Chloe Kyriacou

Unit 57: Photography and Photographic Practice

Research of other photographers work (P1, M1, D1)

Photographer: Barbaros Kayan

Chloe Kyriacou

Chloe Kyriacou

Chloe Kyriacou

Theme or focus of images

Barbaros Kayan is a freelance photojournalist. Photos are one of the most powerful ways to communicate with people, especially in journalism- a picture can

Chloe Kyriacou

speak 1000 words and tell a story in a way an article never good. It’s a universal way of communicating to people when words can’t, it defeats all language barriers.

The above photos were taken during a protest in Kiev in February 2014. Barbaros Kayan’s images have meaning- they tell a story, however how someone depicts them is dependent on how the person views it. Each photo portrays the true nature and reality of the protest, its aim is to have a powerful impact on viewers. Whilst there is somewhat a focus on the civilians and soldiers, I believe that Barbaros Kayan’s focal point was the physical destruction and damage that’s been caused from the result of mankind.

In images 1, 2 and 4 there is an emphasis on the demolition- the violence and danger is a key focal point in the images, the photographer has ensured that your eyes are drawn straight to it. Photo 1 for example, Barbaros Kayan has made the backdrop of the scene a lot more crisp and clear with not much prominence on the person. This to me indicates that the destruction is an important factor to him- he’s amplifying these details in the images.

If you look closely enough at the images- particularly 1, 2 and 4- we can see that there is some sunlight coming through, yet the photographer has avoided photographing any of the beauty. He’s chosen these particular shots purposely- it’s the story that he’s chosen to tell.

If we’re talking about the images in terms of the sunlight connoting something, you could say that since it’s seen in the distance that there is hope out there- behind all the hate there is warmth.

Composition

Barbaros Kayan seems to have made the destruction of scenery the focal point of these images. From the above images it seems as if the photographer was up close in the action; the photos all seem to be taken at height level- maybe so we can see as the photographer does? None of the photos allows us to get a clear view of the subjects’ faces- we can’t clearly distinguish them. There’s no emphasis or focus on their emotions, indicating that he wants our attention to be placed on the destruction- it’s the key message. He has taken the photos in such a way as to only capture the ‘bad bit’s’- they’re the only bits that matter to him.

Techniques used

Since the images seemingly appear to have been taken early evening/ late afternoon, I believe Barbaros Kayan has used a mid-speed shutter speed of

Chloe Kyriacou

around 1/800 as to not over expose the Images. An aperture of around f10 has been used as to not let too much light in. Image 1 and 2 are taken with a shallow depth of field whilst a large depth of field has been used for 3 and 4.

Strengths & Weaknesses

The photographer has placed a clear emphasis on the backdrop of the photos without excluding the civilians and army- they are still apart of the story being told. However I’d like to have seen a little more focus on the emotions of the people there. The one thing I like about photojournalism is how real the photos are- there’s certain realness about them that you don’t see in staged photographs. This is something that I want to see in my own images- realism.