 
The police shooting that took place in Ferguson, Missouri occurred on August 9th, 2014, but it was the weeks following that proved to be the most challenging. The photo essay “Ferguson, Uncensored” by Tim Dickinson, shows some of the scenes that ensued in the weeks following Michael Brown’s death. The two pictures below along with the article accompanying the photos, tells the author’s account of what happened during the protests. Scott Olson, the photographer in “Ferguson, Uncensored” utilizes several techniques: coloring, lighting, framing, and shot lengths to help account for the divide between police officers and the African-American community.

 

The image above is an example of the deadly force the police were willing to use to control the protests of police brutality following Michael Brown’s death. This image shows the extreme force that was used by police during this time. It is a close-up of an officer, which allows for the viewer to see his facial expressions. The officer is covered in armor and looking through the scope of a sniper rifle, but it is unclear what he is looking at. He is using an intra-diegetic gaze, which means that he is focused on something inside of the picture, rather than the viewers outside of the image. The utilization of the techniques above helps explain the author's message. From this image, it can be said that the officer was very focused, and was willing to fire if needed.  Second, the lighting of the picture helps emphasize the officer and the gun. The background of the image is very light which makes the officer’s dark clothing more pronounced. Lastly, the author created a caption, along with a short explanation of the picture. It reads “Armed Force…A police officer watching over demonstrators protesting the shooting death of teenager Michael Brown on August 13th, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri” (Dickinson). The photographer framed the photo in such a way that only the officer can be seen, which makes it difficult to understand what is occurring around him.  Based on the caption it can be said that the officer is looking through the scope and keeping a watchful eye over the protesters. It also helps explain the image to a viewer who may be uninformed about what is occurring in Ferguson, since it states the shooting death of Michael Brown. The usage of these techniques, along with the caption, help display police brutality against the protesters in Ferguson. Also, it can explain the displeasure many protesters had with officers during this time.

The image above is a long shot of an African American man surrounded by dozens of police officers dressed in swat gear. This man is holding his hands up alluding to the claims that Michael Brown had his hands up when he was shot by officer Darren Wilson. This image helps promote the claims of police using force to deter protesters. Similar to the image in the prior paragraph, the photographer uses the contrast between light and dark to emphasize the police officers; the difference is that this photo contains numerous people. It can be seen that the photographer fixated on the police officers in the background, rather than the man in the foreground. The officers are in focus, whereas the man is out of focus, which helps with the idea of police being in control. The photographer also framed the photo to include the mailbox, which contains the words “Fuck The Police.” Although this seems like a minor detail, the graffiti expresses the ideas of several protesters and can explain the results of the hostility. The caption and the explanation state “Hands Up, Don't Shoot…Police force protestors from the business district into nearby neighborhoods on August 11th, 2014 in Ferguson, Missouri”. (Dickinson) The caption is alluding to the African American man who has his hands up like Michael Brown did. This caption has since become a motto for the entire Black Lives Matter movement. The photo is significant because it displays the force that police used to trample the first amendment rights of the protesters.

“Citizens voicing righteous grievance about racial injustice and police violence have been met with a horrifying, militarized police response” (Dickinson). Tim Dickinson, the author of “Ferguson, Uncensored,” expressed his ideas in writing above the pictures, and used the images to back up his claims. This quote is just a portion of what he believes and is seen in numerous pictures throughout the entire photo essay. The image in the previous paragraph supports his claim because the police are dressed similarly to soldiers in war. Unlike war, in the streets of Ferguson, Missouri there is not a need for so much force, rather there should be civilized protests that are protected by the police. Had the officers refrained from infringing on the rights of these protesters and understood they were the target of the protests, things would not have gotten out of hand.

         The job of the images in a photo essay is to back up the claims of the author; in “Ferguson, Uncensored” the images above support Tim Dickinson’s beliefs on what occurred during the weeks following Michael Brown’s death. Scott Olson, the photographer, captured images that told a story that were backed up by the captions and the summaries written by Dickinson. The combination of these two, allows for the viewers to see the examples of police using force to disrupt the first amendment rights of the protesters. There were numerous photography techniques that Olson used that made these ideas even more prevalent.
 