Mar 17th, 2008
5 Keys to Understand the Aesthetics of a News Picture
The Picture
On March 12th, 2008, a picture by Reuters was published on their photo blog. It was taken by photograph Luis Vasconcelos while Brazilian police broke a protest.
The picture, which cannot be reproduced on this blog, can be seen on Reuter’s photo blog.
It shows a woman carrying her naked child. She seems to be running. Behind her are faceless police shields that seem to pressure her. She’s screaming. She looks terrified.
In the following paragraphs, I will put forward 5 key elements that I believe contribute in making a powerful picture. To reach that goal, I will draw comparisons with well-known works of art.
1. Vertical lines
In the Vasconcelos picture, vertical lines are plenty. Although they are mainly found on the police shields, they are repeated in their legs. That high concentration of vertical lines provides stability to the image. In other words, they structure the picture.
In that regard, a nice comparison can be draw with The Lances of Diego Velasquez. That painting was made to show the surrender of Holland to Spain. The Spaniards’ stronger military force is shown with the lances on the right part of the picture. Their sheer number and their structure contribute to build their presence in the painting.
[The Surrender of Breda, ou Les Lances, Diego Velasquez, 1634-1635, 307,5 x 370,5 cm, Madrid, Prado Museum]
