Category: Virtual Coffeehouse #1 (Page 1 of 2)

In Teju Coles’ essay “Perfect and unrehearsed”, my favorite photo is “Suzhou creek by Cartier-Bresson”. This is a documentary photo which shows the life of fishermen’s or sailors. I can only assume that this photo was taken during sunset because usually, fishermen’s return with their boats after they’re done with fishing, which is the time of sunset. Also, when I saw their instruments, it made me think, “Do they use them to clean the water?” Anyway, but The black and white color, the outfit of these fishermen’s and the instruments they are using tells me that this photo was taken in the late 90’s. The dominant impression of this photo is the man who is smoking and holding up the cigarette. The impression of this guy tells me something sad is going on in his life.  Maybe his fishing business or maybe some other business related to sailing boats is not going very well. Also, I can assume that these boats are bigger than usual which means that they use them either in the river or in the ocean. Overall, this photo gives me a dramatic vibe and the people’s expressions of this photo gives me an idea about their job, their lifestyle, their culture, their ethnicity etc. which makes it perfect as a documentary photo.

In Teju Coles’s photo essay, my favorite picture I would like to say is of “A young Haitian man grieving  at the funeral of his mother in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.” In my opinion, this is a documentary photo, judging by the fact that the photo was taken at the moment a group of people are holding back the grieving man. Something that struck me has more to do with the background, this appears to be taken in a residential area, or at least a public setting, it has a large crowd of people indicating that the grieving man’s mother was very well known to people in that area. And with that, I’d like to represent my narrative of this photo. While yes, I can say that this photo shows the separation of a mother and son, it is correct, but I won’t do that, that’s too easy. How I see this photo is a much more a gathering, it shows that a common death in a group can bring everyone together to remember a great person in their life. The fact that people went out of their way to hold a public funeral for the grieving man’s mom shows the impact that that woman had in their life.

In his essay “Perfect and Unrehearsed” Teju Cole presents a photograph that I find to be the most captivating of a crowd huddled in the rain. Their umbrellas note a myriad of shapes and colors, all directed toward a monument. The photograph is decidedly documentary photography in that it captures a fleeting moment of shared experience, with individuals neither posing nor conscious of the camera. The photograph implicitly narrates with great significance an account of endurance and contemplation regarding this group of people who choose to endure the elements to be present for a shared moment of significance, likely some memorial or ceremony. 

In this image, we do not have a moment of great action, but rather a moment of quiet endurance. The rain, rather than distracting us, becomes an element that adds texture and mood to the image, and in doing so elicits timeless feelings of quiet isolation among a group of people together. The rawness and authenticity of the scene exemplifies the power of photography to document un-posed moments in time. The prevailing feeling in the photo is one of poise and reverence, as if time was frozen for just a moment. Through this image, Cole points to the preciousness of the moment, and the latent emotion rooted within it, as it relates to our common experience as human beings; we are all waiting, we are all witnessing, and we are all remembering.

In Teju Cole’s essay “Perfect and Unrehearsed,my favorite photo is “Three Boys in Liberia” by Martin Munkacsi. This is a documentary photo. The reason why I say this is because they are three boys running to the water, racing each other to enter the water. This documentary photo also has a view of the ocean, with waves rising seemingly to welcome the 3 children into the water. This image gives a sense of joy. The figures of the three children in this image, despite the lack of color, indicate the feelings they feel by their postures as they enter the water. A different story would have been told in this image if the children had a different type of posture. The dominant impression of this photo has to be the three boys, as they are the main focal point, as they are enjoying themselves at their young age, possibly having the best day ever. The photographer was able to capture all of those happy feelings in one singular photo. For the photographer, this was a decisive photo to put up. “Three Boys in Liberia” by Martin Munkacsi gives a good story through this photo without putting a caption or explaining it because a person can just feel when they see this photo.

Within the writing of Teju Cole’s photo essay, my favorite photo is Suzhou Creek by Henri Cartier-Bresson. The photo, which I assume is taken to show the working lives of the men and their jobs as the centerpiece, showcases unique perspectives that will differ with each person who views the photo. To me, I can see an argument to be made for the men working together on what appears to be a boat to go out and fish. I could also understand the perspective of them having to do so in order to make a living for themselves, or maybe even the pride in fishing. Whatever the reason, the group of men upon the boat doing whatever it is they’re doing is complemented nicely by the reflection of the sky in the water they currently stand above. The contrast within the black and white photo of the beautiful sky and the man sitting down smoking a cigarette puts into perspective how differing the life of many may feel. The idea that despite the beautiful skies and possible camaraderie between the men on the boat, something may capture our attention and disturb us enough to need a distraction. Maybe he is worried about this expedition? Or maybe he just enjoys smoking. Either way with the tools on the boat and the anchor being held on it which may signify the boat taking off and the numerous ropes and other objects can lead to one’s perspective being shaped by the photo in whichever specific part of the image they look into the most. Whether that be the general idea of the men working together for me, or the simple idea of the man sitting and smoking, looking possibly toward us for others.

In Teju Cole’s essay “Perfect and Unrehearsed,” the fourth photograph captivated me. This portrait captures a moment of profound distress: a man, visibly heartbroken by the death of is mother, while being held back by a group of men. His outstretched arms and pained expression show his desperate struggle, making his suffering almost visible. This picture also illustrates how the men holding him are offering support and comfort, while many others contribute to this funeral, showing the collective effort to uplift and support him during this time of grief.The dominant expression was the raw emotion in this man’s face which brings a deep sense of sympathy and compassion from the people viewing this photo. As stated in the caption , this photograph was taken in Haiti, providing an insight into local funeral customs.The presence of crosses and a sign depicting Jesus on the cross, held up high , reinforces this interpretation. The surrounding symbols also contribute to the dull atmosphere, their serious expressions reflecting the gravity of the moment. This photo shows us a moment of raw human emotion and the collective response to loss. Additionally capturing a glimpse into the cultural practices of Haitian funerals, highlighting how their mourning rituals involve the whole community. Showing how deeply people come together to support each other during hard times . 

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.

In Teju Cole’s essay “Perfect and Unrehearsed,” one of my favorite photos is Bombardopolis Haiti by Alex Webb/Magnum Photos. This photo is a documentary type because it’s capturing an event that’s in action. This photo tells a story on a bright afternoon in 1986, where a woman and a man with a cigarette are going to a funeral with a donkey. I see a woman standing in a blue frock , I see the back of a donkey’s ears, I see a cigarette in the mouth of a man in a deep shadow. The dominant expression would be the woman in the blue frock and donkey’s ear were the first thing I caught. There`s no interaction amongst the people, it seems like they are neutral about the death of someone. The photo makes me feel strange, everyone in the photo was looking in different directions. The story seems like the people were heedless which concludes that the death might be of someone there not close to them. Attending the funeral in the hot Haitian town is going to cause fatigue and heat exhaustion. Additionally, this photo may be taken candidly, no one’s attention was on the camera, only the 2 little kids were looking at the photographer while he was clicking the camera.