how he died. She mainly just talked about how the drivers refused to take her into where the fighting took place, her experiences and thoughts while she was there and what she and Hicks photographed during their stay.

This wasn’t the only collection I looked at on the website and because of the images I saw I don’t think I could ever become a documentary photographer because it makes me feel like hope is becoming scarce. In this photograph, specifically, I believe it could easily stand alone. Unlike the other photographs in the collection it evokes a different emotion that I can’t quite describe other than the overused line, “Well, it makes me sad.” Images as moving and thought provoking as this one does make me want to push myself to become a better photographer, but I still don’t think I could have done what Addario and Hicks did by putting themselves in such dangerous situations.

Stephanie Olson

"Two Wars, Seen Many Ways"

This photo stood out in my eyes originally because of the composition and then made me look closer at the subject matter, which adds another layer of significance. Chris Hondros’s photo from his “Conflict Zone” brings the observer into tension and distress of a warzone. This photo leaves me with questions about the school, the soldier, and the relationship between the military and the Iraqi people.

The symmetry of the photo is striking. The rectangular shapes with the centered framing made my eyes focus to the action in the photo. The elements present in the front of this classroom reflect the messages that have been sent to the students. The soldier’s weapons and uniform suggest his power and authority to remove such a powerful image from the wall. Not realizing it was Saddam Hussein until I took a closer look, did I realize how monumental this moment would have been. This mystery marine is changing how the youth in Iraq may view this once powerful leader in the future.

Although Hondros’s complete collection of “Conflict Zone” provides valuable imagery and information of the constant battle, I believe this photo can stand alone. This photo makes me curious about the situation in which this photographer caught the moment. Were any students preset? Did someone tell him to take it down or did he decide on his own? What was done with the photo after it had been removed? Which students will notice and ask questions about why the photo is gone? Hondros took the photo with so much thought and consideration and increased my curiosity about the mysteries of war.

Uncovering the Sadness of Young Deaths by Andrea Bruce

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/uncovering-the-sadness-of-young-deaths/

Andrea Bruce has documented the world’s most devastated area's working as a photographer for The Washington Post. In this particular photograph that I chose to share she has entered the poverty stricken world of a refugee camp located in Kabul, Afghanistan. She reveals to us the burial ceremony of a tiny baby boy, Khan Mohammad. Family members gather around the baby to mourn his short lived life. The caption in this photo explains how Khan Mohammad had frozen to death in his tiny mud hut earlier that morning. 

The frail, limp and naked body of this very obviously deceased baby immediately shocks any viewer of this photograph. It's disturbing nature can deliver sympathy to any eye it reaches. I think this photograph was meant to inform the world of the current issues those who live in these conditions are faced to deal with every day. After reading the article that follows the series of photographs, I learned that this was the ninth baby this winter who had froze to death overnight in this particular refugee camp. Andrea Bruce wants us to understand the suffering of these people not just by the text in her article, but also by actually experiencing their grief by viewing this album as a whole. 

It is my personal opinion that this photograph needs to be in a series to be fully understood by its onlooker. As shocking as it is, one cannot get enlightenment as a whole by just this single picture. As you click through the series, you see just how much snow really engulfs the tiny huts that the occupants of these camps are forced to live in. One caption reads "thirteen people live in this one room hut in the Charahi Qambar camp." The hut shows the family peaking out through the open archway where a door should be, and snow enters into their living space as well as outside temperatures. This photograph has really opened my eyes to current issues in Afghanistan. As an album, Andrea Bruce has changed how I may display others less fortunate in my work in the future. 


(I chose the sixth photograph in the series)

Uncovering the Sadness of Young Death

Though I looked through several images posted on NY Lens Blog, this one in particular really resonated with me. There is such a range of emotion that Andrea Bruce was able to capture in this image; the death of a child is something extremely dramatic and traumatizing. The contrast and color reiterate the morose feeling of the photo. It helps to dramatize the photo even more, and really get the point across.

I really like the fact that in the photo there are more people included than just the mother and child. It’s clear that multiple generations are shown in the photo to illustrate how many people are affected by this death. Mourning over a child has to be one of the hardest things to do; a child should never have to die from the cold. The older woman cries and consoles the mother, and though their arms are linked they appear disconnected. The mother seems to be in shock, showing very little emotion, in disbelief that her child is laying dead in front of her.

The lighting of this image has to be the most important factor. The child is perfectly illuminated from the light coming through the window while all around it is dark. While the mourners are standing in the shadows, some hiding their faces but this little angel is in the light, symbolizing, to me, that the child has found peace and safety in death. Of the women whose faces are shown, the darkness of their clothing eliminates any distractions from their solemn facial expressions, and really brings out the true emotions shown on their faces. I also find it interesting that the photographer was able to keep the face of another, living child, in the frame. Although this one child has died, hope can be restored through the life of the other child in the image.

This is an image that absolutely works alone. In fact, in my opinion, it works better alone. It’s all the viewer needs to see to feel the emotion of what it’s like to lose a child due to poverty. We can see enough of the environment to know these are not ideal living conditions, and the dead child in the photo represents the harsh realities impoverished families, and mothers face every day. At the same time, it’s a beautiful thing that the child is mourned over and shown just as much respect as any other deceased family member would be.

-Ruby Bobkowski

Evidence of Violence

I chose a close-up detail image of seats covered in blood in a soccer stadium. Its visual elements help tell its story in one shot. This image is violent and is a historical marker of violence. The entire stadium is vacant of people. The only humans that exist are far away and out-of-focus. The focus is on stadium chairs, with a blood spattered one at the center. A pool of blood has collected on the pavement beneath the seat. The background is slightly out of focus, but it can be determined the stadium is a soccer field.

The soccer pitch is visible in the background, which gives information about the setting. The violence could have occurred at a soccer game, between two fans of opposing teams. The image is violent, and successful at conveying that violence directly through the blood. The subject matter of focus is chairs. These chairs belong to the spectators of the game, which also indicates the violence occurred between fans. The empty stadium and seats indicate that the fans have left and the riot has ended, but the blood is sticky-shiny so not too much time has passed.

This photograph gives a lot of information visually, and it’s a solid backbone in a visual story of a soccer riot in Egypt that resulted in the death of 73 people. Specific information like this does have to be learned from the caption so the image does not work solely by itself. The image remains direct however; visual clues tell the viewer that the violence happened at a soccer match. The texture of the blood is a time marker, and it can be assumed that the violence happened previously. This photograph overall is evidence of violence at a soccer game.

B.Dunn

Syria and Elsewhere

The series is called Syria and Elsewhere and this image is by Baz Ratnen/Reuters and in this image a man is looking out, Majdal Shams window, at a rally which is commemorating Israel’s 31^st anniversary of the Golan Heights annexation. The man is staring at the Syrian flag in awe.  This image shows a great reaction to a man really taking in the significance of this rally.  It shows the people at peace, represented by the flag.  Normally when you think of a rally you think of chaos and excitement but this image shows the calmness and significance of the people. It’s a celebration in a classy way.

 The man’s facial expression expresses the whole picture. On his face you see inspiration, complete realization and this utter calm sense. The flag is what he is looking at and the reflection is what we are seeing.  He is happy and proud but not in an overbearing way. The flag is a center piece which really illustrates what this rally means to him. Even the reflection of the man smiling gives the viewer a feeling of peace.  The relaxed smile on his face being seen as a reflection on the rally is a joyous realization.  It gives the viewer a sense that they feel accomplished in a sensitive way.

The classiness of this image is brought out by the stillness of the background.  The people are clearly moving and waving their flags in the rally but the picture is taken at a moment were everything almost feels like it was frozen for this man to see.  Even the second flag off focus in waving motion doesn’t seem so real. There is just this surreal moment of realization that makes the viewer see this calm peaceful significant moment.  The viewer gets this complete understanding of how the people feel at or watching this rally take place.

This photo is inspiring because it captures an in the moment reaction of what could be a very hectic and cheerful place.  It slows down a fast moving event and captures everything in one shot.  The photographer does a great job with this event and image.  The photo is perfectly fine by itself it completely tells an entire story on its own and needs no set up images or following ones. This image really does influence my understanding on outside US issues.  Sometimes I really don’t know what is going on in the world, almost like I’m in my own protective cover.  This image allows me to understand what other countries may be grateful for as significant or insignificant as it may be.  It definitely impacted my way of thinking when I photograph.  I may take a different approach to things that are mundane or exciting.   

Saving Lives or Photographing Them?

The image shown above shows a man in Uzbekistan dying in palliative care. Social workers and nurses are his only visitors since all of his family and friends have passed away. Without the caption, this photo could easily be from anywhere. Hunger is such an important issue we still face in this technologically advanced society. This represents the ugly side of death and problems we’re still facing in third world countries and even in our own.

Color would have definitely been a distraction from the photo’s intention. Black and white beautifully contrasts the man’s skin from his ribs and spine that are protruding from his skin. The different patterns and textures from the pillow and blankets mirror the patterns of bone on his back. This photo alone is so powerful that it doesn’t need a series. It stands alone strongly. The man facing away from the camera allows the viewer to make this person into anyone. It also doesn’t make it personal.

This photo hasn’t changed my mind but enforced my beliefs in hunger and death. Personally, this reminds me of someone in my family who has turned to skin and bone. She’s lucky enough to have family behind her in her time of need whereas this man has no one but strangers. The idea of being alone in the world is really backed up by this photograph. As for the journalistic side to it, we're not supposed to interfere with what's going on but it's all about the photographer's ethics.

Searching for the Surreal in Everyday Life By Kerri MacDonald

The blog post I chose was “Searching for the Surreal in Everyday Life” by Kerri Macdonald. Tomasz Lazar is a 26-year-old freelance photographer that was born in Szczecin, Poland and travels between there and Warsaw for his projects. The image that is being displayed for this article is a photograph from her long-term project called “Coastlines”. At first when I saw the image, without even knowing the background story, I thought it was from being on the set of a photo shoot for swim suits or some other advertisement. After reading what inspired this photograph, I was amazed that it was from a storm that was heading to the beach and the other two people in the image are just regular people taking pictures of a woman who wanted to feel the wind and water from the storm.

I chose this photograph because it reminded me of fashion and the way the picture was captured it resembled a photo shoot set. The way the women in the photograph is positioned it looks as if she is controlling the waves and clouds that are around her. I think this type of photography would have looked better in color since there is so much going on within the image and would have probably helped identify the setting the photograph was taken. What really makes this image intriguing is that Tomasz used a flashlight to capture the moment, which helped give the photograph more detail.

I took some time to view the rest of the photographs for Tomasz’s project “Coastline” and a lot of his images are framed really well and have a pattern of showing circles and square shapes within the photographs. Tomasz’s intentions were expressed in a simple yet detailed way. His beach segment within his “Coastline” project is where the picture I chose is from and all the other images aren’t as powerful as that one because they display family time at the beach so there wasn’t any risk at taking the photos.

This image stood out to me from all the other articles display pictures because it really made my mind wander on what is going on. The photograph in a way does not really relate with the rest of the beach pictures because none of them could work without being a series while this display photograph does not need a series to get its point across. The fact that Tomasz was experimenting when he took this photograph is amazing because it turned out so well and has inspired me to take more of a risk when I take pictures.

source: http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/09/searching-for-the-surreal-in-everyday-life/

Conflict in Greece

This single photograph  reveals a political crisis, which has existed in Greece over the past few years and has created a great deal of suffering in that society.  This photo documents the relationship between those individuals who are working for the government, and those that are against it.  When words have lost all of their power, and agreements cannot be made, we sometimes find ourselves in violent situations, such as this one. The main theme that seems to encompass this photo is fear. Not only is fear projected through the man on the ground or the people lining the streets, but also it is seen within the two policemen.  If the policemen were not fearful of losing their position or disappointing their superiors in government, they wouldn’t have lashed out in a violent manner we see in this photograph.

             The close proximity of the two policemen to the victim shows a very aggressive conflict.  It is clear that this is not a controlled encounter; the policeman definitely wants to injure this man and prove something to him.  The Greek government has become so dysfunctional that fear and violence has not only corrupted Greek culture, but the lives of the Greek people as well.  The witnesses in the background are soaking up everything that is going on as these tragic events unfold.

            Essentially there are four separate influences that are captured by the photographer in this single photo. The first influence is that of the fallen protester. He is captured in a prone and defenseless position. He has tried to rebel against authority and has clearly lost today's battle. We realize he is passionate about his opposition, but he has been overcome by the military police. The second influence is the police officers themselves. They have moved far beyond simple law enforcement or crowd control. The photographer has captured the precise moment when one of the officers is about to kick the protester in the head and cause serious harm. This reveals that this protest has escalated far beyond a typical political demonstration to a potential riot in which the police themselves have lost control. Nonetheless the photo has also captured the fact that there are only two policemen, but perhaps one hundred Greek citizens in the frame.

            The third influence is represented by the protester with the red flag in the middle ground of the photo. He is far more involved than the general crowd, but he is not yet physically interacting with the police. Finally, we see the general population of Greece represented by the crowd in the background. Although they seem passive and many have their hands in their pockets, we can also see the expressions on their faces. The photographer has captured the people bearing witness to the violence and insanity unfolding on the streets of their community. This is not an image of the conduct of a single or random protester. Rather, the photograph reflects the terror in the streets of Greece and the immediate reactions of the people to these events.

             We can suspect that many of those in the crowd will soon be holding those red flags like the man running between the fallen protester and the crowd. His physical location between the police and the crowd suggests that he is a transitional figure. The aspect of the photo that I find most interesting is that it captures people who are at each level of involvement; the injured demonstrator, the violent police, the active flag bearer, and the horrified crowd. The photo seems to foreshadow future events in which we will soon witness crowds of rioters and lines of riot police. The photo seems to call out for a peaceful solution before it becomes too late. 

Displaced Murle tribe

Pete Muller’s photograph of the displaced women from the Murle tribe proves to be most powerful. Without pretending to be worldly or doing a quick Google™ search, one cannot see what causes the characters to be placed together, but one can see that it is not desirable. The image of women and children huddled together tugs at the heartstrings even before the caption is read. Muller captures suffering, and in this image, it’s captured quite beautifully.

A warm frame full of emotion and disparity, the viewers eye moves counter-clockwise, (starting in the center) from one despondent face to another. The expressions imply a joyless narrative. The conversation of color, light and (and lack thereof) puts emphasis on the foreground, where the sharpest major figures gaze just slightly beyond the lens. It’s decorated with different textures, all seemingly coarse or weathered. Even the negative space is used to show the poor conditions these displaced people.

Muller attempts—and I believe succeeds—in using one frame to spark interest, to call attention to life foreign to most. It brings so much information about these otherwise anonymous people. This image lead at least one audience member to research the tribal fighting in Sudan and then onto his other works. This photograph affects me as a human before and more than it does an aspiring artist, and does what documentaries should, it not only exposes actuality but it brings awareness and gives a face to Sudan’s tribal affliction.

Pete Muller a very talented photographer with a primary focus on war, poverty and social unrest. His website has a lot of his work, I recommend a look. His work on the rape trials of the Eastern Congo is incredibly moving… and speaking of moving he also does audio and video pieces as well. As a filmmaker with a more reflexive taste, his films are a bit too broadcast journalism for my personal liking but visually they’re STUNNING. Gorgeous cinematography is just gorgeous photography, 24 frames per second. CHECK IT OUT!

Welcome

Welcome to the Hofstra Documentary Photography class blog!
You may enjoy perusing the blog from the Spring 11 class. It will give you an idea of what you'll be posting on the blog and has some wonderful work by previous students.

Your first assignment will revolve around work you discover on the NY Times Lens blog. A great example is Jules Allen's work about Gleason's gym in Brooklyn.