Question #2: Photographs are unwritten stories waiting to be deciphered. Photographers use their cameras as a medium for exploration of the human life, and their art is a reminder about reality. For the virus infection AIDS, photography not only helped bring awareness to the disease but also helped put human faces to the battle. Sometimes it takes a photograph or two to capture an epidemic for people to understand the existence of it. An example of such a photograph is Lucinda W. Bunnen’s AIDS Patient, which conveys a stark message about the constant pain and suffering that results from the disease. Use of point-of-view angle, black-and-white color, and specific body composition of subject are some characteristics that contribute to the overall somber tone of the photograph.
When viewers first approach the photograph, the their eyes are attracted to the subject of the photograph who is the central focal point and compromises the majority of the photograph. An older, famished-looking African man is laying on the floor covered with a few sheets and next to a few bowls. …show more content…
It can be immediately gathered that the African man is of a lower socioeconomic background due to his environment. He is not surrounded by lavish materials and does not have any family or caregivers by his side. He is seen in solidity while stretched on the floor. Charles E. Rosenburg points out in “What is an Epidemic?” that the “poor and socially marginal…have historically labeled as the disproportionately likely victims of epidemic illness” (8). This photograph highlights the idea that AIDS has not really changed society’s perceptions and typecasts of who is at risk for and most affected by disease – non-White and poor minorities. If the subject were an affluent, upper-class white male, then there would have been an even greater shock factor to the
When viewers first approach the photograph, the their eyes are attracted to the subject of the photograph who is the central focal point and compromises the majority of the photograph. An older, famished-looking African man is laying on the floor covered with a few sheets and next to a few bowls. …show more content…
It can be immediately gathered that the African man is of a lower socioeconomic background due to his environment. He is not surrounded by lavish materials and does not have any family or caregivers by his side. He is seen in solidity while stretched on the floor. Charles E. Rosenburg points out in “What is an Epidemic?” that the “poor and socially marginal…have historically labeled as the disproportionately likely victims of epidemic illness” (8). This photograph highlights the idea that AIDS has not really changed society’s perceptions and typecasts of who is at risk for and most affected by disease – non-White and poor minorities. If the subject were an affluent, upper-class white male, then there would have been an even greater shock factor to the