Henry, Chris, People Walking On Park During Black Lives Matter Protest, Philadelphia, PA, 2020
People Walking On Park During Black Lives Matter Protest by Chris Henry shows a crowd of people coming together to protest police brutality in Philadelphia, PA. I chose to analyze this photograph because I am from Philadelphia. This specific protest took place after the murder of George Floyd.
This photograph utilizes a triangle composition to lead the viewer’s eyes towards City Hall. Geometry is used to separate the photo into different sections. The circular walkway in the foreground is juxtaposed next to the linear buildings. If you look at the top of the buildings, they are slightly in perspective, almost “clearing a path” towards City Hall. The buildings and the street act as leading lines to direct the viewer’s eye across the image. This allows the viewer to take in the entire photograph without being distracted by the extraordinarily large crowd of people protesting in the streets.
Color is used sparingly in this photo. Most of the colors in the image are desaturated or neutral tones. The green grass and blue fountain act as a focal point, drawing the viewer’s attention towards the leading lines pointing at City Hall. The “unimportant” aspects of the photograph, such as the cars in the foreground, trivial buildings, and the sky are desaturated. However, the saturation of the Capital Building is emphasized, creating a point of interest in the photograph. This decision emphasizes the importance of the Capital Building and juxtaposes it with civil unrest.
Website Link: https://unsplash.com/photos/m1vVDjSKvQY
I wonder if the desaturation was intentional or whether it was a factor of the light from the day. The overall color cast seems to have a faded Technicolor tone that makes this seem like it could have been an older shot too. Interesting timelessness to it. Be sure to select a featured image so the image shows up on the main blog page.