What time period, decade or year do you think this photograph was created in? What visual cues support your choice?
This photograph looks like it’s taken in the late 50s or early 60s. This is due to the clothes the individuals are wearing. It is classic fashion of that era and displays a vintage look the to photo. It gives off vibes of a ‘Grease’ type environment.
Where in the world was this photograph taken? Again, please detail your reasons for asserting your choice.
It looks as if the photo was taken somewhere in America by the looks of the surrounding environment. Everything looks very open and the pavements are designed differently to the ones in the UK. Everyone looks well groomed and educated highlighting a successful and wealthy neighbourhood. It looks as if they may be sitting also on a university campus by the looks of the buildings in the background. In addition, during the 50s/early 60s white communities in the US were very dominant as segregation between those of white and black communities was an extremely common occurrence. In the image the man on the end of the bench is the only person in the picture of a different ethnicity. The other individuals on the bench look as if there is a problem with it, with the woman next to him looking disgusted as if he’s offended her and the other women looking away and gossiping. This highlights that the picture may have been taken in the US in these times as segregation was very dominant.
In a short paragraph, how would you describe the key visual elements of the photograph? What is contained within the frame?
The key visual elements are the individuals sat on the bench. They are towards the forefront of the image and take up most of the shot. Behind them is a vast open field with what I assume is university buildings in the background. The key colour element is that it is in black and white. This can signify the time period that the picture was taken in. There’s also individuals of different ages, gender and ethnicity’s. For example there’s more women then men on the bench who look as if they’re in their 20s-30s. The man on the right side of the bench looks more mature as if he’s in his 50s-60s, and the man on the left side looks again as if he’s in is 20s-30s. The picture is predominantly white ethnicity based except for the one man on the left who is black.
How is/are the human subject(s) of the photograph engaging with the camera/photographer?
None of the individuals are interacting with the camera. They’re all either looking away into the distance or at each other, not one is making eye contact with the camera.
What, if any directions do you think the photographer may have given to the subject(s) of the photograph?
I think the photographer might’ve told them to ignore the camera and act as normally as they can. On the other hand, the photographer could not have given them any directions and it might be a candid shot of social segregation, just raw without any input from any media professionals.
What do you believe the photographer wants, you, the viewer to take from the image?
That although we all know it’s morally wrong to judge someone by their skin colour, the judgement has always been there and will continue to be there. It shows that although segregation is now illegal in the US it used to happen and was a major impairment on people’s lives.