In Scott Olson’s photo “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” point of view, contrast, and focus are captured in order to portray the police officers as the antagonists.  This image of a black man with his hands up, approaching a group of armed police officers stood out to me. The title of the photo, “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot”, 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 appear innocent and makes the police look like the enemy.  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 photo was taken at a long shot, which includes the entire bodies of the protestor and a few of the officers.  Showing the full bodies of the people in the picture helps to further explain what is happening in the image.  The knees 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 innocent however, 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 shows the viewer the entire situation while also putting them in the shoes of the protestor, which further depicts 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 fear and further depicts the police officers as the bad guy in the situation.  The viewer of this photo can almost feel threatened by the police officers due to the shot taken by Scott Olson.

The clothing of everyone in the picture is also an important symbol.  All of the police officers are geared up from head to toe 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 shows 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.  The clothing of the demonstrator makes him appear as an everyday guy and making him relatable to the viewer.  This again puts the viewer in the shoes of the demonstrator.  The difference in the two types of clothing goes on to further emphasize the amount of power held by the police force over the average citizen.  The little power held by citizens is another reason for the mistrust and dislike they had in regards to the police officers. 

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.  There is little focus on the demonstrator which parallels with the little attention they felt was given to them at this time.      

 “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 and helps to show the intensity of the situation.  

Another interesting observation from this visual text is that the majority of the officers shown aiming their guns at the demonstrator are white.  This photo expresses 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.  The racial split made the white police officers appear to be the enemy to black citizens. 

When looking at the two sides in this photo it is obvious that the demonstrator was outnumbered.  This is evident because he was by himself and there were at least ten armed police officers approaching him.  This is another reason that the people of Ferguson viewed the police force as the enemy.  While the entire 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 that many of the citizens of Ferguson, Missouri viewed the police force as an enemy during this time.  This can observed through the photo from the perspective of the viewer.  The viewer will see the police officers from the point of view of the demonstrator and feel threatened.  The focus is also important because it is concentrated on the police officers making them look powerful.  Power can also be observed by looking at how the police are dressed compared to the demonstrator.  All of these elements make it easy for the viewer to relate to the man and express disgust towards the officers.  
