Is Photojournalism Art?

Photo by: Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen

Image Source: http://100photos.time.com/photos/wilhelm-conrad-rontgen-first-x-ray

Year Created: 1895

QUALITY OF LIGHT

    The photographer uses the quality of light to make it very dramatic. In other words, he has the end to be very darkened while underneath the hand it is seen way lighter, thus causes our eyes to focus more on the hand itself.

RULE OF THIRDS

    Rontgen uses the rule of thirds here by causing our eyes to focus on the little dark ball on the hand. I would say on the top right corner. He could’ve taken the picture from a different perspective. However having it this way made our eyes look towards the direction with the darken ball spot.

CONTRAST

    I do believe Rontgen didn’t mean to make it look this way. It was more of how it naturally took its course within the picture itself. He has more of a low contrast within the lights and the darks. Having it this way really puts a mood in an image to make it feel a bit suspense and curiosity.

WHY DID I CHOOSE THE IMAGE?

    I chose this image because this image to me had a lot of significant historical facts. This image was captured to be the first medical x-ray in 1895. Rontgen’s wife hand was taken to have the first x-ray. Which I think is so interesting. If you think about it, without anyone knowing about this. Doctors and nurses probably struggled to figure out what every patient is going through. This photograph to me changed a lot to how it even plays out up until now. Imagine you, capturing the first image of how a human body looks inside.

Photo by: Unknown

Image Source: http://100photos.time.com/photos/lunch-atop-a-skyscraper

Year Created: 1932

RULE OF THIRDS

    I believe this photographer used the top middle for rule of thirds. I would say it is more at the top rather than in the middle. Only because the bottom part of the photograph is showing a lot of the buildings. On top of the metal piece the men are sitting on.

BACKGROUND COMPLIMENTS

    In this photograph I don’t believe the background is trying to compete for attention. If anything it is completing the whole picture. It really compliments a whole. On top of that even though the background at the top is a little dark and blurry and grey the bottom part still reflects off on the main subject which are the men.

IS IMAGE BLACK AND WHITE OR COLOR?

    The image itself of course is black and white. I believe that the photographer had a choice to choose color, although I believe he didn’t because it would’ve taken time. On top of that, having the image in black and white makes the image more emotional. In other words, having it in black and white gives it that purity, cleanliness and perfection feel. If it was in color it would’ve seem too much because this image does include a lot going on.

WHY DID I CHOOSE THIS IMAGE?

    I chose this image because it related to me in so many ways. First off this image was taken in NYC, which is where I live. Second, till this day I see tons and tons of construction workers working morning till night, busting their ass to do their job. And overall this is dangerous! “11 men casually eating, chatting and sneaking a smoke as if they weren’t 840 feet above Manhattan with nothing but a thin beam keeping them aloft.” I can’t imagine being that high up off the ground. The thing that really grabs my attention within this photo, is the fact that these men will risk their own lives for a job. A job they probably don’t even get paid a lot for. But what makes it touch my heart is how happy they look, which makes me realize that you can really appreciate the littlest things in life no matter how you’re living.

 

Photo by: Malcolm Browne

Image Source: http://100photos.time.com/photos/malcolm-browne-burning-monk

Year created: 1963

SUBJECTS EXPRESSION

    In this photograph the subject is definitely relaxed. The Buddhist is calmly seated on the ground with his eyes closed and criss crossed apple sauce. The body language that the subject fits his facial expression of tranquil.

BACKGROUND

    The background completely fits in with the main subject of the photo. In other words, all the other people in the background are not trying to stop him or hover over him. They just let him be, because they understood what he was trying to message. I can tell this because the background itself is in focus as well as the main subject.

EXPOSURE TIME

    I believe the photographer had used a fast shutter speed. I say this because every supposedly movement in the photo is captured and in focus. For instance, in the background where the people are slightly rushing or running, is caught on focus. Another is the way the fire flames are in focus as well.

WHY DID I CHOOSE THIS IMAGE?

    This has got to be one of my favorite top five photographs that I personally admire. This photo to me is so powerful. And I feel as though I can relate to it as well, in terms of culture and beliefs. The story behind it is basically a Buddhist monk named Thich Quang Duc, who decided to “burn himself to death as a protest to the South Vietnamese Diem regime’s discriminatory Buddhist laws. He hope to show that to fight all form of oppression, a sacrifice must be made. Hence his self-immolation.” This to me hits so deep because of the sacrifices that he and probably other Buddhist monks would go through to prove and honor their culture and beliefs. Having Duc do this to himself gave me an insight on what they’re type of people have to go through or what they had to do just to change or fix, or even just be heard about them. This photograph is so powerful, that just by looking at it really felt like I was there at the moment.