
Tim Dickinson’s “Ferguson, Uncensored” is a photo essay with striking visuals from the scenes of Ferguson, Missouri. Ferguson is the location of where Michael Brown was fatally shot by Officer Darren Wilson during a physical altercation. The images of the aftermath of this event were taken by photographer Scott Olsen. Tim Dickinson in “Ferguson, Uncensored” uses Olsen’s work to provide images of perceptive shots and sharp contrast between the public and the police that conveys the message that the protestors are the victims of suppression of freedom of speech. 

In the first image we are given a long shot that portrays a protestor with arms up to show surrender, faced by a police force that is aiming their weapons towards the civilian. With the long shot we get a full body image of the protestor and his surroundings. The emotional power of the image comes from the harmless stature of the protestor being matched by a police force carrying firearms and wearing extensive protective gear. Here the protestor is unarmed but is confronted with multiple firearms. This contrast does not involve color but is contrast in that it creates a difference between the two sides. The police are in dark colors and stick out from the background, but there are so many that they begin to blend into each other. This contrast of color shows the vast number of police in comparison to the one protestor whose bright colors allow them to be separated from the police. Olsen’s image of the protestor presents them unarmed with their hands in the air, while the police in comparison have been demonized and appear alien. On the U.S. post office drop box read the words, “Fuck the Police”. These words reflect on the hostility that is present. The protestors are in confrontation with the police and the tensions are high, evidence provided of this is by the police’s extreme measures and precautions against the protestors. Their excessive response is what Olsen captures in his images and what Dickinson gives a voice to. The over-the-shoulder shot gives the viewer a view similar to what the subject is seeing. In this instance, a protestor sees extreme force moving towards them. Giving the perspective of the protestor is the goal at hand. The image shows that fears can become a reality and that under similar circumstances, could encounter a similar excessive response. It is a unifying thought amongst the people of the country that we are a nation of freedom. In order to prevent the suppression of our freedoms the viewer will be more willing to join the cause at hand. The message Olsen and Dickenson provide is that of a warning. Together they show what responses are being made and that it effects more than just protestors, it effects the entire community and the entire country.

Olsen’s image here displays officers wearing gas mask and armed with military gear. It is a medium shot that provides a view from the waist up. One officer is the main focal point, he is centered and given clarity. We can see him from the given shot and are able to get a partial view of his surroundings. Our view, while limited still provides an image of rows of police officers lined one after the other, each wearing gas mask, implying that some form of gas has been used. The extra-diegetic gaze of the main officer in view shows that he is focused on an object in front of him. The object-oriented gaze of the officer to the left of him is not in the same direction but is still fixed on one object. We can imply that there are several areas of focus in front of the officers. The varying views of the officers show that whatever is ahead of them is large and not just one object, since the two views are given.  The police above have been alienated, their faces are covered and are not to be seen. They are armed and have arrived in large numbers. The contrast of light here shows that the setting is at night time, allowing viewers to see just how the police are equipped. When captured  by the camera, the images provide the message that freedoms are in danger of being suppressed.

 Olsen has capitalized on the scenes given to him in order to capture the moments between the protestors and police. Dickinson has given Olsen’s image the platform needed to share clear contrast between the protestors and police. Dickinson provides text that he feels matches the image. The images are through the eyes of the protestors and the text is Dickinson’s interpretation of the images. Dickinson avoids humanizing the police, but instead shows them as desensitized, while doing the opposite of the protestors and portraying them as the victims. Dickinson excludes images of protestors rioting and instead opts to show the peaceful side of them in order to gain support for his belief. The protestors are portrayed as the underdog and they never appear in the images in great numbers. Most of the time there are only one to two protestors included, while the police are  shown in numbers except for the one image, which depicts an officer staring down the scope of a rifle. This solo officer in the photo goes with Dickinson’s claim that “Unarmed protestors decrying the death of an unarmed black teenager have been ordered to shut up and sit down by white officers targeting them through the scopes of sniper rifles (173)”. Feelings of uneasiness arise from these words, being watched is unsettling enough, but this is not just being watched, this is a threat of life. Dickinson strives to make the protestors appear the victims, and succeeds in doing so.

“Ferguson, Uncensored”, separates the protestors from the police by depicting them in a peaceful manner who are then encountered by the extreme force of the police. It is a persuasive piece that plays on our emotions and ethics, more specifically our fears. Victimizing the protestors is achieved by Dickinson, which meets his goal. It can be concluded by the images and text provide that the protestors are being suppressed. 
