Rachel Perron - June 1, Multimedia photos

I looked at pictures from the multimedia project “A New Dawn”. It was an intriguing story in itself, but I can understand how photography may not be some one’s initial method of telling it. Sometimes when you’re focus is a single person and his or her story, it may seem more compelling to tell the story through words. And when you’re considering the rather simple settings the pictures cover (a picture of Dawn before the judge, her with her family, her by herself, her in jail) they may not seem as spectacular or dramatic as the kind of events such as weather disasters or riots, etc. that make historic pictures that warrant such awards. However, there’s emotion in these pictures that make them spectacular. The use of focus in the photography was a really powerful effect. It enabled the viewer to see the emotion of Dawn, as well as the judge, the children, without losing the context of entire story. For instance, once which the judge is speaking to Dawn in court (the first picture in the chapter, End of the Road) the judge’s face is in focus, and while Dawn is slightly out of focus, you can tell by her stance and body language what she is feeling—this shot helped to add that much more detail and understanding to the story, that one may assume can only be conveyed through words. Then showing the different expressions of Dawn in jail and court and with her children made for a powerful contrast that showed the deeper conflict between Dawn and her addiction, which adds complexity because viewers can’t simply see her as victim or criminal, good or bad.