Some pictures evoke sadness, while others bring out feelings of happiness. The picture above shows a small group of four children with an adult watching over them. While this picture does not evoke an abundance of emotions, there are many factors and details that can be pulled from this rather simple photograph. 

There are multiple obvious observations in this photo. The first being that the children are working on some type of school work. Viewers can assume this based on the paper and the pen/pencils being used by the children. Another observation is that the adult woman present is a teacher. She is looking over the students and seems to be involved in their activity. Everyone shown in this photo is Caucasian. From this observation, one could assume that the photographer wants to portray a more complex meaning than just a group of children learning. He could be trying to show the lack of diversity in certain educational facilities. 

The students in this photo are all similar but still different. The first little girl on the far left is wearing a red, short sleeve polo shirt, which is more commonly worn by boys. The girl has no feminine features except for her ponytail and the tiny brown bracelet on her arm. In today’s world, a ponytail is no longer stereotypical of a girl. Many men and boys now have longer hair. Without the small bracelet on her arm, one could not make the strong assumption that the child on the far left is a girl. That same little girl is not looking in the same direction as everyone else in the photo. It looks as if she is glancing at the iPhone to her right instead of looking at the piece of paper in the center of the table. She is also holding a pencil in one hand and an eraser in the other. The pencil’s eraser is completely worn down and is not visible. I argue that the lack of eraser on her pencil shows that she is prone to making mistakes. Her lack of paying attention in the photo could show that she makes mistakes because of due to the lack of focus. 

The child beside the little girl in the red shirt is a boy. The little boy is wearing a blue polo shirt with black stripes. Blue and black are both seen as more masculine colors. He also has a rather modern haircut, which could lead viewers to assume that this photo was taken recently. He is the only boy in this photo. Even though he is in the minority, it seems that he is leading the group. He is the only one in the photo with his mouth open, which means he is the only one speaking. In the United States, sadly, it is much more common for men to lead and this photo is another example of the way society sees males. 

The next little girl in the photo is wearing a bright yellow short-sleeve shirt. This is a very bright and happy color that brings a new element into the picture. The little girl is directly in between the little boy and the teacher. I argue that her positioning in the photo shows that she is a teacher’s pet and also wants to be in the center of attention. She is almost up under the boy that is leading, which shows that she is very eager to learn the material. She even has a slight grin in the photo, that shows she enjoys learning. Not only is she close by the boy, but she is also right beside the teacher. Their arms are even touching, which makes her the closest in contact with the teacher. Another assumption one could make about the little girl in the yellow is that she is an over achiever. Not only does her being right beside the little boy leading the discussion show her interest, but it also shows how determined she is to learn the information and know what she is doing. Another piece of evidence is the fact she is holding a pen in one hand and a pencil in the other. Over achievers are known for being extremely prepared, and her having two writing mechanism shows that she has a backup plan in case one of the two options is not usable.

The last child shown in the photo is a little girl. She is wearing a pale pink long sleeve shirt with a gray vest. This outfit is seen as rather feminine. This could show that she has a rather girly personality. The other three students are closely packed together while this little girl is on the other side of the teacher. One could assume that she is rather shy due to her positioning in this photo. This little girl also seems very professional and mature. She has her hair pulled back, with no loose pieces. She is also wearing the most mature and dressiest outfit of all the girls pictured. Not only does her appearance show her professionalism, but she is also holding a pen. Using a pen at such a young age is very uncommon, due to the amount of mistakes children make. She is the only child in the picture without a pencil, which shows she makes few mistakes, making her more mature.

The last person visible in the photo is the teacher. Men in early childhood and elementary education is very rare, so the photographer decided to be more realistic in choosing a female teacher. She is wearing a blouse, which is normally seen as professional businesswear. The teacher seems very concerned with her students and has a very attentive look on her face. She also has a slight grin which could show the pride and happiness she feels from watching her students learn.

Even though a picture may seem simple and straight to the point, there are hidden messages behind each detail. This photograph of a small group of children and one adult can be interpreted in so many ways and bring out many new thoughts. Never underestimate the power of photography because “a picture is worth a thousand words.”
