A series of photos from the 1910’s that caught my eye was from Edward S Curtis, and his documentation of Native american culture. I liked the subject of his photos, so I decided to stick with the same theme when choosing my second image.
BIRD RATTLE, Piegan, 1910. IMAGE Edward S. Curtis.
Scott Olson/Getty Images News, 2016
The first image was taken with the intent of documenting an individual in order to preserve the culture within it. Visually, I can see that it has a sepia tint, features one front-facing individual centered in the middle of the photo. There are no visual tricks going on in this image, it is very true to the subject of the photo. In addition, the limited technology of photography back when the photo was taken limits the photo to being colorless. The very stark contrast of this image makes it seem to almost be only two toned, with the use of very bright highlights and very dark shadows. The composition along with the value range draws me immediately to the individuals face. I feel that his expression is very kind and understanding.
The second image I chose was taken by a news photographer at the end of the NoDAPL protests. The image is of a tribe leader speaking in response to the initial decision to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline. This photo, unlike the first, features it’s subject in profile view. He also happens to be in the middle of speaking unlike the first photo in which the subject is posing. This image is also clearly in color unlike the first, which gives the viewer some other types of information regarding the types of materials and such the subjects clothing could be made of. My attention is immediately drawn to the action of the subject, who is speaking into a microphone. This is different in comparison to the first which is more of a still photo. The main difference between the photos is the stillness of the first and the subtle movement in the second and the difference between the technology of the two photos. (the first being in black and white, and the second in color, as well as film vs digital photography.)
