In Teju Coles’ essay, my favorite photo is called “Three boys in Liberia.” It stood out to me because it is a photo without color and this results in the photo being more focused on shapes and contrast. It’s mesmerizing to see the wave in the background splashing and the 3 boys running towards it. The photographer, Martin Munkacsi, was able to capture them while they all had different poses and their bodies being in a fluid motion. This is an art photo because of the abstract shapes and it having a very interesting presentation, which explains why it inspired other photographer’s and opened them up to new possibilities.
The dominant impression definitely were the 3 boys, and the movement was them running towards the waves which are splashing everywhere. It creates a feeling of energy and excitement due to the movement in the photo. You can tell that the boys are excited to get into the water. This photograph doesn’t have a caption however the essay provides an excellent description which further emphasizes how movement can play a huge role in a photo. Without the movement, the photo wouldn’t have had the same effect. Overall, it is a great photograph and it just shows that not all photos need color in them, sometimes it may even be better to have them in black and white.
Great post! Good use of our terms.
-Prof. Scanlan