Portraits of Ginny

For this assignment, we were asked to capture a portrait of a fellow classmate. We also had to really focus on not just capturing a quality picture, but a picture that evokes his or her personality through setting, lighting, etc.

I thought that these pictures captured Ginny because when I first got to know her, she was very shy, and this idea was captured with her looking away from the camera in two of the pictures. However, Ginny is also very happy and bright person, hence why the lighting in all three of the pictures is bright and cheery. I especially liked how both the pink shirt and green background were very bright because it demonstrates how she views herself as bright and the people around her see her as bright as well. The second picture Ginny really liked, so I thought that it was interesting that that was how she views herself. The pose evokes her confidence, which is something that Ginny has a lot of! The final picture is very peaceful and serene, which demonstrates how Ginny is kind and soft-spoken.

Discussion Questions for Dorothea Lange’s – Migrant Mother

• Who is in this picture? How do you think they are related? What do you see in the picture that gives you clues?
This picture appears to be a mother and her children. I think she is the mother because the children are hiding up against her and seeking comfort, something that children often seek from their mothers.
• How would you describe the woman's expression?
The woman seems really worried and concerned. It looks as if she’s observing something that is upsetting, and is trying to figure out how to cope with it.
• What does the woman's gesture tell you about how she is feeling?
Her gesture suggests that she is trying to stay strong for her children, but is concerned and worried as well. Her back is somewhat hunched over to accommodate her children, and her hand near her face demonstrates how she is worried and thinking.
• Do you think Lange posed the two older children to face away from the camera? If you think she did, why would she have done this?
I think that the children probably instinctively turned away from the camera, but Lange intentionally did not change them because it makes them seem scared as well.
• How do you think the public responded to this photograph when it was published in a newspaper?
I think that the public was probably taken aback by this picture when they saw it because of the raw emotion it captures. The viewer feels the same pain that the woman does because the photo does such a good job of capturing such a strong emotion.
• Years later, Florence Owens Thompson did not want this picture published anymore because she felt it labeled her as "poor" when she no longer was. If it had been up to you, would you have honored her request? If a subject agrees to be photographed, should they be able to control how the photo is later used?
I would not have honored Thompson’s request because her reasons are kind of shallow. I think it’s important to honor a person’s requests when they are asking for a photo to be taken down for legitimate reasons, but to prevent such a strong work of art from being published because she thinks it labels her the wrong way doesn’t see fair.