The photographer I chose was Eugene Richards. I chose a photo from his series, “Cocaine True, Cocaine Blue” which is a series of photos about cocaine addicts.
1. The title, “Cocaine True, Cocaine Blue” shows its a controversial topic. I would say this type of photography falls into a documentary category. Its very intimate and detailed, completely uncensored. Very low key and low contrast.
2. The purpose of this photography is to display the lives of real cocaine addicts. Its informative of the lives these people live.
3. In the specific photograph I chose there is selective focus on one of the cocaine addicts face. The focus is completely on her face. You can see every small detail of her face mean while the background behind her is extremely blurry. There is emphasized texture because you can literally see the characters pores, that is how focused the photo is, you can see the point of the needle clearly.
4. This photograph actually has no technical matters, the photograph is really sharp even though there is selective focus on the main characters face. The photo is taken at an eye-level so its really clear.
5. In terms of perspective I would say there is shallow space just because its such a close shot. I would also say there is a compressed perspective about the photo because of the intimacy of it.
6. This photograph is completely straight forward. The needle is evident, the desperation for the needle is evident in the characters eyes. The deterioration in the characters teeth is evident of drug use. Everything is clear about this photo.
7. This photograph has a lot of emotional impact that’s exactly why I chose it I love this kind of photography. Its raw material, makes your uncomfortable because of how intimate it is. Cocaine is a scary drug and the way it affects people as well, as evident in the photograph. This photo has both a dramatic and kind of sad impact.
8. All the photos in the, “Cocaine True, Cocaine Blue” series are all shot with the same intent, to show the emotional impact of cocaine to these real people in that period of time. All the photographs are black and white and I like that they all depict different aspects of the drug use.
