(1) – Girl in Bed – Irving Penn – 1941 Made for Vogue
Initially, this image does not shout out about anything. It’s hard to fathom out what is going on & why the photographer took the image.
I see a female lying on a bed in a nightdress with a blanket covering her. The nightdress, rather cleverly, and seamlessly forms part of the top sheet. The pillows are full & frilly so that induces she is not poor. Clean bedding,ironed hair in place but nothing else… Questions I am asking: Is she crying? Hiding from something? Alone or wants to be alone? Does she want to be with a lover, parent? Everything seems in focus so that, to me, means the whole image is important. The photographer took the image at this aspect to get everything in focus so the position of the girl and the way the bedding is positioned is also important to the value of the whole image.
Initially, without knowing this image was an ‘Irving Penn’ image taken for Vogue, I would not have placed it as a fashion shot taken for a famous magazine. A few days later and re-visiting this image and understanding it a little better, feel this image would certainly be shot for Vogue…
(2) – Unknown Photographer Taken in Venezuela – Internet top 40 images 21 Oct 2016
Man in water filled ditch on the side of the road. The ditch, road works are cordoned off, but aren’t all roadworks cordoned off? The police rider is looking at the man in the water without alarm, is he happy for the man to be in the water? He has a frown with creased forehead. His eye’s are clearly looking at the policeman possibly, wanting him to say or do something. Or, perhaps he is frightened the policeman might do something to him! Nobody is paying attention to him – passers by have just walked past him. There is a screwdriver on the floor just behind the man in the water; does this mean he is carrying out maintenance? Possibly. Is the man doing this as self punishment? Is this a punishment? Is he protesting? Is he placed there for everyone to see? Or, is he Mad?
(3) – Associated Press / AP – Internet 21st October 2016
I remember this image very well indeed. It is self explanatory, Gold & Bronze medallist in a major athletics event – 1968 Olympic Games Black Rights, Bothers, Together, Protesting! Not worried what anybody think of their protest.
What I did not know was that the Australian Peter Norman wore an Olympic Project badge for Human Rights in support of their protest! Both Black athletes were expelled from the games and had to return their medals.
Andy Young Photography 