The photo essay by Tim Dickinson, titled “Ferguson, Uncensored”, takes the viewer through a horrific, yet courageous, series of photos exposing a reoccurring theme of white dominance over black.  A visual motif that develops this theme is the use of the colors white and black. The colors white and black are shown in many of the essay’s photos, but two of the images use these colors to express the discrimination and develop the idea of white dominance. By looking at images in Tim Dickinson’s “Ferguson, Uncensored”, one can see a visual motif of white and black color which is important because the motif is developed by a reoccurring theme, and common topic of today’s society, of racial discrimination.

The first photo, titled “Smoke in the Streets,” shows a clear use of the white and black colors. A black man stands in the middle of the street during the night facing a cloud of white smoke. The smoke takes up everything in the frame except the black man and the black pavement of the road. The use of these colors in this photo shows the man being overpowered, engulfed in white smoke. This photo is clear to the viewer and portrays white dominance in the most apparent way possible. This photo serves as a basis for the theme and by looking at this photo first helps the viewer to depict the theme in the second photo. 

The second image also uses white and black color as a way to develop the theme; however, it is not as clear as the first photo. The second photo shows a single black man on the street facing a police group of white men. The black man stands out in his bright, blue-green shirt against the earth-toned police uniforms, depicting him as the victim in this image. Though the man faces the group with his hands thrown above his head in surrender position, the white police force aims guns at his body, showing a sense of power and control over the man. The police force is in front of a white brick wall which covers majority of the back of the frame. With both subjects defending themselves, it is clear to the viewer that the black man is outnumbered.

The design of the second photo puts the viewer in the shoes of the black man.  The shot is long, exposing the entire man’s body, as well as the mass of the police force.  However, it is also an over-the-shoulder shot from behind the black man, making it easier to see what the man is seeing, which is three guns pointing at his body.  This set up allows for the viewer to feel as if the guns are pointing at him or herself, immediately feeling the victimization and siding with the black community in the situation.  While the bluish color of the black male’s shirt is associated with innocence or peace, the red-orange color of the wall behind the police force can be associated with aggression or fear.  This part of the design splits the photo, forcing the viewer to take sides, but also molds the photo, illustrating the white versus black theme.

The visual text is directed to the outside audience to bring more awareness about the discrimination and injustice happening in Ferguson.  The photo, shot by white photographer Scott Olson, is paired with a short written essay by white author Tim Dickinson.  Dickinson and Olson direct the text not only to those who are aware of and against the racial discrimination happening, but also to the unaware, persuading them to feel sympathy for the outnumbered and discriminated black community.  Dickinson states, “legitimate protest of police violence has been met by violent police overreaction.” Describing the police action as overreacted and violent brings to the viewer the sense that the blacks are the victims in the situation.  The written text functions with the visual text and supports the motif by describing the situation in a way to make the black community appear, as it is, outnumbered and discriminated.  

The visual text demands the viewer to take sides in the white versus black brawl.  The second photo puts the viewer in the black man’s position, making it easier to relate to the motif as he or she becomes feels outnumbered and discriminated. This forces the viewer to sympathize for him and form an opinion about the opposing white group. The text demands that the opinion be negative and detestable towards the police group as they are framed as the overpowering bad guys in this photo. The image appeals to viewer’s emotions because he or she is forced to sympathize with the black man. In any situation where the subject is outnumbered or discriminated, the viewer will feel for the subject and immediately take its side. In this case, the viewer is aware of the injustice occurring and depicts the white group as the culprit and the black man as the victim, thus further supporting the theme of white versus black.  

The theme of white versus black can be further examined as white dominance over black.  These themes are developed by the motif of white and black color. White and black color are evident in two of the photos in the essay. The first photo, clearly exposing that the black man is overpowered by the whiteness of the smoke, serves as a basis for the second photo, which shows a single black man outnumbered by a group of dominant white police. Using these two photos together, the viewer can examine a use of white color dominating black color in the first image and then examine white power dominating black in the second photo. These two photos develop the theme of white dominance over black and the reoccurring issue in today’s society, black discrimination.
