From the film, “Documenting the Face of America: Roy Stryker and the FSA/OWI Photographers”, we, the viewer, are able to gain an understanding about all that the photographers witnessed and how they handled each of the situations they saw. Arthur Rothstein, Dorothea Lange, Ben Shahn, Carl Mydans, Edwin and Louise Rosskam, Gordon Parks, Jack Delano, John Vachon, Marion Post Wolcott, Esther Bubly, Russell Lee, John Collier Jr., Edwin Locke, and Walker Evans are the famous photographers that are discussed in this particular documentary. Almost all of the things that photographers witnessed while working on this project were things that people who lived in the city would never have seen unless they have visited or were originally from the country. …show more content…
It began when Roy Stryker was hired to organize and direct a group of photographers to convince congress that the families in the country needed help. The agency that all the photographers were hired to work for was called the Resettlement Administration. Because no one from congress could see what was really going on, Stryker had to find a way to use the pictures that were being taken in order to convince congress that those in the country needed help from the government. Now that you know about the background, I will be discussing two photographers that had a major impact on this particular project. From the very beginning of the FSA project, all of the photographers knew what they were getting themselves into when they agreed to work on this particular project. Now that you know some of the background that lead up to the start of the project, I will be discussing two photographers that had a major impact on this particular …show more content…
The film “Documenting the Face of America: Roy Stryker and the FSA/OWI Photographers” amplified how things were and how the photographers that worked on the project were affected from taking these photographs. When Dorothea said, “If you come close to the truth, there are consequences” was especially true. These photographers had to see things that could never be unseen. The photographs that I discussed in the paragraphs above show how the photographers were affected from what they had to see. Also, they had the control to be able to show what they wanted the viewers to get from the photos. In the end, sometimes one has to push the limits of the truth in order to get what one is really looking for and this is exactly what all of the photographers did for the FSA
For my museum selection I decided to attend Texas State University’s Wittliff Collection. When I arrived, there was no one else there besides me and the librarian. To be honest, I probably would have never gone to an art museum if my teacher didn’t require me to. This was my first time attending the Wittliff Collection, thus I asked the librarian, “Is there any other artwork besides Southwestern and Mexican photography?” She answered, “No, the Wittliff is known only for Southwestern and Mexican photography.” I smiled with a sense of embarrassment and continued to view the different photos. As I walked through Wittliff, I became overwhelmed with all of the different types of photography. There were so many amazing pieces that it became difficult to select which one to write about. However, I finally managed to choose three unique photography pieces by Alinka Echeverria, Geoff Winningham, and Keith Carter.
As the incident wasn’t over, there were many photographers taken photos; however, there was only one photo that was sad when everyone first saw the photo. The photo was taken by the Brown Brothers, and was remembered in the past and even today (Todd 11). They were sad that there were dead bodies on the ground. There were policemen and other people standing near the bodies of victims on the Green Street sidewalk in the photo. Most of the victims were w...
Images can manipulate many scenarios but it’s tactic used to show the realities of our world. Despite what we see, picture taken of the war and events occurring in the war doesn’t mean they aren’t real. We all live in a messy world and history is constantly repeating itself. Pictures are taken to spread awareness and empathy. It is a reason DeGhett argued that the Iraq brunt solider photograph taken by Kenneth Jarecke should have been posted in order for the public to get a sense that the war occurring at the moment is nothing like in the movies. Images are powerful and we must learn to always look closely and
Thesis: Lewis Hine took social responsibility by using his skill in photography to expose dangerous working conditions and the lack of rights of children and women. His photographs led to greater awareness and new laws. Hine once said
I glance amusedly at the photo placed before me. The bright and smiling faces of my family stare back me, their expressions depicting complete happiness. My mind drifted back to the events of the day that the photo was taken. It was Memorial Day and so, in the spirit of tradition my large extended family had gathered at the grave of my great grandparents. The day was hot and I had begged my mother to let me join my friends at the pool. However, my mother had refused. Inconsolable, I spent most of the day moping about sulkily. The time came for a group picture and so my grandmother arranged us all just so and then turned to me saying, "You'd better smile Emma or you'll look back at this and never forgive yourself." Eager to please and knowing she would never let it go if I didn't, I plastered on a dazzling smile. One might say a picture is worth a thousand words. However, who is to say they are the accurate or right words? During the 1930s, photographers were hired by the FSA to photograph the events of the Great Depression. These photographers used their images, posed or accurate, to sway public opinion concerning the era. Their work displayed an attempt to fulfill the need to document what was taking place and the desire to influence what needed to be done.
The mass media carries with it unparalleled opportunities to impart information, but also opportunities to deceive the public, by misrepresenting an event. While usually thought of as falsifying or stretching facts and figures, manipulation can just as easily be done in the use of photography and images. These manipulations may be even more serious – and subtle – than written manipulations, since they may not be discovered for years, if ever, and can have an indelible and lasting impact on the viewer, as it is often said, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. One of the most significant images of Twentieth Century America was the photograph of a migrant mother holding her child. The photograph was taken during the Great Depression by photographer Dorothea Lange, and has remained an enduring symbol of the hardship and struggle faced by many families during the Depression Era. This image was also an example of the manipulation of photography, however, for it used two major forms of manipulation that remain a problem in journalistic photography.
Dorothea had spent a long day capturing images and she was going back to print the images when she had drove past a sign that said, “Pea Picker’s Camp.” Dorothea continued to drive thinking she had enough photographs she did not need anymore. Something struck her that she could not resist and eventually she turned around saying, “I was following instinct, not reason” (Partridge, Lange 2). She stopped at the worn down camp and was intrigued by a mother and her seven children. Dorothea took her camera over to them and no one asked any questions. She captured only six images of this mother and her youngest children. The woman had told Dorothea that the freezing rain and sleet had ruined the pea crop. They did not have any work and they had to sell tires for food (Partridge, Lange 3). Dorothea had no idea what those images would do for her career, but she knew she had to show the world what those people in “Pea Picker’s Camp” were going through.
In this text readers will become aware of certain things regarding technology available for altering photos and of the ethical and epistemological issues those possibilities raise. Stated above, the young boy’s father Juan Miguel Gonzalez and his attorney presented photos to the U.S. Government that depict Elian smiling and laughing and loving life in Cuba. In this text Patterson and Wilkins discuss scenarios related to media personal changing pictures with technology advancements that make those changes possible. With these advancements was it possible that the father and his attorney had someone change photos of events to help their side of the legal issue? Was it possible that pictures posted by American Media personnel’s were altered to help support the U.S. from receiving any negative attention? The exact opposite of that approach is called eyewash. Eyewash is the use of stock photos of file footage to illustrate news stories, photos used regardless of the context of the original photograph and sometimes without consent of the subject. The day the INS invaded the Miami resident’s house, all twenty local newspapers used that day showed the image taken by a photographer of the agent pointing his automatic rifle at the terrified boy while he hid in the closet of the family’s home. Many other popular photos taken and used from that day
Sometimes an image can say more than a thousand words. A protest photograph shows a mix of emotions and events that can help to build up our understanding on the event, or the complete opposite. It can burst curiosity to know more about determined occasion, what originated the protest, and what happened afterwards. I came across a particular protest photograph that caught my attention. It is composed by a diversity of women. When looking at it for the first time, my eyes settled in words written in the women’s bodies. They are offensive words, diminishing women’s values. Next, my eyes are directed to the fact that the two women up front are on their undergarments. There are a crowd of women standing and the focus is in three white, young women
In 1890, Riis’ book was an instant success and had an immediate impact since it contained major social criticism, proving to be an eye-opening experience for the reader by highlighting details and facts incorporated in its pages. In a coincidence of good times, flash photography had recently been invented, yet Riis managed to master this new invention and became a pioneer in its use, employing the new technique to capture stark perturbing scenes. “The images he brought to the public’s eye were full of crowded tenements, dangerous slums and poignant street-scene images of a downtrodden underclass that most readers had only previously read about, at best.” Theodore Roosevelt, moved by Riis’s usage of pathos had an intent on improving life in New York, and he famously said to Riis, “I have read your book, and I have come to help” and improvement followed as he ordered affairs in immigrant neighborhoods. Riis brought hidden worlds to light and he continued to write many other books relating to the same topic.
So why not Lowery’s photo? It was patriotic, “perfectly serviceable… a Marine in the foreground holding a rifle… the first flag, snapping in the breeze” (Patterson) as Buell put it in his interview on CNN. But as it was well put in Coman’s article, “collective memories must have a function for society”. Rosenthal’s photo is an “complex… and unstable articulation… open to successive reconstruction by and on behalf of varied political interests, including a public interest” (Hariman, Public Identity); it was “deeply reassuring… in its display of strength and teamwork” and it communicated a push towards victory (Ben-Ghiat). Meaning that, while Lowery’s photo did capture an iconic moment in time, it did not posses the qualities that allowed it to be reconstructed on societies behalf. Simply put, it was not as powerful as the one that people are so familiar with today. Another important aspect of collective memory to consider is the fact that it is not always rainbows and sunshine, there are negatives that also come from these “available
We use pictures to develop our own views on specific events that have gone on in the world past and present. In the photograph “Napalm Girl”, Associated press Nick Ut captured a story that only him and the people in the photo would know. The picture was captured of a group of children and soldiers getting away from an accidental napalm bomb that was dropped during the Vietnam War. I am going to establish the history of the event. The issue that this photograph was editors from different media companies and all built stories to show the public that the Vietnam war was not under control. All of the newscasting and journalist headlines that were created from the photos were different. This image has drawn many people in society to believing different
In their eyes, even though clearly victims, exist strengths and hopes for the future. The photos indicated that they could and did create their own culture, both in the past and present. From the same photos plus the texts, it could be gathered that they have done things to improve their lives, despite the many odds against them. The photographs showed their lives, their suffering, and their journey for better lives, their happy moments, and the places that were of importance to them. Despite the importance of the photographs, they were not as effective as the text in showing the African-American lives and how the things happening in them had affected them, more specifically their complex feelings.
Photojournalism plays a critical role in the way we capture and understand the reality of a particular moment in time. As a way of documenting history, the ability to create meaning through images contributes to a transparent media through exacting the truth of a moment. By capturing the surreal world and presenting it in a narrative that is relatable to its audience, allows the image to create a fair and accurate representation of reality.
Newton, Julianne H. The Burden of Visual Truth: The Role of Photojournalism in Mediating Reality. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2001. Print.