Kuva-analyysi
- Milla Helminen
- Emmi Huhtanen (97367)
- Yoga Tri Waskito Nugroho (420300)
- Maija Puska (414902)
- Anna Saarelainen (414904)
A genre analysis of journalistic photographs[muokkaa]
The journalistic photographs we chose to analyse in our assigment are from four different news papers. They can be seen as typical excamples of tree different genres of journalistic photographs. But are they something else as well? All the photographs in news papers transmit a position about the reality, whether they want it or not. These postitions seem to be in connection with the political and emotional values of the news paper publishers. In terms of this we would like to ask, what do the journalistic photographs really tell to us readers.
In our analysis we also take a look at the peoples roles in the photos as well as their relationships whith the photographer and the mediahouses. Why have just these photographs been published? Do they represent different kinds of aspects of power?
Showing people with low income[muokkaa]
http://www.tamperelainen.fi/artikkeli/249940-hipposkylaa-uhkaa-amurin-kohtalo
A participatory news photograph about the residents of Hipposkylä, a quarter of wooden houses with a couple of hundred similar studio apartments for people with low income. Illustration in the news papers net version is different than in the paper version, but the same elements are still there. In public opinion Hipposkylä is concidered to be unpleasant, and that people living there are so called "low life" people with alcohol problems. In this illustration the photographer gives a different face to those people. In these pictures the persons actually living there are shown happy, normal people. It is an ethical and responsible choice for the photographer not to represent the area or the people living in there in a stereotypical way.
The other picture (where the corridoor looks pretty dark, but the light comes from the aparment where the inhabitant is putting a coat on)shows the person living in that flat from upper status by giving the camera the low angle. People are smiling in those pictures, which means in this context that they like the place they are living, a lot.
The purpose of illustrations[muokkaa]
This is just a illustrative photo without greater news value. It has been chosen to illustrate news about insomnia and problems with sleeping. It says in the caption that insomnia can lead into tiredness and napping in the afternoon. There's a man sleeping on a couch with bright lights on. The space could be an office. The man is wearing a green shirt, which is not the most comfortable garment for taking a nap and also indiates that he is not at his home. There signals give the impression that the man is sleeping at work, which is very uncommon and untolerated, in Finland at least. If a person is so tired that he falls asleep at work, insomnia is something that needs to be taken seriously.
The man in this picture covers his face with his palm, so his identity is kind of hidden. This kind of choise gives to the viewer a feeling that this really is a problem, maybe that kind of a problem what people try to hide.
This looks like a typical stock photo. There's a baby child sitting and somebody trying to feed the child with a spoon. This photo is a bit more informative that the last picture. In this picture it looks like the baby is a bit suspisious what is in the spoon. It looks like she is actually closing her mouth with her finger. The picture also reveals the truth in that since that parents do the desicions what they feed to their children. The children usually have no voice in that. Its very interesring that the text is about how sugar in baby food is not a concern, and it looks like the spoon is full of suger. If you read thetext below the picture, you notice that it's actually porrige.
This photo also represents quite a typical way news papers stereotypically show children in journalistic photographs. The photo being a stock photo without the name of a child meens that the child nor her parents have no power to deside about the use of the photo. The connection between the photo and the article is kind of forced and made afterwards. This represents medias power over ordinary people, especially children. Actually the news photograp of Hippokyläs residents tells quite an opposite view about medias power. Unlike in this photo, the news photo actually gives the power to the ordinary group of people, which too often has not given the power to tell their point of view about thigs that are really important to them.
An interesting question about both of these examples of photographic illustration is that in which cases these same photos could be seen as journalistic portraits. The context of the photo would change also the genre of the photo. In journalistic portraits the people in the photos are still in way more powerful position than in the cases of photographic illustration. The portrait tells something about themseves while the photographic illustration only describes the subject of the article in general.
A powerful portrait[muokkaa]
A powerful portrait with a finnish rock musician, Remu Aaltonen is posing in this picture and looks straight too the camera so he is aware being photographed. The picture is shot from the low angle, so Remu has the power in this picture. This is a journalistic portrait. The photo has high contrast, and so does the subject: It's interesting that they have chosen a finnish rock icon to talk about long johns. He is old, but because this speech about protecting yourself from the cold, is important to youngsters too it's better to have someone like him talk about it. It gives the idea that it's also kind of a cool thing, instead of a embarrasing one, to wear long johns.
Even though the citations of the article are quite light and funny, the portrait of Remu Aaltonen is strong and traditional for a musician. Is it so becouse the writer and the photographer wanted to highlight the serious valiue of the context? Or is it becouse they wanted to increse the contradiction between the text and the photo? Showing Remu in lower position for excample in his long johns would be more surprising but also maybe too funny.