Critical Analysis of a Photograph

Student: Professor: Course title: Date: Critical Analysis of a Photograph This essay provides a detailed photo analysis. The selected photograph which is written pertains to current immigration issues unfolding in Europe particularly with regard to the Syrian refugees. The photograph that has been chosen is published and historically significant. In this essay, some of the layers of meaning contained in the photograph are explored comprehensively and revealed. Thesis: the selected image depicts a very bad and desperate situation faced by people of Syria who try to use illegal and dangerous means to reach Europe after the European countries denied them entry as they flee war at home. It shows a terrible situation which the Syrian people have to cope with owing to what is going on in their country. Chosen Photograph The image of a small young boy wearing a red T-shirt and a long short that reach below the knees depict a body that was washed away on the shores of Europe. The boy's shirt tends to hike just above his waist thus exposing his midriff. On the other hand, the boy is wearing some black sneakers without socks and is picked dead, with his head facing down the rocky surf. A police officer is seen in the photo carrying the boy away, with the officer wearing some latex gloves. The feet of this tiny boy is also seen dangling below the officer's waist, with one of his shoe straps of his sneakers dangling since they were undone. In as much as the picture does not speak what the law enforcer is thinking, the only clear thing is the body of a small child on his hands, with one thing clear, that the officer is looking away. A look at the background additionally speaks a lot. There are several litters at the floor of the beach, with the sand showing the strong tides that might have heat the costal at night. The lighting indicates the time of this event, with probability of the picture perceived to have been taken in the morning. The waves are clearly despicable, showing how the child was swept away to the beach. According to sources, Aylan, and his family, the ultimate journey was supposed to conclude in a refuge in Europe; rather, his ultimate journey ended his life and draw attention to the plight of desperate individuals who are caught in the gravest refugee crisis since the Second World War. The child's photo has reverberated globally thus stirring public outrage and embarrassed political leaders as far away as Canada, in which leaders had declined an asylum application from the relatives of this child. The image of the lifeless body of this young boy made international headlines and prompted responses from around the globe. The photograph was found in The Guardian newspaper online version. The photo would make a good subject for an essay on Syrian refugee crisis as it will show the reality of the desperate situation that faces very many refugees from the war torn nation of Syria as they try to flee to the West. Compositional Qualities of the Photograph Title of photograph: A Turkish police officer carries a young boy who drowned in a failed attempt to sail to the Greek island of Kos (Smith 2). Composition: when composing this photograph, the photographer sought a balance in the lighting, the colour, as well as object placement within the constricting rectangle of the frame. The photographer of his picture has been able to attain interesting perspective and composition by being creative as the camera was held at full length while looking straight at the subjects. All in all, the image has a fascinating composition within the layout. Framing: framing is also a vital technique that photographers often use in directing the attention of the viewer to the primary subject of a photograph. In the selected photograph, the frame has been positioned around the subjects who are enclosed by the frame. Moving back a few feet and the subjects' framing in the middle of the photograph serves to improve the composition. Framing is not just effective as a way of directing the attention of the viewer, but it can as well be utilized in obscuring undesirable backgrounds and foregrounds. In the selected photo however, it has not been utilized that way. In essence, in the selected photograph, the photographer has not filled the frame with the subjects; that is, the photographer decided how significant the subjects are and then gave them a ratio of the frame which is related directly to their significance. In this case, an image of a young boy fleeing violence in Syria who has drowned and is being carried away by police officers actually warrants filling the frame. However, the photographer has not filled the frame since he wanted to capture the context - young Syrian boy escaping violence in motherland who drowned after the boat he and other Syrian refugees were using to get to Europe capsized - by capturing the subjects with their environment instead. Light: in the selected photo, natural lighting has been used considering that the photo was taken in the morning hours when there was a lot of natural light. Such natural lighting cannot be control by the photographer. It is notable that great lighting has the potential of turning a mundane scene into a wonderfully colourful scene that is full of life and texture. Color: the photograph is in colored picture. Along with lighting, colour is actually where many great images begin. The photographer effectively ensured colour contrast. There is medium color contrast. This is because the scene has tones or colours where highlights do not have much difference in densities. Color in photography is a crucial tool which can be used to create mood in an image. Generally, the gloomy colours in the image create an atmosphere of sorrow and sadness which the viewer feels toward the young boy Aylan Kurdi. In the selected photograph, the photographer has not added any new colours since the subjects and the environment both have natural colours. Assumptions about the Photographer's Motives It is clear to establish that the photographer had in mind the quote a single picture speaks a thousand words. One of the primary objectives of the photographer is to speak through an image of the ongoing migrant crisis and issues that immigrants face across borders. The extra ordinary powerful picture also displays the manner in which immigration issues have no boarders in considering the rights of children, an aspect established to change Europe's attitude towards refugees. The picture shows the brutality and harsh treatments that refugees and their families face within the Canadian border. In my view, this incident only shows one of the many challenges that refugees experience in running away from civil atrocities in their soils. The photo makes me feel really sad about Syrian refugees in general who are trying to run away from the Islamic State. It also makes me feel very sympathetic and sad about Syrian children who are put in great danger by their parents who are really desperate to get to the West. The photo makes me think about the dangers that Syrian families and children are taking as they search for a better life in the West fleeing Syria due to the ongoing war between the Islamic State and the Syrian regime alongside the allied forces. Syria used to be a beautiful and peaceful nation but...