Meg Gupton

Looking at this photo without reading the story, the viewer learns some significant aspects of the event. The photo represents urgency in the consuming flames and intention in the attackers.

The men standing beside the burning car with a bat in broad daylight suggest confidence and sincerity of the act. Although the photo does not define the parties involved, the victims of the arson seem innocent because of the setting and the object of destruction, a car, an everyday item.

In composition, the photo is well-developed. The width of the photo is filled with action and movement. There is vertical dead space at the top of the photo that could have been cropped. This stops the movement of the eye through the image, but the lively action at the bottom engages the viewer.

The energy of the photo does not match that of the article. The article is politically driven, while the photograph is very personal and emotional.

Unlike the photo of the Kosovo crisis, this photo of Fidel Castro is emotionless. It serves almost as a simple headshot, allowing the reader to see his face while reading his story.  The photo was likely chosen because of its most recent status.   It feels slightly off center and very casual, with his Adidas jumpsuit, sweet smile and home-like setting.  This photo provides for the story an understanding of the reality of Castro’s age and appearance.  I agree with the motive of inserting the most recent photo with the breaking news, however, the informal photo does not seem to match the serious nature of the article.

Returning to an emotionally provoking photo, the story of the Ugandans’ war crime accord is fleshed out with a powerful photo that adds a strong undertone to the story.  The initial understanding of the players in the article is defined in this photo, despite its vagueness.  The boy in the photo is pensive, innocent and sad.  Little can be gathered by observing the photo independent of its caption, which says, “The Lord’s Resistant Army is known for its brutality.”  With this accent to the photo, the other elements of the photo – the boy’s wheelchair and expression – become results of his victimization.  The photo, with its caption, suggests that the LRA attacked this boy, and the image creates a strong sense of sympathy for him.  This photo seems like a stock photo, like the Castro shot, rather than one correlating with a given event, like the Kosovo image above.  I think the power and composition of this photo is strong, but I question its appropriateness, especially since it is not correlating to the event reported.  Too much of a personal relationship is built in the report due to the image, regardless of the setting of story, which remains very institutional and general.