Blog #9

There are two main focuses in the photograph A Soldier and a Woman in a Park, the woman and the soldier and the Old Senate Building. Both of these subjects can be researched through two different historical categories: cultural and architectural or monumental buildings. I found the cultural research to be more interesting. The 1940s was an era where many significant changes took place. WWII had started in 1939. The United States managed to stay out of the conflict for the first few years. This proved to be very beneficial because industries manufacturing products for the war created much needed jobs for Americans. This, in turn brought the U.S. out of the Great Depression it had been suffering from during the 1930s. However, The United States was unable to remain neutral after December, 8th 1940 when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. The next day, December, 9th 1940 the United States officially entered WWII and declared war on Japan (wwiihistory.info).
These significant events caused major changes in the economy, as well as the culture in the United States. Specifically dealing with this photo, these changes can explain why the man and woman are wearing what they are. The soldier is dressed in full military uniform. This was probably typical during the early 1940s for a man to be seen in uniform on a daily basis. With the war going on, many males who were old enough to serve in the military either volunteered or were drafted. Maybe the man in this picture is getting ready to leave for duty. Perhaps, since he is outside the Old Senate Building in Washington D.C. he has some sort of importance in the military. After looking at some pictures of United States Military uniforms from WWII, it appears that this gentleman’s uniform could be an U.S. Army Air Force uniform.

The clothing worn by the woman in this photograph is equally interesting. The war brought on a change in fashion trends among women during the 1040s. Cloth was rationed because it was needed for war efforts, therefore fashion went through some changes. The woman in the picture is wearing a two part suit, a skirt and jacket, with a blouse underneath. These suits became popular during the 1940s. I found two different suits through my research, the siren suit and the convertible suit. The siren suit consisted of a skirt and a jacket that zipped up. The reason they are called this is because when the sirens would go off at night for air raid drills it was easy to quickly put on this suit over your pajamas (Weston). The other suit was called the convertible suit. It was similar in appearance to the siren suit and consisted of a short skirt, jacket and blouse. The shortage of fabric made these two suits popular (Goodwin). It appears that the woman in this picture could be wearing the convertible suit.
I thought doing historical research about my chosen photograph helped me form a more personal relation with the subjects captured in the picture.

Works Cited

Sue Goodwin, Peggy Whitley. "American Cultural History." Lone Star Kingwood College

Library. Jul 2008 Lone Star Kingwood-College Library, Web. 30 Sep2009..

Pauline Weston Thomas, . "Rationing and Utility Clothing of the 1940s." Fashion-Era. Fashion-Era.com, Web. 30 Sep 2009. .

"A Brief History of WWII." World War II History Info. 2003. U.S. Army Center for Military History, Web. 30 Sep 2009. I/UnitedStates.html>.

Blog #9

The photographer used several techniques that govern this picture’s composition. The first aspect I considered was framing. According to Compose Design Advocate, “framing focuses your attention on parts of a situation” (Wysocki and Lynch 354). At first I wasn’t sure if the photographer meant for this picture to have the black frame around it or not, but I almost felt like it was something that maybe protects the old picture. It seemed like you slid the picture in from the right side. However, after looking at the information about this picture I realized it was a transparency slide to a projector which I think, gives the picture more of a vintage feel. It reminds me of something historical. It made me wonder if this picture was part of a presentation or exhibit. I was also curious about what other images were on the pictures that were part of these slides.
Another component of photography that is similar to framing is cropping. I think the photographer did an interesting job in cropping this picture. Instead of including the whole building in the picture it is cropped out partially on the right side. The bush on the left also serves as a natural cropping element because it cuts off the side of the Old Senate Building as well. I think the way the author did this puts more focus on the people in the picture because it makes the building seem less important since it isn’t fully included, yet it is still an interesting part of the picture.
Focus can also add importance to certain parts of a picture. Overall this whole photograph is pretty well focused, but you can tell by looking at the bush in the foreground and the trees that are located in the background that the focus is better on objects that are closer in view. This is also another way the photographer directs attention to the two people captured in this picture. The focus of the picture creates logos through a sort of visual hierarchy. What is clear to the viewer’s eye is looked at first. At the same time, since the picture is mostly all in focus, I think the author did want his or her audience to look at the entire picture as a whole as well.
This picture has rather bright natural lighting. I think this makes the picture look very realistic which aids in developing the photographer’s ethos. Looking at this same point in regard to pathos, the picture’s brightness almost makes you feel cheery and warm. By looking at the shadows cast by the trees, you can tell the picture was taken possibly midmorning or early evening depending on whether the picture was taken on the east or west side of the building. This could reveal clues that might tell us more about why these two are here or what they are doing. Maybe they’re both out for a morning or afternoon stroll or perhaps they’re meeting a friend of family member for lunch.
The elements of this photograph seemed simple at first but the more I look at it and think about what each of them could mean individually the photo becomes more complex.