1. The photographer that captured this shot was Horst Faas. He was a
German born war photojournalist, who is most notably known for his
photography during the Vietnam War. He is also a two-time Pulitzer Prize
winner. This photographer is famous for taking war photography, as he is
well known for taking photographs of the Vietnam War and other conflict.
He is most known for taking landscape photography of real life situations
of war, showing pain and suffering of the real war. The form Horst Faas is
known for is war photography. He is known for this form because he took
great pictures during the Vietnam War showing the real suffering and
conflict that occurred during the war. He also got awarded for this work.
Furthermore, Horst Faas takes landscape photos to capture what is going
on in the background and the surroundings.
2. Purpose- This photograph was taken to show the amount of dead soldiers
that emerged during the Vietnam War. It was also to capture the scene of
war, in order to show that only pain and death arises from war, and no
good comes out of it. This done in this shot by the use of an over the
shoulder shot, this shows the amount of dead soldiers down a long dirt
road and the look of despair in the eye of the Vietnamese soldier. This
photograph would make the public aware of what the Vietnam really was
like without the propaganda manipulation by the government and media
to show that it was great and glorious. This photograph would be used and
displayed in newspaper articles, showing and allowing the public to see
the real scene of war and how many people died in the Vietnam War. This
photograph would generate income by being bought by newspaper
companies and displayed in anti-war and anti-propaganda articles and
campaigns.
Composition and framing- This photograph is composed well, because
there are the dead soldiers down the dirt road positioned on the right and
middle of the shot and Vietnamese soldier on the left of the shot. Also,
there are a group of soldiers in the background of the shot which are not
clearly visible, this is because they are not important to the shot, although
still plays an impact upon the shot by adding to the war theme. The use of
this photograph being composed as so, we are able to see the foreground,
mid-ground and the background clearly, except of the soldiers in the
background.in The foreground there is the soldier, we can clearly see the
soldier and his facial expressions, this adds to the mood of the shot. In the
mid-ground there are the trail of dead soldiers, which can clearly be seen
by the viewer. Also, as this is a landscape shot we have a wide field of view
and can see the surroundings, which consist of the trees and the wheat
field. Furthermore, as the photograph is composed like, the natural
lighting comes into effect and use. The natural lighting act upon the shot
from above and lights the entire shot. This causes the shot to become
brighter and make the entire shot more visible. Moreover, the natural
lighting bends around the top of the soldier’s helmet and blinds it from the
shot, by not being visible by the viewer. The subjects of the point of focus
have been made like this, so that the viewer is able to see the look of
despair upon the soldiers face clearly and to make the soldiers facial
expressions identifiable. Also, so we can see down the entire dirt road and
all the dead soldiers. Moreover, the use of the points of focus as such,
makes us as the viewer fell remorse for the soldier who is standing there
with the look of despair upon his face.
3. Image Analysis- The colour of the photograph is in grey scale, therefore
there is not much colour in the photo. Although, the white in the photo
does signify the daylight and the weather conditions that were present on
the day. From the whiteness of the photograph we can see the atmospheric
condition present on he day the photo was taken. The conditions we can
see is that it was dry and sunny, with lighting by the sun acting from
above. The natural lighting played by the sun, adds a natural theme to the
entire shot. Also, the lighting increases the ability to make the entire shot
in focus and allow the background to be in focus, as well as the foreground.
The subject of the shot is the Vietnamese soldier in the foreground of the
shot. The purpose of the shot is to show the amount of dead and casualties
that arose during the Vietnam War, Also, to show to the public what the
Vietnam War really looked like, outside the propaganda of the media.
Furthermore, the subject of the purpose is to influence and increase the
amount of the anti-war champagne, and to show the real war to the public,
without any influence from the media propaganda. The use of the costume
shows to us as the viewer that this is a piece of war photography in reality,
and adds the theme of war to the entire shot.
Meaning- The meaning of this photograph is to show that war is deadly
and not glorified as the media makes it to be. It is also to show and signify
how the soldiers suffer in the war and how war affects people. This
photograph has the theme of war and anti-war, to capture the real war to
display to the public. There is a very significant statement that this
photograph is making; the statement is that war is not glorifying or as
great as the media made it out to be. The second statement is that war is
deadly and it affects the entire world in some way or another. This
photograph captures the pain and suffering of war through the eyes of the
Vietnamese soldier.
4. Purpose- This photograph was taken to show how Vietnamese people had
to hide in streams in order to stay alive and survive, because the Vietnam
War was going on in their country. It was also to capture the scene of war,
in order to show that war is not as great and glorified as made out to be by
the media. This would make the public aware of what the war was really
like and would demolish the propaganda surrounding war. Furthermore,
to show that even children were affected by the war, even though they had
nothing to do with the war and were to young to even understand war.
This photograph would be used and displayed in newspaper articles,
revealing the real scenes of war and what the Vietnamese public went
trough, as war tor through their country. This photograph would generate
5. income by being bought by newspaper companies and campaign leaders
who were against the Vietnam War or war in general.
Composition and Framing- This photograph is composed well, because
the Vietnamese civilians go from left to right in the shot and the infant
right in the very middle frame. The positioning of the Vietnamese civilians
from left to right suggest that there are a lot of people being affected by the
war, this is because they cover the entire row of frames from left to right.
The use of the infant being positioned in the very middle frame makes that
become the prime focus. By the use of the infant being positioned as such,
it suggests that every aged person was affected by the Vietnam War, even
infants, although they did not even have anything to do with the war, but
still affected. Also, by the photograph being composed like this, we are able
to focus on the mid-ground, foreground and background clearly and
identify each character in each frame. In the foreground, there is the
elderly women suffering and hiding to survive. In the mid-ground there is
the infant being carried by his/her mother and in the background there
are the soldier trying to survive and protect the civilians. All of these fields
of view are visible due to the photograph being positioned and composed
well.
Image Analysis- The colour of the photograph is in grey scale, therefore
there is not much colour in the photo. Although, the white in the photo
does signify the daylight and the weather conditions that were present on
the day. From the whiteness of the photograph we can see the atmospheric
condition present on he day the photo was taken. The conditions we can
see is that it was dry and sunny, with lighting by the sun acting from
above. The natural lighting played by the sun, adds a natural theme to the
entire shot. Also, the lighting increases the ability to make the entire shot
in focus and allow the background to be in focus, as well as the foreground.
The subject of the shot is the Vietnamese soldier in the foreground of the
shot. The purpose of the shot is to show the amount of dead and casualties
that arose during the Vietnam War, Also, to show to the public what the
Vietnam War really looked like, outside the propaganda of the media.
Meaning- The meaning of this photograph is to show that even civilians
had to suffer during the Vietnam War. Furthermore, even if the people had
nothing to do with it and were completely innocent, like the baby, they
were still affected and were tried to be kill.