Images are universal.  Unlike text, pictures, paintings, and other visual works can be interpreted and understood across borders.  All over the world painters and photographers use their specific skills to capture an emotion or message in their work.  When monumental events happen in the world photographers flock to the scene to try and capture the perfect moment that best embodies the mood of the day.  John Tlumacki accomplished this with his picture that was taken among the chaos of the Boston Bombing.  On April 15th 2013, two bombs went off near the Boston Marathon finish line followed by gunshots.  This attack killed three spectators and wounded 260 other people in the area. (History) Tlumacki was standing near the finish line when the bombs went off and had the opportunity to witness and take pictures of this moment.  Most photographers are not big into capturing tragedy’s but this seems to be a main focus of Talmackis.  He captures the raw emotions of people in the wake of these events and there’s something beautiful about the vulnerability in the real events.  By using and capturing the elements of focus, body positioning, color scheme, and gaze, Tlumacki captured an image that portrayed the panic and desperation of this sad day in our American history.

The first element used by John Tlumacki when capturing this picture is the focus.  The three clearest people in this image are the two bystanders on the sides of the picture in the yellow and blue shirts, and the man who appears to have fallen on the ground in the middle of the picture wearing an orange shirt. (Tlumacki) The cops in the center of the picture are in focus as well and with their positioning in the middle they are very attention grabbing which adds to their authoritative nature.  The background is very blurry and out of focus and all of the people behind the cops are completely faceless, which represents the confusion and chaos even further.  This also makes the faceless people more relatable, and it is almost as if you could see yourself being one of the bystanders in this situation.  Among the out of focus background the flag seems to stick out like a sore thumb. (Tlumacki) It is in high contrast compared to the surrounding and represents how among all the chaos and confusion we still stand strong and united as a nation.  

Another aspect of this picture that was executed by the photographer was the use of the body positioning in this picture.  All of the positions that the characters in this picture are in help to tell the story of the day.  The closest man to the camera in this image is in the yellow shirt, he is standing with his arms out in a crouched position and seems unsure of which direction he wants to go. (Tlumacki) It looks as if he is making the decision of whether to run away from the situation or help out, but he is obviously feeling some type of panic or distress from his position.  The next man we see is the one on the ground, he is shrinking away from the cops and the scene happening behind them showing he is frightened by the actions taking place. (Tlumacki) The cops behind the man on the ground seem somewhat panicked as well.  Unlike the other people in this picture though, the cops seem to be moving with more authority, and they are spreading themselves out and positioning themselves in a more protective stance.  Behind the scene in focus presented to us, there is a mass crowd of people going in all directions. (Tlumacki) All of these characters are standing and positioning themselves in ways that support the chaotic and panicked feeling of the day.  The body language helps to tell the story in the image and convey the distress they all seem to be feeling.

Color also helps to present emotion in this picture of the Boston Bombing.  Intentional or not, with the overwhelming amount of blue, and blue hue in the photograph the man in the middle is standing out with the orange shirt he is wearing because they are complementary colors. (Tlumacki) The flags on the side also draw attention with all the red they contain; they represent multiple countries which adds even deeper meaning into the image. (Tlumacki) With it being a terrorist bombing we immediately look to other countries for blame, as well as support which we are reminded of with the flags bordering the scene.  There is also the American flag on the opposite side of the picture which seems to be standing out with brighter colors than the background. (Tlumacki) The flag standing tall can be seen as a symbol of how we still stand strong and united as a nation even, and especially, in chaotic days such as the Boston bombing on April 15, 2013.

Another element of this photo taken by John Tlumacki is the gaze of the characters.  Most of the people in the image seem to be taking part in a semi-reciprocal gaze.  The man in the yellow, the man in the blue, and the man on the ground in the orange are all looking towards the four cops in the center. (Tlumacki) The cops represent authoritative figures so naturally on this day where a bomb went off in the midst of a terrorist attack, that is where civilian’s eyes would instantly go to.   The cops are looking in all directions as if they are scanning the scene for a perpetrator. (Tlumacki) As officers they instinctually scan the area to find the source of the bomb.  The fact that these are real people and not characters like in stories also effects how we read into the picture.  Knowing that the emotions and reactions on the faces of these people are real makes us as readers gain a deeper connection to the image.  Like the other elements, the gaze of the people in this picture help to give context to the chaos of the bombing that occurred.

The Boston bombing will always be among the sad and chaotic days that we have been tested as a country by terrorists.  The turmoil of the day is represented by a picture taken by John Tlumacki while he was standing near the finish line of the race.  About 45 seconds after the first bomb went off he saw a perfect opportunity among the madness and took a photo that ended up on the news covers to the story.  He used his unconventional taking of tragic event pictures to capture emotional turmoil and chaos.  The picture used elements of focus, color, gaze, and body positioning to help tell the story and capture the feeling of the bombing through imagery. Tlumacki, like so many photographers before him, used his skills to capture a historical moment in time.
