The document analyzes photographs taken by photojournalist Barbaros Kayan during protests in Kiev in 2014. It summarizes that Kayan's photos emphasize the physical destruction and violence of the conflict over individuals. The analysis notes that Kayan used techniques like mid-level shutter speeds and apertures to capture the scenes in late afternoon light without overexposing the images, and composed the shots to focus viewers' attention on the damage while still including civilians and soldiers. The strengths are said to be the clear emphasis on the background without excluding people, though more emotion from individuals could have been shown.
This is a presentation on one of my photography projects, Faces & Places. Here, I try to exude true raw and powerful emotion from simplistic black and white portraits and landscapes
This is a presentation on one of my photography projects, Faces & Places. Here, I try to exude true raw and powerful emotion from simplistic black and white portraits and landscapes
3. Chloe Kyriacou
Theme or focus of images
Barbaros Kayan is a freelance photojournalist. Photos are one of the most powerful
ways to communicate with people, especially in journalism- a picture can speak 1000
words and tell a story in a way an article never good. It’s a universal way of
communicating to people when words can’t, it defeats all language barriers.
The above photos were taken during a protest in Kiev in February 2014. Barbaros
Kayan’s images have meaning- they tell a story, however how someone depicts
them is dependent on how the person views it. Each photo portrays the true nature
and reality of the protest, its aim is to have a powerful impact on viewers. Whilst there
is somewhat a focus on the civilians and soldiers, I believe that Barbaros Kayan’s focal
point was the physical destruction and damage that’s been caused from the result of
mankind.
In images 1, 2 and 4 there is an emphasis on the demolition- the violence and danger
is a key focal point in the images, the photographer has ensured that your eyes are
drawn straight to it. Photo 1 for example, Barbaros Kayan has made the backdrop of
the scene a lot more crisp and clear with not much prominence on the person. This to
me indicates that the destruction is an important factor to him- he’s amplifying these
details in the images.
If you look closely enough at the images- particularly 1, 2 and 4- we can see that
there is some sunlight coming through, yet the photographer has avoided
photographing any of the beauty. He’s chosen these particular shots purposely- it’s
the story that he’s chosen to tell.
If we’re talking about the images in terms of the sunlight connoting something, you
could say that since it’s seen in the distance that there is hope out there- behind all
the hate there is warmth.
Composition
Barbaros Kayan seems to have made the destruction of scenery the focal point of
these images. From the above images it seems as if the photographer was up close
in the action; the photos all seem to be taken at height level- maybe so we can see
as the photographer does? None of the photos allows us to get a clear view of the
subjects’ faces- we can’t clearly distinguish them. There’s no emphasis or focus on
their emotions, indicating that he wants our attention to be placed on the
destruction- it’s the key message. He has taken the photos in such a way as to only
capture the ‘bad bit’s’- they’re the only bits that matter to him.
4. Chloe Kyriacou
Techniques used
Since the images seemingly appear to have been taken early evening/ late afternoon, I
believe Barbaros Kayan has used a mid-speed shutter speed of around 1/800 as to not over
expose the Images. An aperture of around f10 has been used as to not let too much light in.
Image 1 and 2 are taken with a shallow depth of field whilst a large depth of field has been
used for 3 and 4.
Strengths & Weaknesses
The photographer has placed a clear emphasis on the backdrop of the photos
without excluding the civilians and army- they are still apart of the story being told.
However I’d like to have seen a little more focus on the emotions of the people there.
The one thing I like about photojournalism is how real the photos are- there’s certain
realness about them that you don’t see in staged photographs. This is something that
I want to see in my own images- realism.
