In Scott Olson’s “Ferguson, Uncensored” each image holds its own meaning and has its own importance but all the images work together to show the perspective of the protestors and their purpose behind their demonstrations.  One image in particular stood out to me, it is a photo of a black man with his hands up, approaching a group of armed police officers. The title of the photo is “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” this emphasizes the protestor’s position and paints him as the victim in the photo.  The hands of the protestor are up in the air but the guns of the police officers are still being pointed at him.  The title makes the protestor seem innocent and makes the police look like the antagonist.  The text under the photo helps to further explain the situation to the viewer by including the date as well as the area that the photo was taken.  

The man is in the foreground of the photo and the police officers are in the mid-ground of the photo all pointing their guns at him.  The background of the photo infers that it was taken in a city-like area due to the large building in the back and the crosswalk.  This photo is directed primarily at black protestors in Ferguson, Missouri because they can easily relate to the man in this photo.  The photo was taken at a long shot in order to include the entire body of the protestor and a few of the officers.  Showing the bodies of the people helps to further explain what is happening in the image.  The legs of the police officers are bent and show that the officers are moving toward the demonstrator. The hands of the demonstrator are up making him look harmless however, one of his one of his feet is in front of the other which makes it look as if he is approaching the officers.  

The semi over-the-shoulder shot of “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” makes the viewer feel victimized along with the protestor.  This shot puts the viewer in the shoes of the protestor and further emphasizes the police as the enemy.  The police officers are pointing their guns at the demonstrator but since the photo is taken from behind the man the guns almost seem to be pointed at the viewer.  This instills feelings of threat and further depicts the police officers as the bad guy in the situation.  The mailbox on the right side of the photo has graffiti on the front saying, “fuck the police”.   This inscription is clear and apparent to the viewer and represents how the general public of Ferguson felt about the police force after the killing of Michael Brown. 

 The clothing of everyone in the photo is also an important symbol.  All of the police officers are fully geared up in their helmets, masks, and bulletproof vests.  The demonstrator is wearing a backwards hat, a bright turquoise shirt, and blue jeans.  This simple observation of the clothing presents a strong contrast between the demonstrator and the police.  The policemen are dressed in complete gear rather than simple everyday uniforms, which shows the intensity of the situation.  This difference in the two types of clothing goes on to further emphasize the power held by the police force over the average citizen.

The image has a fairly neutral color scheme with a few pops of color that express emphasis.  The primary colors seen in the photo are cool and neutral.  With the exception of the red walls on the building in the background, which adds to the dangerous vibe given off by the officers, and the blue shirt worn by the demonstrator, which makes him stand out to the viewer.  The focus of this image is on the police officers in the mid-ground of the photo.  The officers appear clear and sharp, which makes them look intimidating to the viewer.  The rest of the image is slightly out of focus, making the group of policemen standout and look superior to the rest of the things depicted.   

“Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” makes the viewer feel defenseless and trapped.  When looking at this image it is easy to relate to the demonstrator and sympathize for him.  The gaze shows reciprocal attention between the police officers and the demonstrator.  This gaze makes the severity of the situation apparent to the viewer.  The gaze of most of the officers is intra-diegetic meaning they are focused on the demonstrator who is also in the photo.  Although it is difficult to tell because masks are covering their faces, the position of the guns helps the observer understand what the policemen are aiming at.  

Another interesting observation from this visual text is that the majority of the officers shown aiming their guns at the demonstrator are white.  This is significant because after the killing of Michael Brown the black people of Ferguson showed a huge hatred toward the white police officers.  This photo adds to the racial divide between black citizens and white police officers.  Despite this there is one black policeman in the group.  This is ironic because although he is on the side with the police officers he is still separated from the group as a whole.  The black officer is not near any of the other officers, which reflects the racial split in the community during this time.

When looking at the two sides in this photo it is obvious that the demonstrator is outnumbered.  This is evident because he is by himself and there are at least ten armed police officers approaching him.  This is another reason for the people of Ferguson to view the police force as the enemy.  While the context of the photo is not evident to the viewer, the demonstrator seems harmless compared to the group of policemen with weapons.  This photo also shows the dedication held by the protestors in Ferguson.  Although the man in the picture is aware he doesn’t stand a chance to the police officers he continues to approach the group without hesitation in order to prove a point.  

Overall the message presented by “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” is strong and impactful because of the focus and view of the photo.  There is a little bias to the photo because the viewer cannot observe the entire situation and the image is presented in the point of view of the demonstrator.  This bias goes to support Scott Olson’s work as a whole because his goal was to capture the elements of the protest that the police did not want the public to see.  This article show a variety of different ways the police responded to the protests through different images.  

 