photography assignment for desma class
DESCRIPTION
Photo Assignment for DesmaDescribes 5 photographsTRANSCRIPT
Photo-Assignment: Studium and Punctum
Title:
Group of blind boys being led up hill on hike at Camp Bloomfield in the Malibu Mountains, Calif., 1964
This image shows a group of blind children being guided through the Malibu Mountains in 1964.
The children all have their hands on each other’s shoulders to stay together and prevent any of them
from getting separated from the troop.
The punctum of this image is the children. Without any background knowledge, this would look
like an average group of kids on a hiking trip. The fact that these children have no way of visually seeing
the nature around them does not stop them from enjoying their hike. These kids get to share an
experience of observing nature despite their blindness.
Title:
Illegal immigrants boarding airplane in Los Angeles for deportation to Mexico City, 1976
This image shows illegal immigrants preparing for deportation back to Mexico from Los Angeles.
Families have been collected and sent to board airplanes through the orders of the US government.
The piercing portion of this image comes from the smile of the woman in the center. Here is a
woman whose entire life is about to change drastically yet she still poses and smiles for the camera.
After leaving her homeland, she has ultimately found herself forced to return to her homeland. She
looks as if she is happy just to have had the opportunity to briefly live in America. Her smile appears out
of place considering the circumstances of the image which is what makes her presence so penetrating.
Title:
Long Beach Polytechnic High School student being searched for weapons at gate of school in Long Beach, Calif., 1969
Students attending Long Beach Polytechnic High School in 1969 had to be searched prior to
entering the school’s premises due to increases in fights between black and white students. Parents of
the students requested for all students to be searched for weapons due to overwhelming concern.
The punctum of this image is the student. He has his arms out and is ready to be searched. He
does not appear upset at the fact that he must be searched prior to entering a place of learning. Before
being able to start his day, the student must be deemed safe enough to enter the shcool. Every student,
black or white, has to go through this invasion of privacy all because students of different races cannot
get along. Every student has lost their sense of safety in schools.
Title:
Richard Nixon on an early-morning stroll, chatting with barbershop owner in Los Angeles, Calif., 1958
Vice-president at the time Richard Nixon stops and chats with a local barbershop owner in 1958.
Nixon was walking around Los Angeles at 5 am when he ran into this barber opening up his shop for the
day.
The demeanor of Richard Nixon stands out in this image. This man is the future president of the
US yet looks just like a normal guy outside the barbershop. No matter how important or famous he
becomes, he is up early and in need of a barber to cut his hair. This demonstrates the common ground
between Nixon and the average Joe. Despite how everyone may see Nixon, he is still a person and must
deal with some of the same issues we all do.
Title:
Male nurse, Lynn Loufek, attending to infant at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Calif., 1971
Male nurse Lynn Loufek takes care of a sick infant in and isolation unit at the hospital. He is one
of the only male nurses in the hospital at the time.
What sticks with you in this picture is the infant lying in the bed. Male nurses during the 1970s
are not common as the occupation was seen as that of a woman’s by society. Some other people may
look down upon this but the infant has no concept of nurses or gender for that matter. The infant is ill
and must rely on others to help them survive. In the end, whether the nurse is male or female is not
relevant, what really matters is that the infant can be taken care of properly.