People say that, ”An image is worth a thousand words.” This couldn’t before true when describing this image. At first this image draws you in to the center, with two sets of people colliding in the middle. This focus on the center gives us a sense of importance within the image. The two sides are very different, as the police officers seem prepared for the worst, while the woman seems optimistic and peaceful. Color, lines, point of view, and proximity are all valuable tools that make us evaluate the image in a unique approach, an approach that gives the image a deeper meaning. 

We see images everyday through magazines, television, advertising and more. Subconsciously we make connections and opinions based on what we see. Images give us an understanding that may be different from another person. The difference in understanding of the image is what makes this image unique and what spurs an ongoing conversation into the meaning of it. 

A myriad of elements are used in this image in order to focus you in on certain aspects while also appreciating the image as a whole. Although the people themselves draw lots of attention, the image is filled with tools that make the center the focus of the image. At first glance you obviously notice the police as well as the woman and it is the largest part of the overall image and is definitely the focus of the piece. The line dividing the woman and the police officers is very important to the piece because it focuses your eyes to the interaction that is happening between the two. The officers on the left side and the woman on the right side, provide a contrast between the lines that leads to your eyes reverting back to the center where the artists want your attention. The artist does an exceptional job with lines and contrast in order to navigate you to look exactly where they want. 

The riot gear that is displayed not only in the middle of the image but the angular line on the left side that they are in position to do what they please. Power is key, especially to police officers who use it as a tool to execute their jobs. In contrast, the tree that is immediately to right of the woman give me hope at the same time, because it provides the idea that something is sprouting and change is upon us. This is very valuable to the image because it restores faith in the singular human being and shows us the power that each one of us has when we choose to break out and confront the bigger powers, which we may be fearful of at first. As the image keeps drawing me back to the middle, the woman is calm and peaceful giving me reason to believe that she is trying to make a difference, and making the difference in a peaceful and helpful manner. With no words in the image, we have more of a reason to interpret the image in our own light. 

Point of view is imperative in understanding what is going on. From the images point of view what we see is what we get. Some people will see these officers approaching the woman and assume that they are reacting to her protest by arresting her because we increasingly see this more and more through social media. This could be true and is the understanding that many people get from the image. Within our society, and the Black Lives Matter movement many people have understandably been growing more cynical and more critical towards issues such as this. A lot of injustice does exist in our society and give many people reason to see this as a threat to their safety. This extenuates the value of this image in understanding our society and the people around us. Although the police officers seem as if they had charged toward the woman they also seem reserved and it shows that they are trying to comfort her and make sure she is safe. Their approach seems reluctant as they both are on their back heels. They also are not forcing their way next to her or grabbing her in any violent way, revealing to me that they are trying to approach her in a way that ensures she feels safe and not attacked. The contrast between my viewpoint and other’s provides insight into the different views people have of police officers, especially in our generation. 

Most people grew up with the impression that police officers are good people who help keep us safe; now, many people believe that police officers are more of a threat to their safety than ever before. Due to the fact that the photographer wants us to focus on the center we see a line of divide in the center of the image. On the left we see a wall of police officers that is menacing to anybody, while the right side we see no one standing with the woman making her seem in a position of less power and therefore more fearful in the officers coming up to her. This shows us a feeling, which many people in our current state, share with the woman. 

 Color also plays an important role in this piece that may be overlooked at first but can be valuable evidence in understanding how this image is being portrayed. From the main police officers to the rows of them, all we see is black. It is scary and it gives us an idea of unity and solidarity that we expect from our police in their ability to protect us; but it also shows conformity, which is an interesting contrast of good versus bad that many people are continuing to see with police officers. To the woman’s right we see the tree filled with green and the grass below the same color. The green makes the right side of the image seem like the good side, as if it is safer place for regular citizens. This is a scary notion; had someone interpreted this image 50 years ago, there would have been a very different interpretation than how our generation views it. It is also important to understand the contrast of each side, because looks can be deceiving and you always having to keep that in the back of your mind. 

I believe proximity is one of the reasons this image can be deceiving. Although we can see the interaction between the police and the citizen we don’t really have an understanding of what they are speaking about, leaving us with more to reveal on our own. Another important element that stood out to me was the people in the background looking at the woman’s actions. There should be a reaction by the people one way or another. They aren’t any reactions that we can see, either in support of the women or the police officers, that tells us which way to construe the interaction. Although you could just assume that the photographer maybe grabbed the image before they could react, if you look further, it shows that there really isn’t any support for the woman and these people don’t really care what happens to her. I used this to understand subtext rather than just taking everything I see as the truth. 

All of these tools serve their own purpose in making the reader avert their eyes to where the artists want. The photographer does an excellent job of making you think about what is going on within the image, and also what it means to the image as a whole. The photographer is able to do this by using a diverse group of elements that are highlighted by color, lines, point of view, and proximity. 