Photo from The University for the Creative Arts
A photo of Hannah McKay during her time in
the Bangladesh refugee camps.
Year Created: 2017
Principle #1: Depth- I like the way the dirty road just seems to go on forever behind her. It draws your eyes back the water on each side only highlights this forever path that then eventually seems to meet some green grasses that also follow its path and continue back.
Principle #2: Feelings the Image created- The image empowered me, this women is in the middle of a country where there are refugee camps and people are crossing the water drowning to make it away from war. The rawness of the photographers who go to great lengths to get the other shots we see on the news and computer screens when we open them is depicted right here. She is dirty, and lugging equipment, using anything she can that's convenient to get a good shot and smiling through it.
Principle #3: Rule of Thirds- Each section of this photo is filled with interesting aspects to drag the viewer in. The bottom half shows what many wouldn't see is the photographer on a stool in order to get the right shot as well as other needed people and equipment used in her time in Bangladesh. The middle of the photo shows Hannah enjoying her journey in a another country and the raw aspects of what it takes to get the shots that are worth more than a thousand words. Lastly the Top of the photo shows a beautiful sky that also has a gleaming piece of rainbow that made me smile.
Why did I choose the image?: I choose this image because its not the typically biography photo someone would choose. I shows Hannah McKay in raw form in her career, it also shows to me how much she enjoys it as I feel like she is portraying her happiness outward in this moment. Even when the sky above her seems cloudy and dim she brings light to the photo with her presence.
Hannah Mckay is a young female photographer, she may only be 30 years old but she has already proven herself in the photojournalist community. Hannah has only be heavily into photojournalism for six years starting her journey young at the age of 24, and has already won a Pulizter Prize for her work in Bangladesh. She begins to talk about short yet interesting experience within the field in the article What is it like to be a young, female photojournalist in a male dominated-industry by Marcela Kunova. She recaps how it was daunting at first to enter a industry dominated by men being a female photojournalist but another challenge arose for McKay, there was also the gender gap. She believes its good to have people of all ages in the photojournalist community because just like a male and female are able to capture different shots and perspectives of a situation, she said the same can be said for between people in varying age groups. Her career has just started in photojournalism but she has been able to be apart of many projects such as the Bangladesh trip that captured the lives of the people in refugee camps there. She learned a lot about photojournalism through each experience so far and has learned the most from the moments she thought she wasn't going to be able to handle the overwhelming things she was seeing. Hannah also states that overall she hasn't had a problem within the industry with the men she works with but has had times where she shows up to a job and the "people don't take her serious because they were expecting a middle-aged white man".
Although many female photojournalist have experienced discrimination in the field, McKay states that she "doesn't see an issue at all being apart of a male-dominated industry and that she is respected by her male colleagues and she respects them as well". This is refreshing to hear that in 2018 a young, motivated, female entering a male dominated-industry can feel comfortable, safe, and accepted into the profession she loves. When looking back in history to other women who entered photojournalism we known that this is was and still not is the case in all situations. We see many examples of this brought forward by Professor Nordell in his YouTube video called Women Photojournalist. One incident in particular stands out to me when he begins to talk about Marion Post Wolcott, who had to deal with the men in her profession harass her by "urinating in her chemicals, spitting spitballs at her, and putting out cigarettes in her developing trays". Wolcott experienced this in a time when very few females took jobs where women were stereotypical suppose to work. This may have been a factor in the era of why she was treated the way she was which still makes it unacceptable but it still is occurring in modern times.
Lauren Wolfe documents in her article The Q&A: NYT's Lynsey Addario on Libya Sexual assault. This information was just from 2011 which documented the horrific details of Addario's experience when she traveled abroad as a photojournalist in Libya. She may have no been assaulted by people she was directly working with to take the photo's but was assaulted by government workers in that country who had detained her. She speaks on how they would grope her body at every check point and often had to cry and plead she for them to stop before another guard would step in and tell the other to stop. There are bad people everywhere in the world but compared to her male colleagues they were beaten and in one instance a gun put to his rear, she was constantly touched and felt over he clothes inappropriately as well as being hit and abused. If being a women comes with it own hurdles in any industry where we stereotypical don't fit then hats off to all the African-American women who not only had to deal with discrimination based on their skin color but as well as their gender. For instance from the course content we see the Facebook post from Sophia Nahli Allision that was put on the National Press Photographer Association page stating how "the industry lacks diversity and the support to be made for the talented and badass woc photojournalist to share their stories and work". It's nice to see other women taking a stand, giving suggestions, and overall continue to change the world we live in to be more inclusive of all. It shows that the obstacles the women before us faced were not just for themselves but to pave paths for the women of the future and for us to do the same for the generations to come.
This discrimination doesn't just happen within the photojournalist community but can be seen at every corner of the workforce. Women are have been payed less, and been overlooked for jobs for many years and even today we still see slight instances where this is happening. In the article A Look at Gender Discrimination Against Women by Lahle Wolfe it covers women from elementary school and beyond and discrimination that's seen throughout our lives. Something that stuck out to me that girls are discriminated in school by the subjects that are more closely taught to each gender as well as the encouragement for boys to play sports versus girls. They also cover how when females are encouraged to go to college they are often pushed into "stereotypical female dominated industries such as teaching, nursing, retail, office administration, and care-giving". This resonated with me because when I was looking at careers in High School my family pushed me to be a nurse, even though I had my heart set on working in a laboratory. Long story short I went to school for nursing for a semester before deciding to chase my dreams and not theirs and work in a Laboratory today where the shift from all men has dramatically been scene and on every shift besides night shift is female dominated.
Photo By: Hannah McKay
This photo McKay took while in Mexico, she was there to document the migrants who come from all over to try and make there way to America for a better future.
Year Created: 2018
Principle #1: Use Lines- The way the poles that construct this fence are so perfectly spaced apart to show the equal amount of blue sky in between
Principle #2: Texture- The sky is so perfectly gradient levels of soft dark and light blues with not a contrast of the clouds, airplanes, or wildlife. As well as the poles have rust that contrasts against the blue sky and shows how long and weathered it is. The mans clothes have signs of being worn as well as his heals are cracked and beaten from his journey to get here to attempt a chance at a better life.
Principle #3: Obvious main subject- although we can't see his face we don't need to see feel how tired yet motivated he is to do whatever it takes to try and get over the fence and into America because clearly anything besides what is behind him is worth risking his life for.
Why did I choose the image?: This image to me is very powerful it not only shows the legit obstacle that migrants face to try to get into this country as well as the reality that some people are so desperate for a better life they will do anything even climb a wall. The image shows the worn fence/ wall that has been put up to keep out unwanted people as well as the detail of the migrants clothes are warn and dirty and you can tell they are just as exhausted as the man who is in them. It also gives me a sense that from the other side of the fence the sky looks so blue on our side, so taunting that freedom, safety, and the American dream are so close yet so far away for these migrants it truly breaks my heart.
Photo by Marion Post Wolcott
Year Created: 1939
Principle #1: Subjects Expression- There are four subjects in this image and all subjects have a different look from happy, to distracted. I like that it captures four peoples expressions very well and you can see everyone's unique personality.
Principle #2: Contrast Appropriate- The black and white along with the textures in the photo show great contrast the wood wall behind them shows texture and contrast to the dark wooden benches they are sitting on and the dark glossy table that is below there arms. I like as well that the contrast between there outfits and there skin are enough that you can see the details even down to the contrast of the very white cigarette compared to the females skin, as well as to the dark table that is just below.
Principle #3: Quality of light- For a black and white image the quality of light can been seen and you can even see the shadow that cast on the right side of the photograph. The quality of light allows for the details in the textures of the surroundings to be clear as well as the detail of the peoples faces and clothes
Why did I choose the image?: I chose this image because Marion Post Wolcott's story really intrigued me, she went through so much and didn't back down to stay in a field that so desperately wanted to run her out of. He images are not only detailed, and full of light for black and white shot by they capture people in such a beautiful way.
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