Just one week ago violence and protests broke out in Charlotte, NC after police shot and killed 43 year old Keith Lamont Scott. The aftershock of this led to the protests which led to this picture. The caption says “Protesters block I-277 during a third night of unrest following Tuesday's police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, N.C., Sept. 22, 2016.” The photographer Gerry Broome from The Associated Press is able to capture the scene in a very interesting way. Gerry Broome uses angle and lighting to capture a deeper meaning in this picture.

The angle a picture is taken from may seem like a small, non-important matter, but in fact it can make a huge difference. It can show what the photographer is trying to do with the picture, how they feel about it, who is the picture supposed to interest, and many other things. The angle photographer Gerry Broome captured this picture from is interesting for many reasons. The First being whose side the picture is taken on. The photographer takes the picture behind the protesters. This makes the viewers feel more connected to the protesters. The image shows a line of protesters locking arms, a united front, against a few separate police with big guns. The angle is trying to capture the goodness of the people protesting. The image shows a group of innocent united citizens who pose no harm, and the angle supports this. If the picture was taken from behind the police the way people viewed this would be totally different. This same style has been used many times over recent history when dealing with black shootings by police. The Photographers are always trying to show the innocent people dealing with the cruel, wrong police. Another reason the angle of the picture is interesting is because of the elevation. The way the photo is taken shows the police with guns standing over the protestors. This helps the support of the people. If the police were below the protestors people would be more inclined to think the police were the ones doing justice. Angle can make a big difference in a picture, and a deeper meaning can definitely be reached by analyzing the angle of this picture.

Lighting, like angle, can really affect the meaning of the picture. The amount of lighting can show importance, mood, power, and many other things. The lighting in this picture definitely affects the deeper meaning behind. The main purpose of the lighting in the picture is to show power. On one side, shown in bright light, is police officers standing around carrying big guns. On the other side in the darkness is a line of united people. The darkness disguises who the people are, what color they are, all you can see is unity and bravery. The light reveals exactly what’s on one side, police, while the darkness lets viewers connect with the protestors. Anybody could be standing there, but they’re together and facing a “powerful enemy”. One person even has they’re hands up, symbolizing “don’t shoot”, which has been involved in police shootings over the past years. The light puts a spotlight on the gun carrying police, which supports the claim that they’re above the law and can do what they want. The darkness could also symbolize the fact that it doesn’t matter who’s protesting, the police are above them no matter what. Lighting is very important in photography, and Gerry Broome using the lighting to express deeper meaning in this photo.

They say pictures are worth a thousand words, and this pic definitely applies. Lighting and angle are used beautifully in this picture to express a deeper meaning. There’s a reason the photographer took the picture and how he did it. He planned it out carefully to get across the message he wanted. 