
On August 9th,2014 Michael Brown was fatally shot and killed by a Ferguson police officer. The following days the city erupted into protests and riots. Many reporters descended on the city to photograph and document the protests. Among those journalists was Tim Dickinson, who published a photo essay on Rolling Stone following the event. Dickinson’s photo essay, “Ferguson, Uncensored”, documents the after math of a Brown’s death in Ferguson Missouri. Dickinson used a range of mid-range, close-up, and extreme close ups to depict the protest. The type of shots combined with the colors and lighting give a lot of information about what was taking place in Ferguson. In “Ferguson, Uncensored,” Dickinson uses the perspective of the protestor, a variety of angled shots, and contrasting color choices to show that police forces in the USA today are far to militarized for what they are needed to do.

Dickinson effectively uses the close up shot multiple time throughout his photo essay. Many people think of a close up shot as a head shot, but it is not. A close up shot usually has a single subject in, and allows the viewer to be able to tell interpret their emotions. It is easier to see the emotions as the face is more clearly depicted. It also prevents us from viewing the context of the picture that might be seen a long or medium shot. I chose an image out of Dickinson’s essay that I thought is a good example of a close up shot. The first image is one of a Missouri state trooper heavily armed and wearing riot gear, a gas mask, and a bullet proof vest. Of course it is intense to see how police arm themselves for these situations. What speaks more about the situation, however, are his eyes. We can see the focus and seriousness in this trooper’s unwavering gaze.  It furthers Dickinson’s message that the police are over militarized. The officer is portrayed as what would commonly be called a trained soldier, all that is different is the “TROOPER” on his chest. The photo itself is visually pleasing because the colors in the foreground are analogous. Green, blue-green, and blue are all next to each on the color wheel. In our heads the colors work together and make sense. The focus of the picture is clearly on the man in front, and the man to his left is slightly in focus. If we try to look between them the people in the background are barely recognizable as humans. This is intentionally done to direct our focus where the photographer wants. 

The next type of photo shot that was used in his essay is an extreme close up. While similar to a close up shot, in an extreme close up the subject usually fills the panel, we cannot look elsewhere in the image to avoid the subject as the panel is the subject. This close up only allows focus on the officer, perched looking through the scope of a sniper rifle (at least that’s what I think it is with no knowledge about firearms). I believe there are two very telling aspects of this photo that speak very clearly about the protests in Ferguson and the police response. First the focus of the officer as he looks into his scope. His gaze is fierce, aware of the lethal weapon in his hand. His face is a focus point of photo, a patch of white skin surrounded by green. The contrast pulls our gaze to his face and eye. The other contrasting colors in the photo are dark green and light blue. The light color background gives us a clear contrast to the darkly colored officer, bringing every detail into focus. The second aspect speaks to the officer’s training. As we can see in the photo his trigger finger is not on the trigger. In basic firearm training classes instructors teach their trainees to only have their finger on the trigger when ready to shoot. These men are well trained, ready for combat like situations. Through the photographers use of an extreme close up, as well as the colors in the photo, we are drawn to the subject. The officer in the picture is a clear representation of the over militarization of the police, not only in Ferguson Missouri, but in America.

In his article Dickinson breaks down the images of what happened, and speaks about the police militarization. He first says “Citizens voicing righteous grievance about racial injustice and police violence have been met with a horrifying, militarized police response” (Dickinson). The words directly correlate with the images, a military with police written on the front. He goes on to talk about the means used by police including tear gas, rubber bullets, and sonic cannons. All these things sound like they belong in a country in the middle of a civil war, not the streets of an American city.

 Differing shots are very effective at helping us to understand a time or an event we were not present for. As I wrote about above Dickinson used both close ups and extreme close ups throughout his essay. Close ups allow us to see the situation as well as some of emotions of the people in the photograph. Extreme close ups bring us even further into the emotions of a single subject, and don’t allow us anything else in the photo for us to look, as the point is for us to focus on what the photographer wants us to. Both types of shots further the readers understanding of the essay. The photographer used contrasting and analogous colors throughout his photos to draw our attention to certain areas. Contrasting colors make certain areas of the photo pop out, areas the photographer wants to focus on. Analogous colors blend together and seem to be coherent, make everything flow. Dickinson effectively meshed colors, angles, and shot types to depict the police force as a military force. A force not required for the protests in Ferguson after Brown’s death. 
