Final Project

 Career Path:  Who did the photojournalist work for? How were the photojournalist's images disseminated?

Notable media outlets like Time Magazine, National Geographic, and The New York Times have hired Lynsey Addario. Her images highlight social problems, humanitarian emergencies, and war areas. They reach readers through major magazines, frequently popping up on magazine covers or front-page accounts.   Additionally, she has written books like "It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War," which merge her photographs with personal experiences.   Addario's pictures are often shared on social media as well as other sites, and they have been shown in art exhibits.   Her work also appears in public lectures and documentary films, enhancing its impact significantly.

 

Era:  What era did the photojournalist work in? What was the state of photojournalism as a profession at the time?

Lynsey Addario started her professional life as a photojournalist in the late 1990s and grew to popularity in the early 2000s. The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq,  and the Syrian Civil War all unfolded during her time on the job   At that point, photojournalism began to evolve as an outcome of newspaper media's collapse.   There were benefits and drawbacks to the development of social media and digital platforms, including decreased resources and increased competition.   Moral problems such as image modification and the demand for instant new material started to appear.   Addario's work thrived in spite of these challenges, and it has become known for its dedication to individual circumstances in war settings and its powerful story.

Motivation:  What motivated the photojournalist?

Lynsey Addario is motivated by an intense desire to communicate the stories of people affected by injustice, abuse, and humanitarian crises.   She expressed a strong desire to provide a voice to the ignored and excluded by exposing the human consequences of violence. Her work is motivated by her belief that photography has the power to instill empathy and raise public awareness of global obstacles.   In addition, Addario is motivated by a personal sense of responsibility to give voice to events that could otherwise go overlooked or forgotten.   Her ultimate goal is to encourage understanding by reducing the gap between those who examine her pictures and distant global issues.

Technology:  What type of photographic equipment did the photojournalist use? What affect did this technology have on the manner in which the photojournalist carried out her/his craft.

Professional DSLR cameras from brands like Canon and Nikon, which have become known for their durability and flexibility in harsh environments, are the main gear used by Lynsey Addario. She puts great importance on equipment that is lightweight and portable so that she can remain mobile and modest in sensitive or dangerous situations.   Her job had been drastically altered by the development of digital photography, which allowed her to quickly take, edit, and distribute pictures which is a crucial skill for fast coverage from conflict areas.   Compact lenses and advanced camera sensors have made it easy for her to work in low light and, when required take hidden photos.   

Ethics: What ethical dilemmas did the photojournalist encounter? 

While photographing war victims, Lynsey Addario had to make ethical choices. For instance, she was forced to determine whether to capture the aftermath of a 2009 bombing in Afghanistan, as devastated loved ones covered their loved ones. She often struggled to find a balance between capturing the horrors of war and preserving the dignity of her subjects, as shown by her work photographing survivors of sexual violence in the Congo. She struggled in Somalia to avoid exploiting the agony of famine victims while additionally photographing them to raise global awareness. During the Syrian Civil War, Addario also had to consider the safety of her crew and security when reporting from dangerous locations, which created ethical challenges.   She questioned how to depict the systemic violence in Darfur authentically without transforming the victims into stereotypes.   

Bias: What biases did the photojournalist have?

Her focus on those who are vulnerable, such as her coverage of the Rohingya refugee crisis in Myanmar, where she emphasized the suffering of displaced families, shows Lynsey Addario's bias toward documenting human rights abuses. Her commitment to drawing the spotlight on discrimination based on gender can be seen in the fact that her work in Afghanistan often concentrated on the hardships of women living under Taliban rule.   Although this focus may have impacted views of the area as defined by conflict, the decision she made to highlight survivors of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo demonstrated her commitment to giving voice to overlooked victims. When writing on complicated family relationships in very traditional cultures, for example, Addario, a Western journalist in the Middle East, has been aware of the potential for bias in her view of events. In keeping with her goal to humanize the costs of war, she at times gave emotional tales of civilian suffering over military tactics during the Iraq War. Despite these opinions, Addario constantly strives for balance, making sure her pictures reflect the complexity and humanity of the stories she shares.

Impact:  How did the photojournalist's images affect society?

Lynsey Addario's pictures generated support for women's rights and education by bringing attention to significant issues like the Afghan women living under Taliban control.   Her photographs of the Rohingya refugee crisis helped inspire worldwide efforts by exposing the awful events.   Her work drew awareness to the terrible human suffering of the famine in Somalia, which prompted world organizations to respond with humanitarian aid. International law conversations were motivated by Addario's documenting of gender-based violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which increased awareness of the use of rape as a weapon of war. Her images of people impacted by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan let viewers sympathize with the cost of war. Her photography has influenced debates and increased public awareness by giving distant issues a sense of urgency and relatability.

 

Viewpoints:  How was the photojournalist viewed by different people in different ways?

In light of her courageous actions and ability to capture dramatic pictures from war zones like Afghanistan and Iraq, editors at magazines like The New York Times and National Geographic hold Lynsey Addario in the greatest of respects.   While some may feel uneasy being photographed at sensitive times, many of her subjects, like Rohingya refugees and survivors of sexual violence in the Congo, view her as a compassionate advocate who brings attention to their suffering. While some have voiced worries about the ethical and personal risks she takes in dangerous circumstances, other journalists appreciate her groundbreaking work as a woman in photojournalism, particularly her coverage of the Middle East wars. While her images emphasize important humanitarian situations, critics of her work argue that focusing on war-torn regions like Somalia or Darfur runs the risk of reinforcing victim stereotypes. While locals in places like Syria and Libya have praised her skills, they occasionally struggle with ethical dilemmas because of the risks they incur while helping her. While they really admire her commitment, her family and friends often voice worries regarding her safety, particularly in light of events like her 2011 kidnapping in Libya that brought to light the extreme dangers of her job.

Your Major at AIC:  What aspect of the photojournalist's career relates in some way to your major?

Lynsey Addario's work raising understanding and awareness of global issues ties to an education major. Her pictures, like those depicting Afghan girls fighting for education while living under Taliban control, highlight both the obstacles many people come across and the life-changing power of education. As a way to help students critically engage with the worries of the real world, teachers often utilize her photographs in the classroom to discuss subjects like conflict, human rights, and cultural awareness. By instructing learners to look at how visual narratives affect public opinion and understanding, her work supports media literacy education. By effectively communicating difficult concepts in ways that are both compelling and easily understood, Addario's storytelling matches the goals of educators. She educates audiences all through the world with her images, igniting debates and fostering empathy, two qualities that are essential to the educational profession.

My Project

Lynsey Addario uses her photographs to not only get a message across but also incite and inflict emotions onto others. She wants people to feel those harsh and sometimes sadness when looking at her photos to inspire people to be the change but to also remind people that these tragedies are really happening. Many times if something is not in front of our face, it is easy to pretend it's not happening or just forget about it. Her pictures make it so that we can not forget. 

My idea for this project was to build off of what I did for my midterm project. I want to take multiple pictures by Lynsey Addario and question the normal people around me. This will strengthen my idea that pictures can carry multiple different emotions and be completely different for each person looking. I will show them a picture and then ask them what they think they see and what the picture makes them feel. I will try to guide the people I am questioning to give me more of an answer, so I can get a clear understanding of what they think they saw rather than just a few words. I will take people from all different walks of life and see how they interpret the pictures. 

Subjects:

Person A- age 120

Person B- age 18

Person C- age 69

Picture A 

Photo by Lynsey Addario 

Person A

What they see: "I see soldiers looking at the casket of a fallen soldier covered in an American flag"

What it makes them feel: "I feel sad when I look at it, seeing lives lost is never a good thing"

Person B

What they see: "people honoring a fallen soldier"

What it makes them feel: "sad, patriotic"

Person C

What they see: "a lot of males"

What it makes them feel: "sorrow" 

Picture B 

Photo by Lynsey Addario 

Person A

What they see: " I see a young girl, wearing some type of face covering, who appears to have somewhat of facial damage"

What it makes them feel: " It makes me feel uneasy, I can not really describe it, maybe by the sad look on her face"

Person B

What they see: "Pain, I see someone feeling pain"

What it makes them feel: "empathy"

Person C

What they see: "a woman standing there"

What it makes them feel: "no feelings"

Picture C 

Photo by Lynsey Addario

Person A

What they see: " I see young kids, jumping around and playing what appears to be some game with a rope" 

What it makes them feel: "It makes me feel happy, seeing young kids, having fun and acting like children" 

Person B

What they see: "girls running"

What it makes them feel: "happy" 

Person C

What they see: "children playing"

What it makes them feel: "joyful"

Conclusion

Everyone sees completely different things when they look at a picture. This can be because of different life experiences or different priorities. A silly example would be if you are really hungry, everything you look at could start looking like and reminding you of different types of foods. The pictures  I showed were not all sad pictures, some were even ones I thought looked happy. Everyone interprets these pictures into emotions very differently. 

What Motivates Me and Photojournalists

 

I chose the previous Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth.

My dear friends,

In times of challenge and uncertainty, we are reminded of the enduring strength that lies within each of us. It is in moments such as these that we must draw upon our collective courage, steadfast resolve, and unwavering determination to persevere.

History teaches us that while the road ahead may sometimes be steep and uncertain, we possess the capacity to overcome even the most daunting of obstacles. Together, through dedication and unity, we can meet adversity with grace and transform trials into triumphs.

Let us remember that the heart of our strength lies not in what divides us, but in what unites us. It is our shared values, our common humanity, and our unwavering hope for a brighter tomorrow that will guide us through.

Each of us has a role to play, no matter how small it may seem. Acts of kindness, moments of understanding, and contributions of service remind us that every effort counts, and every individual matters.

As I reflect on the enduring spirit of this great nation, I am filled with faith in our ability to rise to the occasion, as we always have. Let us move forward with confidence, kindness, and the resolve to build a future we can be proud of.

May we meet the challenges ahead with hearts full of hope and hands ready to help one another. The journey will not always be easy, but I believe that together, we will succeed.

Thank you, and may hope and resilience guide us all throughout life.

Co-created with ChatGPT, 11/18 /24 https://chatgpt.com/c/673d394c-9114-8001-bc55-a9b76af12e29

This Is My Truth

 Option A 

A.  The type of pictures and the context in which they were displayed caused me to respond in a range of ways. Others attracted me on a more intellectual level, prompting reflection or curiosity, like the photo used by Christian Torres of the men sitting on top of the skyscraper eating lunch. While others evoked an emotional reaction either because of their content or personal connection. This emotion was evoked for me when I looked at Leo Lombardo's post of the young girl looking sad at the 9/11 memorial. Some even seemed to touch on a visceral or spiritual level, sparking something deeper. All in all, my impressions were complex, formed by a combination of awe, contemplation, and an understanding of the different points of view that each picture represented.

B. I do feel more confident that I know my own truth. After reading through all of my classmates and seeing the different responses they gave about their own truths, I recognized that while a lot of our truths are very similar with only small, small differences. Like the photo used by Daniel Fraher of the Loch Ness monster, I also believe this is a great example of a photo that shows how the truth is not always in photos. Most people in society do not believe in the Loch Ness monster, yet this photo claims to have proof. However, the photo is badly lit and does not show any real details besides a shadowy figure. The biggest truth I learned was that you can not believe all pictures are truthful and remember that the photographer could have a motive behind what is seen. An example of these motives is the picture chosen by Sam Moran of Caitlin Clark. Sam Moran talked in her response about how the photograph portrayed Caitlin Clark in a negative light, and how the article and many other articles written around the same time, all portrayed Caitlin Clark in a bad way. My truth is based on not believing everything I see in the media or photojournalism and trying hard to not develop an opinion on a subject without proper information or facts. 

C. I have gained a lot of insight into my own bias through this assignment. I have realized that I tend to be very biased about some things but very not biased about others. I had never realized my personal bias before the assignment mostly because if I found something I believed to be not true I would not read it therefore basically not even giving it a second thought. Especially as AI has become a huge part of not truth coming into photojournalism, it has become even harder to believe what you see. I try very hard to not believe what I see right away without further research. This has made me almost paranoid when looking through the media. I ran into a similar issue with my mom recently. She had seen a video of the outside of a New York City store all decorated for Christmas and she mentioned how cool it was. I immediately questioned whether it was AI or not and after further research we realized it was. 

Bias in photojournalism

 A.

Photo by Ed Clark

B. Going Home by Ed Clark portrays an emotional occasion that deals with honor, sadness, and communal mourning. As everyone listens closely in the background, the picture shows an African American soldier playing the accordion with tears running down his cheeks. The image, which was taken in 1945 following President Franklin D. Roosevelt's passing away, depicts a common grief that crosses over race-based, social, and cultural barriers as the soldier's evident sorrow mirrors the emotions of a nation in mourning. The image, in my view, symbolizes the major impact that leaders can have on the lives of others and the sense of connection that comes with being a component of something greater. The soldier's tears induce compassion for his loss and act as a reminder of the powerful connections that bind us together during moments of national grief and reflection. As Donald Weber's article states, so much of the media is negative and gives us the wrong depictions of what the real world is like. The article pushes how Ukraine was portrayed in the media as "destroyed and engulfed in fire," which was false. The media is quick to push negative stories which can make people feel disconnected from one another.  I believe, like the picture above, the media as a whole should be pushing for better stories rather than using negative photos and words as attention grabbers, in today's climate. We need less division and more unity and unfortunately, I feel as though the media makes those real-life issues much worse. 

C.  

1. The main subject in this photo is the man. He is the center of the photo and when you look at the picture he is the first thing your eyes are drawn to. The background is so out of focus that it is almost blurry to really make sure that the main subject sticks out. 

2. The black and white of the picture adds extra emotion to the picture. While I have written about the effects of black and white photography multiple times, I truly believe that it has a way of capturing a picture's feelings and background so much more. Because of the color being erased, the viewers are able to really focus and give all their attention to the picture rather than the colors. 

3. The photograph used above is the opposite of simple. Inside the photograph, there is so much to see and it is very busy. Items that make the photograph look busy include the man and his instrument, the people in the background, the emotions the crowd is showing, and the building in the background. While the background is cluttered, you can still make out what is being shown. 

D. Image A Truth 

Photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt

To me, this photo above represents truth in the media. The picture was taken in 1945 of a soldier and a nurse kissing after the Victory of Japan Day. Many people view Alfred Eisenstaedt's widely recognized picture of a sailor offering a nurse a passionate kiss in Times Square on V-J Day, which celebrates the end of World War II, as a pure exhibit of joy, relief, and celebration. Because it shows a real, spontaneous heartfelt moment rather than a created or manufactured scenario, this image is my symbol of "truth" in the media. The kiss, which conveys the raw emotions of millions of individuals without using words, symbolizes the nation's collective relief at the end of an awful war. Its unedited state illustrates how the media can present complex truths about individual emotions, experiences, and social reactions. Eisenstaedt's ability to document such an authentic, brief moment demonstrates how photojournalism can illustrate universal truths that are hard to convey in words. I also picked this photo because it depicts a positive moment in America's history and it shows that moment positively in the media, which as I stated earlier is rare. Pages like GoodNews Network are used to spread positive stories in the news. The stories that are similar to the ballet dancer saving a man who fell on the subway are rarely put in the news since they are happy stories rather than tragic sad stories. Most of this phenomenon is due to yellow journalism as stated by W. Joseph Campbell. The sad and tragic stories tend to have a more sensational shock factor which attracts more readers and brings in more money to the different companies, therefore leading to more stories in the news being negative.

E. Image B Not Truth 

Photo by Yves Herman 

The picture of the woman being sprayed with tear gas during a protest by Yves Herman can be regarded as an example of "untruthfulness" in the press, not because it shows a falsified event, but rather because of the way that context, viewer understanding, and intentional presentation may create a false narrative. A single moment in time appears in a photograph, often without a bigger picture, which can cause readers to make assumptions that back a particular point of view or purpose. For example, a striking image of women responding to tear gas could cause empathy for the protesters, outrage at law enforcement, or a sense of injustice. However, the image might not tell the full narrative if the facts, the motives of those involved, or the circumstances leading up to that demonstration are not understood. This reminds us of the challenges involved in identifying truth in visual media by emphasizing how pictures, even when they are true to a specific instant, can at times mislead viewers when context fails to appear or is provided selectively. As the photojournalist, Shahidul Alam, says in the YouTube video, "There are multiple truths to every story." I feel as though news stories that do not portray the whole picture and could be trying to gain supporters for a cause without background information are deceiving. As Professor Nordell elaborates in his video, photos showing Republican candidates in a negative light will have more of a chance of being published in a liberal article site. This further proves that each media outlet has its own reasoning and motivation behind what they publish, often for their own benefit. 

F.   Out of the 4 ways of knowing, the one I used was logic and reason. Simply put, I know that there are multiple versions and sides of each story.

G. 

Image A Truth

1. While the use of shadows is minimal in this picture, it is still somewhat there. Most of the shadows that can be seen are those from the buildings since the picture was taken in Time Square. You can tell that it was also somewhat of a gloomy day due to there not being more shadows behind the people photographed. 

2. The photo captures the depth of field in the background. While it is blurry you can see the huge buildings and what looks to be a bridge behind the main subjects. You can also see the crowds of people standing behind the couple but most are just blobs of color or blurriness. 

3. As I said in my description of the picture, there was only a second or two that this picture could have been photographed. The exposure time for this picture was minimal. If you look closely you can see the guy directly between the couple walking. You can tell the guy is mid-step as the picture is taken because of the guy's feet being blurry. 

Image B Not Truth 

1. You can see in the picture this subject's expression is one of disgust and horror. While I do not know the full backstory or how the women got into that situation, I can guess that being sprayed with mace is not a pleasant experience. You can also see the anger on the law enforcement's face. At the end of the day they are doing their job and have orders, the woman cop in the front looks angered, as she probably does not want to be in that situation. 

2. The quality of light in the picture can be seen by the glare that is reflected off the mace being sprayed. While you are looking at the background of the picture you can clearly see that it is bright and sunny outside yet she is wearing a long sleeve and a jacket. The way the light is reflected off the mace shows how bright it is outside. 

3. The rule of thirds also applies to this picture. The woman being sprayed is standing on the complete left side of the picture and the cops are in the center and right side. When looking at this picture there is no main subject necessarily. All of the bigger objects in the picture are equally important. 

Ethics in photojournalism

 

Ethics Map by Kaylie Moran

The controversy I chose for this project was Kevin Carter's famous picture of the vulture and the little girl. (shown below) The image shows a very famished young girl in Sudan lying on the ground as a vulture looks at her from a distance. When the image was published, people became angry with Carter, not understanding how he could just sit there and watch as the young malnourished girl lay in front of him. People were outraged at the inhumane picture and condition. What the public did not know from the picture was that behind the camera, multiple armed soldiers from Sundan would not have allowed any interaction to be had between the photographer and the young girl. 

Photo by Kevin Carter 

The photo was taken during a tour Carter was doing around starving villages in Sudan. Carter's entire career was spent traveling and capturing pictures of third-world countries in dire need in hopes of spreading awareness. The horrific scenes that Carter captured and lived through eventually led to his drug use and depression and then ultimately his death. 



I really do not know how to feel about this picture honestly. My rules on ethics say that anything that exploits someone or uses someone else's pain and struggles for any other reason besides to raise awareness is wrong. Despite how sad and hard this picture is to look at, the photographer behind it was photographing to raise awareness. While he might not have been able to help this specific girl, unfortunately, it is about the bigger picture in these tough instances. The photographer had a bigger image in his head to try to raise awareness and bring light to the sheer amount of famine and struggles happening in the villages specifically in Sudan but also in all of the countries he traveled to. While studying Kevin Carter's life, I was saddened to learn just how much guilt and hardship he went through. Most of my personal ethics map really touched back to people's morals and whether they were using someone's situation for good photos.  I do not feel like this is the situation with this specific photo especially after doing more research on the photographer and learning just how much guilt he went through seeing and photographing what he did, which ultimately led to his death. I also feel as though a lot of the controversy that people had towards this picture was because they did not know the details about the armed soldiers behind him making sure he did not interact with any of the subjects. I simply do not know if I would be able to photograph images like this, even if I knew they were bringing awareness, just due to how emotional the situation is. I applaud this photographer and others who are capable of doing this to help bring light to the sad conditions that need our help. 

Photo by Carol Guzy

Photo of young veteran

9/11 photo by Richard Drew

Women Photojournalists

 

Photo by Peter Silverton 

Annie Leibovitz was born in Connecticut in October of 1949. Annie was born into a military family who moved across the country often. At the age of 21, Annie was offered a job as the staff photographer at the Rolling Stones. Two years later, she was promoted to chief photographer there. This was the first time in history that a female was the chief photographer at this magazine.  During this time Annie traveled with the Rolling Stones band internationally where she developed a drug addiction. After 10 years of working up the chains at the Rolling Stones, Annie transferred to Vanity Fair. Many of Annie's most-known pictures are portraits and exposing pictures of celebrities using bright and vivid colors. Annie went through many trials throughout her life both personally and in her career. After going on tour with the Rolling Stones she went through 5 years of addiction to cocaine and rehab before she finally kicked the addiction and well as living through the deaths of both her parents and her life partner. In her personal life in 2009, she was sued for 24 million dollars to pay back a loan she had borrowed from a firm. In her career, Annie has accomplished photographing award-winning portraits of famous people such as the Queen. Annie's black and white portraits are similar to Dee Dwyder's self-portrait in the Authority Collective. While both photographs have different messages overall both somewhat relate to self-expression and self-love. One is a picture Dwyder took of themselves to promote self-love and the picture that Annie takes to show others self-love. 

Photo by Annie Leibovitz

Photo by Annie Leibovitz

Despite working in a male-dominated field, Annie used her gender in a positive way. Annie was able to get the people she was photographing to open up and "reveal" a part of themselves. Annie states, "Oftentimes when you have a male photographer and a female sitter, there is a kind of imbalance of power to start with. What I see in these photos is a leveling of the playing field." Different professions where this ideology could also be true would be like doctors or lawyers. Despite both being male-dominated fields and fields that were once believed that women could not do, women doing these jobs could have different perspectives. Their different perspectives could help many women who feel uneasy reaching out to the opposite gender and could give new insights into career-focused issues. It was not until 1972, that it was legal for all women to attend schooling and not be stopped from certain careers based on gender. 

That still does not mean it was without hardship for women stepping into a male-dominated field. This is similar to the discrimination that Yunghi Kim dealt with. The sarcastic comments made to her regard her skills and the belief that she only received the job and accomplishments because of her gender and race rather than the hard work and dedication she put into her career. And even when women are given the respect they deserve due to their work ethic, they have to deal with much bigger consequences in their personal lives. We see this in Lindsay Addario's career. The photojournalist was kidnapped and while her 3 male counterparts who were also abducted only suffered beating, Addario was sexually assaulted. Despite going through this traumatic event, people still told her that women should not cover war 

Photo by Massican

 

Do Photographs Carry Emotions

 

Bethany – The 9 Emotions

Photographs hold and can release emotions and specific feelings to those who look at them. While most of the time the emotions and feelings will be similar across the board of people, sometimes there may be clear distinctions in how people feel about the pictures. The feelings the photographer was trying to convey may become twisted and come out completely opposite. For most, a picture of a young baby or puppy may incite feelings of happiness and joy, whereas for someone who dislikes young children or dogs, the picture would reveal completely opposite emotions. 

For this project, I wanted to take multiple pictures of many different items and scenes and interview people. I will ask my participants their ages and gender ,and then briefly question them. I will show them an image and ask them to describe the scene or item they are looking. This is where they would give me a possible hypothetical of what is happening in the picture. From there I will ask them to tell me the feelings they have while looking at the picture. I will write down in this blog exactly what the answers are that I am given. 

Participants:

A - female, age 10 

B - female, age 19

C - male, age 19

D - male, age 20

Picture 1

Photo by Natalie Carsten

What is shown in this picture?

A - "Eating ice cream, grass, friends" 

B - "Two young girls sitting on a picnic table eating ice cream"

C - "A girl with red hair, a girl with blonde hair, a picnic table, they are eating ice cream, a kid riding a bike and a family eating in the background" 

D - "Kid on the left eating ice cream, a black blob in the back" 

How does this make you feel? 

A - "Hungry"

B - "The picture makes me feel sentimental about my friendships growing up and think about happy memories"  

C - "Happy, makes me want ice cream"

D - "Nothing kinda chill"

Picture 2 

Photo by Alex Burke 

What is shown in this picture? 

A- "A mountain and a sunset"

B - "The picture is of a mountain with a sunset in the background, the river in the front shows a reflection of the view"

C - "Pink skies and a mountain and waterfall, and two people climbing to the top and holding their hands in the air in celebration" 

D - "Sunset or sunrise"

How does this make you feel? 

A - "It's cool" 

B - "Looking at the picture, I am fascinated by the world and nature, it makes me feel happy" 

C - "Drippy" 

D - "Awesome sick picture" 

Picture 3 

Photo by Steve Tuttle 

What is shown in this picture? 

A - "A baby"

B - " I see a baby sitting in the grass, holding a leaf" 

C - "A minor, some toes"

D - "Kid holding leaf"

How does this make you feel? 

A - "Happy because it's a baby"

B - "Happy and joyful, I like babies" 

C - "Weird, why are we looking at babies" 

D - "Nothing normal picture" 

Picture 4

Photo by Joshua Roberts 

What is shown in this picture?

A - "Election, a crowd of people"

B - " I see a march or protest in Washington, DC"

C - "January 6"

D - "Captial bulding in DC"

How does this make you feel? 

A - "Pretty bored"

B -  "I feel neutral about this picture since I am unsure what they are protesting" 

C - "Patriotic" 

D - "Patriotic"

Picture 5 

Photo by Veran Hill 

What is shown in this picture?

A - "Veteran's Day, serving the country, saluting" 

B - "I see members of our military forces saluting the American flag" 

C - "My friend, Jubril" 

D - "American flag" 

How does this make you feel? 

A - "Proud"

B - "I feel proud to be an American and of all of the men and women who have put their lives on the line for our country when I look at this picture" 

C - "Makes me want to go into the army and fight for my rights" 

D - "Patriotic again" 

Reflection

Photos affect each person differently. Each person comes from a completely different walk of life, age, and interests. Someone who does not like dogs won't say that they feel happy when they see a picture of a puppy. One of the people I interviewed was my little sister. I joke that she gave very "10-year-old answers." She gave very basic answers to my questioning her, and when asked what emotions she felt when looking at the pictures, she was stumped on what to say. This is different than the answers of a 19-year-old, who has more life experience, and the answers would be even more different than a 60-year-old. Peter Grof writes, "The variety of humankind can just as well bring about all the emotions you can think of. Compassion, fear, love, hate, sadness, happiness."