
Multiple communities around the world like the gypsy culture in Southern France have many different traditions and beliefs. This could not be any truer than in this photograph which illustrates culture differences across the world. In the photo New Year’s Eve, St. Jacques, Perpignan, 2006, Jesco Denzel uses camera angles and lighting to capture the way of life of people in the gypsy community. In this essay, I will examine how the photograph explains the lifestyle of a certain group and how it shows us that boys and girls should be treated like adults but not equals. 

The uses of camera angles in this photo by Denzel truly captures and amplifies the perspective of the community of people in the picture. The overall angle shows the boy and the girl taking up most of the frame but only showing the boy’s face. In addition, the adults in the background are only shown from the neck down.  There are many meanings that can be drawn from this camera angle. Having only the boy’s face visible, shows the superiority over the girl because he is the most important one in the photograph. This links to the fact that males can smoke cigarettes in this gypsy culture but females cannot. Thus, showing male dominance in this culture.  Furthermore, the people in the background seem to be adults and their faces are not shown at all because they are cut off above the neck. This keeps more of a focus on the children and allows for the boy and girl in the photograph to capture most of the character in the image. However, this soft presence of adults in the image keeps a professional and seriousness to the photograph.  With the focus on the children, the picture captures them yet still keeps the mature mood of the photograph with the adults still present in the background. This angle also brings more attention to the hand resting on the boy’s head from the man who seems to be his father. This makes it seem like the man pays more attention to the boy rather than the daughter. In addition, the fact that there are only men in the background add to the idea that men are treated more superiorly than women.   The design of the photograph also conveys a sense of order and professionalism with the boy dressed like a grown man as if he is one of them. Also, the angle of the picture has the girl on the right side of the photograph. This means that the girl values doing the right thing over the wrong such as smoking. Jesco Denzel’s camera angle in the photograph truly helps tell the story of this culture in Southern France. 

Apart from the angle of the image, one of the first things that catches my eye in this photograph is the black and white lighting. The lighting in this picture truly sets a mood that is serious and sulky. Lack of color in the picture places more of an emphasis on the boy and girl and overall feeling of the image. For example, there are not any distractions due to color in the background that takes anything away from the main focus of the photograph. The stern mood that the colorless picture provides relates strongly to the emotions of the young girl. The girl seems very upset with the boy because her arms are crossed and she is leaning away from him in a look of disapproval. This grim emotion coming from the girl is augmented by the fact that the image is black and white. It also brings attention to the action of the boy smoking the cigarette. Because the lighting brings a serious mood, that contributes to how the children in the photograph are treated seriously like adults. Some sadness is also present in this picture from the perspective of the girl partly because of the lighting.  For the girl, she is expected to be an adult because of their way of life in the gypsy community. However, she is also exposed to slight inequality because of the rules set in place in this culture of what women can and cannot do. All of this brings to light the lifestyle in this cultural group which shows equality among ages but not among gender. 

Without a doubt, this powerful photograph by Jesco Denzel brings to light the culture of gypsies in St. Jacques.  Some of these cultural differences has exposed the gypsy community to prejudice from other people in Romania.  Part of this discrimination can be explained for the differences illustrated in this photograph. Whether one finds humor or disgust in the picture, it promotes discussion about cultural differences across the world. With the camera angles and lighting in New Year’s Eve, St. Jacques, Perpignan, 2006, it helps document the way people in this gypsy community view raising children. 
