The photograph “Harlem, NY, 1978” by Dawoud Bey, displays three women by standing by a police line in Harlem, New York. Looking at the background of the subject matters, there seem to be a get together or celebration going on at the location of the photograph. The photographer looks to capture the moment of the ordinary people having a good time, which can be identified through the outfits and posture of the women, and the background setting of the photograph. The purpose of the image is to show how people live their life within the community of Harlem, for example in this case, a group of individuals having a good time in a celebration. The photograph conveys the emotion of each individual women shown, the women on the left and right pay less attention compared to the woman in the middle who is giving the photographer a stare.
The three formal elements that the photograph “Harlem, 1978” has are leading lines which uses the lines of the building to lead the viewer to each of the three subjects, figure to ground in which there is a difference between the contrast of the background and foreground of the photograph where it is sharp in order to get the viewers attention, and fill the frame because the photograph shows that the photographer had to be closer to the subjects.
Link: time.com/3788211/harlem/
