Homework 1 – Jennifer Ramos

A Boy in Front of the Loews 125th Street Movie Theater, 1976

During our class, the photographer that stood out the most to me was Dawoud Bey. So, after taking a look through his Harlem stories collection, I decided to go with the black and white photograph “A Boy in Front of the Loews 125th Street Movie Theater, 1976.” Dawoud Bey’s photo shows a young boy leaning against a police barricade with a book in hand. The ticket stand that’s directly behind him, and the darkened entrances on either side draws the focus to him. The boy’s posture, his sunglasses, and his outfit just shouts attitude. When it comes to the photograph’s mood, you will notice that it brings across a strong feeling of confidence and cool. It also reminds me of a the vast amount of confidence a child usually has, but is sometimes worn away by life. The boy’s confidence is not overpowering; it is strong enough that we notice it, but innocent enough to see that he is just a kid, enjoying having his photo taken.

The elements that help to create the mood of the photograph are the following: contrast of light and dark, use of lines, shapes, asymmetry and balance. The photographer makes good use of the contrast between light and dark to bring his audience to the focal point of the photo – the boy. The way the boy is leaning on the barrier suggests a break of the line, which, again, draws the eye to the center of the photograph. The shape of the  ticket booth behind him is framing his body, which helps form the mood. The boy’s body language creates an interesting shape against the strong ridged lines surrounding him. He is breaking the symmetry of the photograph and making it asymmetrical – yet, it is still very well balanced. Dawoud Bey has done a phenomenal job with this photograph and I look forward to seeing much more of his work in the future.