For the deconstruction of a journalistic photograph assignment I chose “Elian” by Alan Diaz. The photograph depicts a frozen action scene from the moment when United States federal agents took custody of Elian Gonzalez in order to return him to his father in Cuba. The first thing I thought when looking at this picture through the lens of our class discussions is how this picture is all about the event being photographed. Many of the Pulitzer Prize winning photos I looked at were beautiful aesthetically in addition to capturing an important historical moment. This photo of Elian taken in Miami in 2001 by an Associated Press photographer is not aesthetically beautiful, but is memorable because of its visual elements and the news worthiness of the moment it captured.
This photograph exemplifies many of the fundamental elements of photography. The photograph is frozen action, depicting the federal official with his mouth open, presumably barking orders at the adult who is holding the panicked looking Elian. The photograph is a good example of the rule of thirds, as the federal official’s head and body are aligned on the first third axis line and Elian is just passed the second third axis line. Probably one of the most powerful fundamental elements of photography that this photograph illustrates is leading lines. The first thing you see when you look at the photograph is the federal official, who looks like a soldier, with his gun in the front of the picture. His gun then leads straight to Elian’s tearful face, and Elian becomes the emotional focal point of this photograph. As well, Elian and his guardian are hiding in a closet and the closet becomes a frame within a frame of the two of them.
I wish I had seen the photograph without seeing its title first, as the title of the picture immediately puts some context to the photo and changes its connotation. I’d have liked to see what I thought the photo was about before I realized that the little boy in the picture is Elian Gonzalez. If I was looking at this photograph without its title and did not realize it was Elian Gonzalez in the picture, this is what I think I would notice. Two men in uniform with heavy weapons have stormed into a house and have discovered a man and a child in a closet. The child is clearly hysterical and feels scared and threatened. The guardian or person holding the child appears to be calmer and does not look fearful for his safety. Therefore, I would surmise that the guardian has greater knowledge of what is going on than the child does and understands that his life is not being threatened. The solider, while appearing very menacing given his body armor and gun, has his right arm positioned in such a way that it appears he is trying to proceed carefully. This simple gesture makes him appear less dangerous as he looks like he has some concern for the safety of the people he is confronting. This is different than one would expect to see, for instance, if the photograph was of German SS officials discovering some people hiding from them in Nazi Germany.
To be honest, although I knew who Elian Gonzalez was, I had to look up the story again to refresh my memory of the events in the news story. Elian was rescued by a fisherman (who is the man in the closet holding him) after his mother drowned while attempting to flee Cuba with her son. Elian’s father wanted his son returned to him in Cuba, while Elian’s cousins in America did not want to send the boy back to a communist country. At the time, some people questioned whether the Cuban refugee community had Elian’s best interest at heart or if they were using him mostly to make a political statement.
The picture is a great example of frozen action as so much is told through the expressions and body language captured in the moment. Of course the symbolism of Elian being taken away at gunpoint by US federal officials as if he were living in a police state is powerful as well. This is especially powerful because the people who were arguing that Elian should stay in the US were depicting Cuba as the police state and the United States as the land of the free.
Visual Literacy 105-006 