DESOLATION IN THE CEMETERY
James Nachtwey
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Table of contents 1. Introduction …………………………………………………….… Page 3 2. Biography of the photographer……………………………… Page 3 3. Observation Skill 3.1 Action, setting, theme, clothing and characters………. Page 4 3.2 Pose and expression…………………………………… Page 4 4. Technical Knowledge 4.1 Point of view……………………………………………… Page 5 4.2 Lightning………………………………………………….… Page 5 4.3 Framing and cropping……………………………………… Page 5 5. Context……………………………………………………………… Page 6 6. Symbol / Metaphor……………………………………………… Page 6 7. Photograph’s history……………………………………………. Page 6
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1. Introduction We’re going to talk about a photograph taken in the year 1996 by James Nachtwey.
2. Biography of the photographer James Nachtwey was born in Nueva York in 1948, but he grew in Massachusetts. He graduated in Dartmouth’s University. There, he studied History of art and Political sciences. He wanted to be a photographer of the Vietnam war and the Civil Rights movements. In 1976 James worked as a photojournalist, and in the year 1980 he moved to New York and there he first worked as a magazine photographer. His first international work was in North Ireland VOC in 1981. Nachtwey dedicated to familiarize himself with wars, conflicts and social problems. He worked in Nicaragua, Israel, Philippines, Russia... Since 1984 he was a photographer for the ‘Time’ magazine. He received some prizes as “Common Wealth Award”, “Martin Luther King Award”, “Henry Luce Award”… He was a member of the Royal Photographic Society and he was awarded the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa of Beaux Arts from the Massachusett’s University.
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3. Observation Skill 3.1 Action, setting, theme, clothing and characters In this photo we can see a 30yearold woman, wearing a burka, sitting on a tombstone, in a cemetery. The cemetery, located in a rocky arid ground, is just a bunch of jumbled headstones. The photo was taken in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq.. about 60 years ago. We think that she is sad, dejected, hopeless…, because she has lost someone very important to her, maybe his husband, his child, his parents, etc, because she has her hand on the tombstone but we can’t see her facial expression.
3.2 Pose and Expression The woman is sitting, and she has her hand on the tombstone but we can’t see her facial expression. The photo is focused in a special tomb, leaving aside the other numerous tombs. In the background, we see a strange thing, but we don't know what it is.
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4. Technical Knowledge 4.1 Point of view The photographer was standing because in the background we can see the other graves. The photographer took this photo from one side of the woman to cause a distance effect. When the photographer took the photo, he was standing. He was searching for an old photo effect and he wanted that we could see all the scene.
4.2 Lightning The photographer took the photo in black and white and he was standing. This photo gives the impression of inferiority, because it is taken from above and the woman is sitting on the ground. We think that the light isn’t artificial, but the photograph is sad for the black and white effect. The photograph is contrasty and is clear. The lightning creates a sad antique effect.
4.3 Framing and cropping The cropping helps us to fix our attention in the woman and in the tombstone. In the photo frame there are only a woman and the tombstones of the cemetery. Outside the photograph, we think that there could be another people, the cemetery entrance or the photographer, and in the background there is a strange thing that we don’t know what it is. The photographer chooses this frame because he wants that only the woman and the cemetery can be visible.
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5. The context The photographer wants to show us the sadness in the world and the poverty there is that exists in other countries so that we can value what we have.
6. Symbol / Metaphor In the image we can’t see a clear metaphor, only we see the poverty in the place and the sadness of the woman.
7. Photograph’s history. The photograph was taken in Afghanistán in the year 1996 and it deals with the mourning of a woman for the death of his brother caused by a Taliban rocket.
Lucía Casas Sergio Cob 3º ESO 07/03/2014
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