30 Photos that Changed the World

     These photos were among the "30 Photos that Changed the World" article. All three have a huge emotional impact through various choices made by the photographer. In the first one, which is very balanced with light vs. dark, there was likely very little premeditation. However, the emotion is clear and the simple documentation of this relatively recent event is enough to impact any viewer. The second photo was clearly more planned and achieves more than mere documentation: the posing of the young woman in her shawl, facing the camera with her piercing eyes, leaves little room for someone to ignore it. The emotion is truly as intense as her gaze, with a slight sadness and mystery. I'm not surprised this photo had such an immense impact on our nation when first features on the cover of a Times issue. Lastly, the third photo falls somewhere in-between the deliberate nature of the second and the impulsive first photo. The man was obviously on fire and this was not edited, but the position of the photographer is impeccable, while its lack in color seems to create a deeper emotion.

     Along with this, the photographer chose to frame the photo in such a way that balance and form trap the reader and cause them to keep searching for new things in the photo. The second photo tactfully utilizes complimentary colors and traditional portrait angle/framing which makes it much more clear and lacking in distractions. The first, again, seems less planned out, but still manages to use the rile of thirds and contrast of the dark background to the lighter, lynched men.