What does this picture say to you?
What if I add the caption, “Police keep a close eye on Protesters.”
Who is the guy walking behind the police officer?
Reality
Here’s the original, unedited photo.
The police and a pedestrian were crossing a busy street at the edge of the demonstration. They were looking in the direction of oncoming traffic. Protesters, business people, and office workers were using the corner. I don’t have a clue who the pedestrian is.
In reality, the OccupyMN organizers had worked with city and county officials for some time before the demonstration and the effort paid off. The Minneapolis Police and the Hennepin County Sheriff Department had a light presence on Friday. A few officers stationed here and there at the edge of the occupation. Occasionally a pair of police officers would walk through the crowd. The interaction between the protesters and officers appeared pleasant and non-confrontational.
Intent of the Photograph
I have used composition to accentuate the tension inherent in the photo. The two men are looking at something out of the frame: something that is left to the imagination. The image is not centered. I cropped the image to have the police officer closer to the edge of the frame. This implies motion and direction, as does the pedestrian walking behind him. I darkened the pavement in the foreground and the building in the background so that the men would standout more. This reinforces the men and their gazes off frame.
I like the finished image because of the implied drama, even though there was none in the actual moment.
Photo Statistics
It is estimated that about 3.5 trillion pictures have been taken since photography’s beginning in the early 1800s. In 2011 we will take approximately 380 billion images. Analog photography (film) peaked in 2000 with digital photography growing exponentially afterwards. In 2011, 70 billion photos will be uploaded to Facebook. (1) In contrast to the Library of Congress has a total of approximately 12.5 million photographs. (2)
(1) How many photos have ever been taken? Good, Jonathan:
Crunching the Numbers: www.1000memories.com: 09/15/2011.
(2) About the Library; Fascinating Facts: Library of Congress: 02/01/2011