Teju Cole Photo Homework

In Teju Cole’s essay “Perfect and Unrehearsed,”  the photo that I liked the most was “Three boys in Liberia.” This is because of many things, starting off with the fact that it is an art photo. It is obvious to tell that this photo is a decisive moment, meaning the photographer took the photo decisively. That is one reason that I like it; it isn’t rehearsed or practiced to get a photo like that. It also gives a story of three boys playing in the sea. It leaves the viewer with questions such as “Who exactly are these boys?” or “Why is it in black and white?”. To continue, another reason why this photo stood out to me was because it was in black and white. This means that there is no color, and all there is is black, white, and gray. I believe this further enhances the lighting and the darkness of the entire photo, even if the viewer cannot tell what time of day it is. It further deepens the contrast of certain aspects of the photo, such as the boys to the sea. To add on, the dominant impression is definitely the three boys running into the water because they are the main focus of the photo and their contrast to the background. They definitely are the main focus because they bring so much life into this still photo.