Photo: Power of the Still Cuts
When I'm asked to answer what's one of the greatest inventions in modern society, I'll definitely include photograph. Photos might be seen nothing important than other inventions such as computers, cars and mobile phones but the power that it has cannot be never neglected. Photo is a medium that lead us to think and imagine the reality beyond the picture interacting and feeling empathy on the subjects. Here are two prize won pictures, one is the winner of World Press Photo in 2003, "Iraqi father and son" taken by Jean Marc Bouju and the other one is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize, "Fleeing Kosovo" taken by Carol Guzy. I thought two pictures can be looked similar but in depth, these two have completely different moods and feelings expressed. Most importantly, these two pictures were taken when the subject of the pictures are in a bleak situation so I thought it's meaningful to compare them.
In "Iraqi father and son", the first thing that comes into our eyes is a father and son holding each other. And then our eyes will headed to the huge tangled wire fence covering most of the picture. Behind the fence, a man wearing black mask is an Iraqi prisoner who was taken away by the American troops was arrested with his son. Soon the boy started to panicking and crying for strange and fearful situation, American military cut the plastic handcuffs off and let the prisoner soothe him. Father covering son's forehead and holding his hands makes the viewers heartbroken and a pair of shoes left near them seems like if it's representing the son who will be left alone soon. The ashy brown colored land looks so dry land makes the picture look more sorrowful and hopeless. The fence is blocking people No one can help the father and son from seperation, just watch behind the fence and feel sympathy for their plight.
Compared to the first picture, "Fleeing Kosovo" seems much more urgent and active. The same wire fence is crossed straight through the picture, but the first thing that comes into our eyes is a little boy passed to the women through a hole in the fence. Then we can see two young women in the bottom right corner trying to take the boy safely. This picture was taken at the refugee camp at the Albania-Kosovo border capturing an image of reuniting family. Even though both two pictures captured still cuts of dreadful moment, the biggest difference is that we can see hope in "Fleeing Kosovo." Unlike the previous picture, this one contains bright blue colors in the center and the upper right corner making the viewer to think that actually people in this picture is fighting for their safety and future. Also it draws our attention to the people's faces and hands showing their close relations which makes viewers to feel the warmth and affection from it.
In conclusion, through "Iraqi Father and Son" and "Fleeing Kosovo", we're able to find out that depending on colors, position and shapes, it can create different moods. Especially the fence, which it was in both pictures, affected the atmosphere by its straightness or curved ones. The biggest reason why I chose these two pictures is because there is a child in the photos going through a tough moment. I thought photograph captures the moment of all the world events that people are not generally interested so much. We do not care to read articles related to war, poverty and death that seems not closely related to us, but this one picture have a power to draw our attention to all those dreadful situation. Photograph itself is just a magic!
Pictures and links are in below.
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