“Running from Gas,” a Pakistani lawyer runs from tear gas, Pakistan.
© Emilio Morenatti.
A young boy peers through the barbed wire fence of a refugee camp
in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, in the wake of the South Asian earthquake of 2005.
Why I picked these photos
The first photo has drama and clearly captures a moment of fear or panic. There are several graphic elements such as the man running ringed with gas and the barbed wire he is jumping over. The details at the right and left edge of the photo keep the eye in the middle of the image. However, the included caption really gives very little of the information we talked about in class.
The second photo is quite a compelling photo but as a portrait (I am not sure it is intended as such) it provides insufficient surrounding detail to stand on its own without the caption to give it context. Still, I find the caption provides insufficient detail to round out the photo.
I guess, over all I picked these photos to find out what others thought. By themselves, the photos are interesting but with the included captions, I felt each set as a package is somewhat incomplete. The photos, along with their captions, each won awards of some kind (I did not keep the details). What do you think? Do they make a complete package of photo and caption?
I definitey like these photos. For both their artistic qualities and the story they tell. In the first photo, at first I thought this was a shot from anction flick of some hardboiled cop running from an explosion or something. But when I realized it was not from a movie but actually real it really surprised me. First of all because it's incredible that someone was able to get this shot. But also of what it was depicting.
ReplyDeleteThe second photo is, to me, envokes much more emotion than the first. I think that since it is of a child that automatically gives you that gut response. And also, the fact that they're covered in dirt behind a barbed wire fence makes you empathize and brings that emotional quality.
Definitely both good picks!
The first shot is pretty amazing. Think about the reaction time and cool-under-pressure mentality it took to get that shot.
ReplyDeleteThose eyes on the child in the second photo just beg for the reader to find out what is happening in this scene. This is the type of photo that can anchor a page or a story to draw people in.
The first photo doesn't do a whole lot for me, regardless of the "adequacy" of the quotation. The second photo on the other hand does. Even without the caption it portrays refugee camp (or at least need/suffering) to me. The caption clarifies the "where" and the "when". Andreas, you are right that there could have been more details included; such as, how old the boy was, how long he has and/or is expected to have to stay there, if he was being fed enough, where his parents are, etc. But even without any of that, I still love the photo because it portrays a reality of the world we live in. The reality that there are millions of children in very similar situations in many parts of the world.
ReplyDelete