The New York Times photographer, Damon Winter, won photographer of the year for his photo of a soldier before he deployed to Afghanistan.  In this picture, army sergeant Brian Keith is sitting with his wife and newborn child.  His wife is laying on his shoulder, holding him tightly as he cradles his baby son in his arms.  By looking at action, color, and perspective, we see the connection and love shared by loved ones, which is important because it illustrates what soldiers sacrifice to protect us.   

The activity shown in this image clearly conveys the message that it gives the spectator.  The sergeant’s wife’s proximity to her husband reveal the intimacy of the moment they are sharing.  Furthermore, the expression on Brian Keith’s face as he is cradling his infant son depicts his sadness as he says his final goodbyes. These actions illustrate the closeness and unity of the family as well as the profound care and love they have for one another.  The placement of the wife next to her husband represents their tight knit relationship as well as the bond with their new child. The elements of photograph show what family means and what it means for this family in particular. In addition, the sadness on the father’s face reflects the remorse of leaving his son behind and losing the opportunity to watch him grow. Soldiers going off into the army sacrifice a lot in order to ensure the safety and well-being of all citizens like you and I.  They have to say goodbye to love ones knowing that it may be the last time they ever get to see or hold them again.  Also, like this soldier, they give up the gift of watching their children grow up.  Because of these actions, all soldiers deserve respect for their courage to leave being people they care about as they risk their lives in order to protect the lives of others.  

The movement captured by this photo is taken in complete color. The color gives perspective to what this image symbolizes.  The predominant colors are green, brown, and white, which are seen are in the clothing of each of the subjects.  Green is a color that is associated with inexperience and growth.  It symbolizes the lack of experience the sergeant has as a parent as he holds his infant boy and has to leave his child behind for the first time.  Green also signifies the growth he will experience going off to combat as a new parent.  For the first time he has to walk away from his baby and fight a war where his fate is unknown.  The ability to walk away from the start of young one’s new life increases the Keith’s bravery.  Keith’s uniform includes shades of brown, which represents being grounded.  In this case, brown represents the soldier’s sense of duty to his country and to his family.  This exemplifies the responsibilities he carries in his life.  Keith’s spouse and son are dressed in all white.  White is a color that signifies marriage, youth, and innocence.  The white shows marriage, which is a loving bond shared between two people.  The infant child in white symbolizes youth and innocence.  

The photo also shows people behind the sergeant.  They represent that Keith and his family are not undergoing this experience alone. They prove that they are just like any other military family that is hoping for the best as they send off their loved ones to the combat zones of Afghanistan. This is also meant to show that military families are like any other average family in America.

The photograph shows both reciprocal and divergent gazes and is taken in a long shot angle.  Reciprocal gazes represent a sense of closeness and a tight connection between two people.  As shown in the image, the father and baby are focused on each other which reveals the power of their connection and how much the infant means to his father.  Keith’s wife shows a divergent gaze.  Divergent gazes show a lack of interest and disconnection.  Here we see the wife with her eyes closed to show that she does not want to face the reality of the current situation.  It shows her fears about her husband’s deployment because she will be alone to care for her child.  Furthermore, it illustrates her worries about the unknown possibilities and the danger of her husband going off to Afghanistan.  Additionally, the shot of the picture is in a long shot perspective.  Long shots are used to represent a character’s isolation and the far distance between them or the distance they will have to travel.  In this photo, the long shot symbolizes the distant journey he will be taking from his home all the way to the war zones of Afghanistan.  Moreover, it represents the loneliness of going off to war.  Once he is deployed, he will be away from his family and friends. He will be entering a world that is more isolated than the “regular” world.  The viewpoints shown represent the major sacrifices that a soldier has to make when they decide to fight for our country.  

All in all, Damon Winter shows the care and love shared by families through movement, color, and viewpoint.  This conveys the meaning of what it means to be a soldier.  It signifies the bravery and that great sacrifice military families make for the good of others. 
