This document summarizes and analyzes several photographs taken by photojournalists Tim Hetherington and Steve McCurry. It discusses Hetherington's photographs documenting war and natural disasters in Libya, Afghanistan, and Indonesia. It describes his use of wide angles to show the scope of damage. It also analyzes McCurry's iconic photograph of the "Afghan Girl" taken in a refugee camp, noting how the green background makes her eyes stand out. The document examines elements like composition, lighting, focus, and storytelling intent across the various images.

1. Reading Photographs
Alan Smith

2. Photojournalism
Photojournalism is where Photographs are used to
contribute to the news, it is used to further someone's
understanding on a certain story being told in the
media. Photojournalism can come in many forms,
however a more popular one is the documentation on
War around the world.

3. Tim Hetherington
Born on the 5th December 1970 and died the 20th April
2011.
British- American Photojournalist. He photographed the
experience of war from the perspective of an individual.
His photographs gave people another way to think
about suffering in warzones.
In 2007 Tim published his first book on photography
and it was documenting on the war in Liberia.
In 2011 Tim Hetherington was killed by a Mortar strike
in Misrata, Libya.
It was also believed that the cause of death may have
been from shrapnel or that of an RPG missile from the
Libyan forces. Tim was in Libya capturing images of
Colonel Gaddafi's forces and local rebels fighting
against him.

4. Dynamic range is considered when looking
at the image as the outlines and edges of
the photograph are dark to make it look
like the light is closing in on the boy and
this makes the eyes of the viewer look
straight at him. This is why Monochrome is
not found in the image as the light and
shadows would be harder to see if it was
not in colour.
This photograph was of Sekou, a young soldier with the
rebel group Liberians United for Reconciliation and
Democracy. When looking at the photograph it
becomes clear that it is of a documentary style as there
is a location and a story behind it, that of an
abandoned classroom and that he has to go and find
justice at such a young age. You can also see that the
photograph has a lot of expression coming from it, the
emotion of the young soldier comes through. The way
in which he has his head down gives the impression of
depression or sadness. The image can across as posed
as Sekou is looking towards the camera and it has been
planned to take the image beforehand if not one of
many takes. Central focus is seen on the photograph as
the boy is meant to be seen instead of the chairs. The
chairs in fact being a use of repetition for the
background. Techniques such as leading lines are not
used here as the image is in the middleand close up. If
the object or person was a distance away and plenty of
foreground was between them, then leading lines
could be used to make the eyes flow to the image.

5. When considering composition and the way the photograph is
laid out it is seen as balanced due to the symmetrical nature of
each side. As you can see there is the home directly in the middle
of the photograph with the rubble and washed up weeds next to
it. The setting becomes clear that of a coastal community due to
the majority of the photograph having sea in. Therefore from this
you can see the light exposed onto the house is that of natural
light and not of the photographers. A small part of the
photograph is to be considered as having some organic shape,
such as the sections of washed up plants and seaweed. A
Landscape image has been taken instead of a portrait as the
photographer wants to show the long term damage of what has
happened rather than the emotions of the locals. It Is from this
image that you can see that the texture of the location would be
all rough as it would be debris left from peoples houses.
After a huge undersea earthquake triggered
a tsunami in December 2004, Hetherington
documented the devastation in coastal
communities throughout Asia, such as this
house in Banda Aceh, northern Sumatra.
The image has been taken from a vantage
point of a fair distance away and the image
has been taken using a telephoto lens. It
differs when looking at the previous image
taken by Hetherington because here he
focuses on the natural environment and the
landscape. The image taken is an
observational, Naturalistic photograph. It
has been taken from a distance to show the
full damage of what the tsunami created.
The photograph has a lot of space in it as it
wants the viewer to notice the wide spread
damage rather than a close up on individual
homes.The technique framing was not used
in this photograph as that would give an
impression that it is neat and everything is
in order, however the photographer is
trying to get what happened across to the
viewers. Repetition is not used in this as the
photograph wants to represent something
out of the ordinary and that nothing like
this could not be expected to happen twice.

6. There is a strong difference between the dark mountains,
old rustic looking houses and the bright white colour of
the phosphorus. This is why the photograph is so
intriguing, The Observational photograph that captures a
Busy US military operation at work is that of what makes
the setting even more realistic. The Brightness of the
incendiary bombs contrasting with the low key shadow at
the foreground only makes the photograph stand out
more.
Another striking image from
Afghanistan, as the US military
used white phosphorus incendiary
bombs against insurgents around
the village of Donga in 2007.
When reading the photograph it
becomes clear it is taken from a
high up angle and a safe vantage
point for the photographer. There
is a lot of depth in the photograph
from where the main attraction is
to right into the mountains, the
intention of the Hetherington
here is to let the viewer
understand the wide spread of
the phosphorus bomb and not
just of one place. As you can see
villages on the right hand side of
the mountain will be affected and
for that reason the photographer
prefers to take an image of a wide
angle.

7. Steve McCurry
Born February the 24th 1950
He is an American Photojournalist best
known for his photograph of the Afghan Girl
that appeared in National Geographic
Magazine.
His career was launched when, disguised in
native garb, he crossed the Pakistan border
into rebel-controlled areas of Afghanistan
just before the Soviet invasion. When he
emerged, he had rolls of film sewn into his
clothes. Those images, which were
published around the world, were among
the first to show the conflict.

8. Sharbat Gula (born 1972) is an Afghan woman
who was the woman featured in McCurry’s
photograph.. Gula was living as a refugee in
Pakistan during the time of the Soviet occupation
of Afghanistan when she was photographed.
The image brought her recognition when it was
featured on the cover of the June 1985 issue of
National Geographic Magazine at a time when she
was approximately 12 years old. Gula was known
simply as "the Afghan Girl" until she was formally
identified in early 2002.
This photograph is that of a documentary style,
because of the way she is portrayed with the
cultural head wear leading to its participation
in National Geographic magazine. It is seen as
posed and expressive as not only is she looking
at the camera it is almost as she is looking
through it and thinking about her situation,
this can be seen by her wide eyes. The portrait
was taken as part of theme McCurry was trying
to get across in all of his photographs, the lives
of refugees affected during the soviet
occupation of Afghanistan. The photograph
communicates very little emotion however it is
from this that you can see how scared they
were fleeing from their homes. The Green
background has been chosen deliberately to
bring her eye colour out more to the viewer.
The contrast between the red and green is
enough to make the image stand out.
Monochrome is not used as the photographer
wants to get the contrast right between the
clothes and background, also black and white
would apply usually apply to an older warzone
image and the photographer wants to create a
modern theme on how things are still
happening around the world.

9. A young boy in Alto Churumazu, Yanesha, Peru in
2004. In this photograph you can identify that it is a
documentary style due to there being a story
behind the actions of the young boy. The story
being the rough treatment in the country as seen
through his emotions. The image is very expressive
as not only is the boy crying, he is holding a weapon
to his head. This straight away gives the impression
that the image is not staged and a real life
occurrence. The pattern on the wall behind the boy
is that of repetition. As the background is so
passive this can bring the central focus to the boy. A
High key image is not found as it is not intended to
be bright as it would look unnatural. The theme of
the photographer is to give the truth and report
what is happening. Should bright colours, lights or
even post production be used I would take all
seriousness out of the image. It has been taken as a
close up because the photographers intent is to
make it capture feelings, however it can be taken
closer rather than with space around to give the
feeling that the world is closing in on the boy and
there is no room to run. This could suggest the gun
to the head, the feeling of being trapped upsetting
him. The angle the photograph has been taken from
is from above, this is because it is to make the boy
look smaller than he is and to create a more
nervous feeling to those viewing.
The colours are restrained from being bright as they would not
correspond with the actions that are happening, the mood being set is
some what of a dark, unhappy one. The simplistic colours of the
background and T-Shirt are used to make the attention go to the facial
features rather than anything else. The Focus is therefore considered as
the person is the sharpest in tone on the photograph. This one image is
designed by the photographer to be shocking as this represents the rest
of what is happening in the country. Light used is that of Natural light
and has been taken on a solid background to make sure not shadow of
any sorts effects the look on the photograph.

10. Iconic photograph Tailor in Monsoon, Porbandar, India
(1983). In this photograph you can see that it has been
taken from candid vantage point as it is looking over
the Tailor of whom is walking through the deep water.
He was not looking at the camera when the image was
taken giving a better outcome when looking at his
expression. This can be seen as a Documentary piece
of photography as it is recording the daily life of
someone living in India. In this second photograph it is
evident that the image again has been taken as a
candid type of photography and not set up. The
intention of McCurry here is to make a well balanced
and proportioned image. The people in both images
are found in the middle of the photograph with space
behind them, this is to create a sense of depth of field
and make it look like there is a long distance between
the two. Also the rule of thirds has been used when
considering a landscape view as one third is sea whilst
two thirds is sky. Central focus is seen on both images
as they are the predominate people in the water. This
is so the viewer looks at what they are carrying rather
than the location itself. The images include only one
person in each as it does not want to appear too busy,
and the intention of the photographer is to keep space
around the people to show how much distance it
covers and how far the Indian villagers have to walk.