Love. It is a concept that is present every day and at every age. The photo essay “Loveline” by Danielle Salvucci presents images of various people showcasing their love at different stages in their lives. The formatting, point-of-view, and framing of each image found within “Loveline” help to depict the evolution of love over time, from the innocence of young love to the comfort felt between those in love at an older age. 

Behind each image sits an unchanging white backdrop. The colorless background attributed to each slide allows the audience to focus their attention on the image itself, and more importantly the characters resting inside the picture. Had the background been more flamboyant or abrasive the audience would have split their focus between the image and its backdrop allowing for details such as the mannerisms and facial expressions of those men and women depicted to be overlooked. These details are the key to unlocking the message behind the given photo essay that love is present at every age. The world behind the characters of each individual image is subtle, as well. In the third frame, which depicts the relationship between two young adults, the backdrop for the young couple is an ordinary field of green grass.  Just as the white slides keep the viewer focused on the details of the image so too does the plainness of the green scene behind them. The young man and young woman become the focal point. Even those images which feature other figures besides the main characters in the surrounding landscape—like images three, four, and five in “Loveline”—leave these characters almost completely out of focus. Their faces are blurred and their bodies, commonly, concealed by the limbs of one or both of the two people resting in the foreground.  Both features establish that these figures are not meant to be the fixture of the audience’s gaze by making it almost impossible for the reader to observe the details of their face or posture to the same degree as those people at the forefront of the image who are left unobscured. The formatting of the background of both the photo essay and the images themselves encourage the reader to ignore what is happening around the main characters of the work and focus their attention instead on these characters in order to unveil the meaning of the work. 

The perspective of each individual image also provides insight on the theme underlying them, love. Image one, for example, utilizes an over-the-shoulder point of view that focuses the viewer’s eye on the emotions of the small girl in the background. She becomes the main focus of the image as she is the only character whose face can be examined fully, an emphasis that is not unintentional. The photographer wants his audience to see the pure joy emanating from her crinkled eyes and infer the smile hiding beneath her small fingers. Her moment of happiness being brought on by the presence of the young man before her and the surprise that rests behind his back. The audience’s view of the flowers, as well, elevates the over-the-shoulder point-of-view as it allows for the viewer to presume that they are in fact the reason for her excitement. A final advantage to the perspective of image one is the audience’s ability to witness her joy in a manner akin to that of her boyish friend. They are able to see, from his general perspective, the delight that his small gesture brought to her and experience the innocence of love at this stage of life. The following image, image two, utilizes the bird’s-eye view to display the relationship between two young adults cuddling in the grass from above. The point-of-view of this image allows the audience to see the scene before them with a greater sense of clarity. The context of the image could have been much different had it been an over-the-shoulder or POV shot. If the author had chosen to use an over-the-shoulder shot, for instance, the audience would have seen a man lying partially on top of his female companion. The expression on his face would have been a mystery and allowed for uncertainty as to how playful this interaction truly was. Meanwhile, a bird’s-eye view portrays the couple as just that a couple smiling merrily and snuggling together. 

Framing, or the degree of zoom of each shot, helps to establish the theme of love in “Loveline.” All of the images included in the photo essay are either a medium shot or close up. Images one, two, three, and five are all examples of a medium shot. The closeness of this shot establishes a sense of intimacy that would be lost had the image been pulled back any farther. The zoomed-in nature of this shot allows for the reader to see more detail and acknowledge the subtleties in the characters’ expressions and posture. In image five, for example, the viewer is able to detect the soft smiles and gently closed eyelids of the elderly man and woman dancing. These behaviors, along with the close proximity of their bodies, depict a level of comfort between the two characters. This same sense of comfort can be seen in the preceding image, image four, which depicts the fictional television couple Phil and Claire Dunphy. Image four is a close up of the couple. The close up allows for an even greater level of intimacy than the medium shot. With a close up shot the audience can see to an even greater degree the emotions playing across Phil and Claire’s faces, allowing for them to perceive the comfort between both characters to a greater degree as well. 

The evolution of love is shown through the formatting, point-of-view, and framing of each image in Danielle Salvucci’s photo essay “Loveline.” These visual elements help the audience perceive the continuous presence of love and identify the various stages or phases of love one experiences throughout their lifetime. “Loveline” begins with an image that showcases the innocence of young love and proceeds forward through time to an image that is representative of an older love connection to emphasize how love is present at every age. 
