Telling a story through human values: subtle gestures and expressions influence the viewer's interpretation by highlighting shared emotions.As a photojournalism teacher, I have always stressed the importance of conveying ideas through pictures that express basic human values--those emotions, beliefs, traditions and knowledge that we share as human beings. Human values Human Values is the universal concept that preserves and enhances Homo Sapiens as a species, this applies to every human being on the present universe, anything against this values brings the consequence of a Self Species Extermination Event (SSEE) like hate, racism or war. should always be present if we are trying to tell a story with our pictures. In this column, we look at four examples of how human values can play a role in photographic communication. The first example was made at Lone Pine, a former California railroad depot. No longer open to the public, the depot had been purchased by this man. Bit by bit, shingle shingle Thin piece of building material made of wood, asphaltic material, slate, metal, or concrete, laid in overlapping rows to shed water. Shingles are widely used as roof covering on residential buildings and sometimes also for siding (see Shingle style). by shingle, he is restoring it. We asked permission to photograph, and he graciously allowed us to do so. He was more interesting to me than his building. We found him doing some roofing, a hard and obviously dirty job. Yet he continued to talk to us as he worked, telling us of his laborious la·bo·ri·ous adj. 1. Marked by or requiring long, hard work: spent many laborious hours on the project. 2. Hard-working; industrious. renovations. In his gesture I see a symbol of confidence, pride, persistence and energy. All are important human values. It also seems to speak of the future--it may take him many years of hard work to finish his restoration. I made the second example an abstracted, backlit An LCD screen that has its own light source from the back of the screen, making the background brighter and characters appear sharper. image of a demolition worker in Beijing, to express the human experiences of strength, determination, power, energy and physical effort. The setting sun positioned behind the arc of his swing makes a statuesque--almost heroic--figure out of the man wielding wield tr.v. wield·ed, wield·ing, wields 1. To handle (a weapon or tool, for example) with skill and ease. 2. To exercise (authority or influence, for example) effectively. See Synonyms at handle. the hammer. I made the third example in the streets of Guilin, China. A few minutes earlier, this woman had been digging deep in this trench. She now watches the labors of her partner, who is so deep in the ditch that we can't see her. The two men in the background pay no heed to either of them. This woman needs these few moments of rest in order to recapture her strength. It is brutally difficult physical work, and in China such work seems to be performed as much or more by women as men. This image conveys such human values as rest and recuperation The withdrawal of individuals from combat or duty in a combat area for short periods of rest and recuperation. Also called R&R. See also rehabilitation. , and perhaps a touch of resentment, frustration and bitterness as well. The men behind her can do whatever they please. She has no such option. Portraits can tell stories based on human values as well as pictures of people in action. My final example, which I made in Riverton, Oregon, uses human values to tell the story of woodworking artist Philip Clausen, who makes art in the form of home furnishings carved from huge pieces of buried wood. I made this portrait as he discussed the vast scale of the ornate housing for a dumbwaiter that stands before him. I wrapped the artist in wood, both in the foreground and the background. I like the way he took possession of the wood as he talked with us--it is a piece of him as well as a piece of art. I stressed the context here. The wood is much larger than the man himself, yet it serves as an extension of the man as an artist. At the core of this image is the human value of pride. I tried to encompass both scale and detail, linking them to his expression to echo the pride he brings to his work. All of these examples are about people and the values they bring to and take out of their efforts. No matter where in the world these images may have been made, all tell their stories in human terms that any viewer can appreciate, relate to and understand. take your best shot Send photos for possible use in this column to The Douglis Visual Workshops, 2505 E. Carol Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85028 USA. about the author Philip N. Douglis, ABC ABC in full American Broadcasting Co. Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928. , directs The Douglis Visual Workshops, now in its 36th year of training communicators in visual literacy Visual literacy is the ability to interpret, negotiate, and make meaning from information presented in the form of an image. Visual literacy is based on the idea that pictures can be “read” and that meaning can be communicated through a process of reading. . Douglis, an IABC IABC International Association of Business Communicators IABC Indo-Americans for Better Community Fellow, is the most widely known consultant on editorial photography for organizations. He offers his comprehensive six-person "Communicating with Pictures" workshops every May and October in Oak Creek Canyon Oak Creek Canyon is a 12 mile (20 km) long river gorge located along the Mogollon Rim in northern Arizona located between the cities of Flagstaff and Sedona. The canyon is often described as a smaller cousin of the Grand Canyon because of its scenic beauty. , near Sedona, Arizona For the Kia Motors Sedona automobile, see Kia Carnival Sedona (pronounced /səˈdo.nə/) is a city and community that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern . For registration information, call +1 602.493.6709 or e-mail pnd1@cox.net. You can view Douglis' multi-gallery cyberbook on expressive digital travel photography at www.pbase.com/pnd1. |
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