This document summarizes and analyzes three famous photographs - one of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, one of actress Marilyn Monroe, and one of "Tank Man" from the Tiananmen Square protests. For each photograph, it describes the subject, context around when and where the photo was taken, and considers why the photographer chose their angle and focus.

1. Reading
Photographs
Mairyn Owen
Period 7

2. Michael Phelps
 In this picture I see Michael
Phelps, the most highly decorated
Olympian ever. He has won 22
medals, 18 of which were gold.
This was taken during the 2012
Olympic Games.
 I’m guessing they took this picture
because this guy is a very
important person in Olympic
history. Phelps is the only one in
focus because he is more
important than the water. From
another angle, the picture would
have had more than one person in
it and you wouldn’t have been
able to see Phelps’ face.

3. Marilyn Monroe
 In this picture is Marilyn Monroe is
being her usual self, laughing and
smiling. This was probably taken
when she was in her mid 30s.
This picture was taken in a
Hollywood photo shoot.
 The photographer most likely took
this photo right then because he
got her to think about something
funny and smile. What I don’t see
in this photo are all the people
who were helping the
photographer. If this photo would
have been taken from another
angle Marilyn would have had
different shadows on her.

4. Tank Man
 This is a picture of “Tank Man”.
He was rebelling Chinese
Government. It was taken in
Tiananmen Square in the China.
 The photographer took this picture
because it shows an important
rebellion in Chinese history. He
emphasized the tanks and the
man. The photographer took it
from this angle because he just
happened to be looking out of his
hotel window at that time. If this
would have been taken from a
place closer to Tiananmen
Square, you would have been
able to see all the other rebellions
happening.