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In the image at left, taken in Selma, Alabama,1935, you will
notice that the figures on the right are blurred, they are moving.
In such an instance, Evans, who depended on long depth of field--meaning
that everything in the picture is in sharp focus--was forced to use slow
shutter speeds. Slow shutter speeds require subjects to be still, for
if their is motion, the result is a blur--found in this image.
It seems
that Evans did not get the cooperation that he wanted from these gentlemen,
for it is rare to see blurred motion in any of Evans' images.
Yet, the image does show the activity of street life at a store-front.
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However, these two images(taken in Vicksburg, Mississippi,
1936)--which share the non-appearance-of-an-author
as the first image does--are 100% posed. Evans not only
asked his subjects to be still, he has arranged their position, too.
You will notice that in both images, one figure is turned away from the
camera--facing to the right, to make the image seem unposed.
Secondly, you see advertisemnts
for cigarettes, coke, etc... that do not dominate the scene--but are equally
important as the figures on the bench. Thirdly you will notice the
horizontal lines of the building, emphasized
by the slight shadow contrasted with the bright sunlight.
(Had the same scene been shot at another time of day, i.e., under
different light conditions, the image would not have the beautiful architectural
quality that it does). The horizontal and vertical lines organize the frame
while also framing the subjects; the geometric shapes are also echoed in the rectangular
advertisement signs.
Both images are taken with the same camera position, only
the lenses are different:
The first image is taken with a wide anlge lens,
showing the entire scene; the second, taken with a longer focal length lens,
zooms in closer--more emphasis on the people--instead of the architecture.
Also, there is a different car, which in this image plays a bigger role than
the previous one, with a pasenger hidden in the shadows. And, you notice
that the people on the bench have changed, and two more figures now stand
to the right of the bench.
These images exemplify Evans creativity with a given set of variables.
Both images convey a sense of everyday life, yet the characteristics of
each are different. By making technical changes(lens size) as well as
aesthetic changes(subject position) Evans creates two beautiful
dipictions of a commonplace scene, without making his subjective
presence obvious.
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The image at left, taken in Sprott, Alabama(as the sign tells you), 1936,
is a kind-of culmination
of the two images above. Taken with a medium-focal-length lens, there is
architectural beauty, and emphasis on the characters standing on the
porch. On an idealistic level, there are many things at work:
the gas pump, like the cars in the above images, is a sign of
modern industrialism, strongly contrasted with the more primitive
wooden house and shabby bricks that make up the post office of rural America.
Notice, too,
how the Coca-cola sign is the center of the image--this sign stands out
more than the house, or the people. It represents consumption--not of
an agricultural produce, but of a huge corporation.
The post office not only serves as a gathering place for all members
of the community--black and white, but it is clearly a government institution
that has brought these people together: the sign says: " U.S. Post Office."
Evans has
juxtaposed the common farmer with the modern instituion--this contrast
of interests lies at the root of America's conditions in the post-Depression
1930's. Evans does not subjectively imply which he thinks is more important,
instead, he
has documented objectively the fact that these conditions exists.
This image exemplifies the literary
quality of Evans' work--this scene in the middle of Alabama
reflects nationwide issues--there is a sense of literary context--not isolation.
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