Displaced and Misjudged

In the reading this past week, Guimond mentioned how documentary photography can “make drama from the ordinary.” This is reflective in a lot of famous photographs from artists like Ansel Adams to amateurs. Photographers can bring out emotion in an everyday object or scene just by changes to the focus on their camera, and when Guimond mentions making drama out of the ordinary. On top of that, everyone who looks at a photo has a personal take on it; what one person sees, another sees the opposite. This creates many different versions of the American Dream and the American Nightmare, Guimond’s main point. When there are two sides to every story, photography can make it hard to see the whole truth because it glamorizes the average, so what is the truth in the photograph? 

I thought that the photo represented the both the American Nightmare and the American Dream. This photo is showing that some people’s idea of a failed American Dream is some people’s reality. I asked the man in the photo how his day was going and if I could take his picture for class and he was friendly and seemed curious as to what the class was and what everyone was doing taking pictures downtown. Afterward I gave him a couple dollars and we both went on with our day. Walking by the displaced makes most people come up with a few snap judgments and excuses not to make eye contact, but after approaching him he was just like anyone else trying to make a living. He may seem unhappy just by looking at him, but like the effect of the photo there is more than just what appears on the outside.

I chose to put the photo in black and white to make the picture more impactful. I think that a black and white image makes people take the content more seriously. When there is a lack of color, there is a lack of uplifting emotion. The photo is taken at eye level so that anyone looking at it gets a good look at the man, and sees the details. If it were to be taken at an angle the viewer would be looking down on the man, and that would make people feel more uncomfortable. That being said, people walking by would feel sorry for this man and consider the photo a representation of the American Nightmare, because displacement isn’t something people consider successful. The interaction I had while taking the photo shows that there is always more than one side to a story, and the American Dream looks different to everybody.