Caption: President Obama and National
Incident Commander US Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen working hard to assist America in recovering from this Oil Spill Crisis.
Photo Analysis:
Observations: This photograph depicts president Obama during
the aftermath of the oil spill incident. His hands are slightly raised in front
of him and his head is also somewhat turned. His facial expression shows one of
concern and thinking. His attire is a light pinstriped shirt, in which the sleeves are rolled up.
Directly to the president’s left is the National Incident
Commander US Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen. In his coast guard uniform, he has
his hands folded in front of him, and his head turned slightly toward Obama.
His eyes are not on the president though instead, they appear to be looking off
into the distance.
The background displays many scenes. The American Flag is on
the left, directly beside four pictures that explain the oil spill in more
depth. Picture one, closest to the flag, shows many men hard at work, unaware
that a picture is being taken. The picture to the right of that displays a map
of the oil spill, directly beside a close up version of two men in hard hats,
working on what appears to be the scene of the crisis. The majority of the
background is engulfed by the map that is titled “Deepwater Horizon Response.”
This map outlines the states that border the location of the oil spill. The
states are somewhat blurry, whereas the Gulf is very evident.
Possibility: This photograph is spontaneous. President Obama and
Thad Allen are deep in the briefing, explaining what is to come from this disaster.
The photograph is trying to convey the message that the president is taking
action and will take care of this matter. The White House had been accused of
responding too slowly, and this picture depicts the president easing the
citizen’s minds. Deep in his explanation, his hands are up trying to explain
the steps for this disaster. His face shows one of concern but also of thought.
He seems to be choosing his words wisely. His outfit displays a down to
earth man who will take care of this issue. He is not in an intimidating suit
and tie, but a laid back pinstriped shirt.
The Coast Guard Admiral also appears to be deep in thought.
It is evident he is listening to the president, but his far-off gaze displays
that he wants to add more to this discussion. His folded hands and downward
face displays that he is very concerned and deeply hurt from the disaster.
The background displays once again that the White House is
taking action. The American flag is there, as a reminder at how far the United
States has come. Next, we have the map of the oil spills taking up the majority
of the background. This is displayed in order to show the true damage that has occurred.
Not only does this picture recreate the tragedy, but it also shows men hard at
work to take care of the mess. A blurred
view of many workers in hard hats to the left, and a close-up of two workers on
the right displays that this tragedy will be taken care of and that everything
is under control.
This was a very important photograph for President Obama. It
depicts several different things that will put American’s minds at ease. The
picture shows Obama working closely with the coast guard and displays how aware
he is of the problem and how concerned he is that it gets taken care of.
Questions: How does the president plan to take care of this issue? What are the workers doing exactly in the photographs? The Coast Guard Admiral looks very upset in this scene, what is being said? Does he disagree?
Note: The above photograph gives me more confidence in President
Obama’s leadership because it is a spontaneous photograph of him taking charge.
Photograph 2:
Caption: President Obama displaying that it is time to get down to business and take care of this Oil Spill.
Photo Analysis Lesson Plan
Description: This lesson, created for junior high-high school students, involves the class looking deeper into iconic photos, such as one of John F. Kennedy.
The lesson starts by viewing many different photos and asking the class many questions about what they see. Next, the teacher goes on to explain the elements of great news photographs. After many discussions and examples, throughout 2-3 class periods, the students become photo journalists. The students, individually or in pairs, will go out and take many pictures. They are to bring them into class, and their peers will critique them by utilizing the Critique Lenses Handout Questions.
