Chapter 8: Biases

Image by Ed Clark

Image Source: http://www.thegreatleapsideways.com/?p=209

Within this image I see people mourning. I see a young man dressed in what appears to be a uniform, playing an instrument with tears running down his face. If I were to summarize this image, I would think that this is the funeral service for a young man lost on the battlefield. The man pictured playing the instrument likely worked closely next to him day in and day out. The title given to the image also gives a sense of what is going on. The title "Going Home" could mean that people are being welcomed home or that someone has gone home to the Lord.  Everyone has different things going on within their lives or have had different things happen to them in the past. Shahidul Alam, an activist and picture journalists explains, "There is an implicit assumption there is only one truth, that there is only one way of looking at things. A story has many truths at many levels."  For this reason everyone will interpret this image slightly or drastically different. I think I picture the image this way because the military plays a relevant roll in my life, and loosing someone on the battlefield is a fear of mine.

I believe in this photo the main subjects expression says it all. The young man is clearly grieving, for what reason, I do not know. He is looking up in such a manner that it makes me think he is hoping to see something or hear from someone. It is observable that he is trying to stay strong during a very upsetting time. The image is in black and white which I think adds a level of emotion. If the image was in color there would be some brightness from the trees in the back and smalls spots of sky that would add life to the photo. The photographer had a choice to capture the image in color or black white and I have to say he made the right choice. Lastly the folks in the background add an idea of what is going on within the image. There is a woman that is right next to the young man in the lower portion of the photo who appears to be wiping her eyes. That gives a hint that this image is capturing a group of people mourning over something or someone. I would say the people picture within the background complete the picture, there would be an aspect missing without them.

Image by Saul Leob

Image source: http://www.liberation.fr/debats/2016/11/09/trump-dure-lecon_1527242

How do I know this image is the truth? I can tell this image is the truth because I have read numerous articles and listened to endless news stations regarding the most recent election. It has been analyzed and picked apart as to how Donald Trump has become to newest President of the United States and it will continue to be throughout his presidency I am sure. So back to how I know this image is the truth. Authority has presented information and written articles confirming that he has indeed won the election and has given his victory speech. An article found on Watching American, written by Laurent Joffrin and translated by Katherine Rotter, comments on the most recent election by saying, "An entire chapter of American history has been denied today...The Clinton era too, as both of Bill's terms are remembered as a sort of Golden Age."  Another way I know this image is the truth is because I spent the evening of November 8th watching ABC as the polls closed and the states projected their winners. I watched as each candidate received their respective votes from the states that they won. Once Donald Trump took a pretty big lead, my sense perception kicked in and I felt in my gut that I knew the results from the 2016 election. I feel as though politics is a very good example of where biases can come into play. What are biases? As presented in Module 11 content, the Free Dictionary defines a bias as a preference or an inclination, especially one that inhibits impartial judgment. In no way am I disclosing my political preferences, that is not the point of this paragraph. 

The composition of this image is very simple. The image shows Donald Trump with his fist up in victory. There is only one object within the field of the image which to me makes the image very simple. Anything else included within the frame would have cluttered the image and taken away from the raw emotion portrayed. The lighting within the image adds a component that I cannot seem to put my finger on. The color the lighting puts onto the subject makes it seem as though he is glowing. The light makes the image engaging and surprising. It is unlike the usual flat demeanor of the topic of politics. Lastly, the subject of this photo is clearly the main subject. Donald Trump is the only thing taking up space within the image and he takes up about 2/3 of the frame. There is nothing else within the frame that could be considered a subject never mind the main subject. The image is not overly crowded. If the main subject were to be any smaller it would get lost within the darkness of the plain background.

Image by Mary Ellen Mark

Image source: http://138.23.124.165/collections/permanent/object_genres/photographers/women/mark.html

How do I know this image is not truth? I can tell that this image is not the truth through logic and reasoning. I highly doubt that there were ever be a child, holding a stuffed animal, standing near a wall with the word "DOPE" scratched into the pain smoking a cigarette or something else. Just the fact that the child is standing next to a wall where the word "DOPE" is makes me think the photo is staged. That brings up a question in my mind. If an image is staged, is it really photojournalism?  I would think not because it does not display the truth. As Donald Weber questions,"At what point did the act of making images subvert the idea of what Photojournalism is and should be?" Just because a picture was taken by a photographer does not mean that it is a photojournalistic image. The truth of this image may not be set in stone but I can draw a conclusion based on my reasonings and logic. This image, I believe, relates to the article about Yellow Journalism. As W. Joseph Campbell writes, "They were ambitious and controversial figures, and their foes recognized they were vulnerable to personal attack by impugning their journalism." I believe the image above by Mary Ellen Mark presents controversy. The controversy can come from two directions, the photographer not putting a stop to this child's supposed actions and how did the child end up this way. Another way I know this image is not the truth because of the emotion and intuition I have when observing this image. With the drug problem so relevant in today's world, it is sad to even look at this image. I know in my heart that someone would not observe a child holding a stuffed animal smoke a cigarette or whatever it is.

The shadows of this image are very dark and brings me to think that this child is at a dark place within her life. There is a shadow casted on the child's face not allowing me to picture her whole face. I think this leads to my thought process that the actions the child is portraying is not his or her true self. The image is deep. It appears as though the side walk continues far past where the child is standing. The depth also shows very little people, therefore is this child alone standing there or does she feel alone all the time? The depth of this picture imposes questions on my mind. Lastly this image displays a great deal of abstraction. Many emotions rise from the faultiness of the image. The image was taken long ago so I do not think it is representational today but I do think this image fits into the opioid epidemic going on today. Even though the image is not directly representational of today's happenings, is certainly relates.