Ps HW 2

 

    In the documentary, they share that Platon is one of photography's few big cultural provocateurs. It starts by saying that the story, the message, the feeling, and the connection are important in a photograph. Everything Platon photographs is a chance to comment on what is happening in the world, whether good or bad. He cares for humanity, and his photographs share stories reflected through emotion, all because of his creativity behind the angle or exposure of the picture. For instance, Platon uses his hands because he believes the body helps narrate a story. There is always something going on in the photograph; capturing those small details entails a stronger story narration.

    Platon has countless incredible photographs (portraits) that tell a story. It was hard to choose one, but when I encountered Robert De Niro’s portraits in the documentary, I knew I had found a photograph that appealed to my emotions. De Niro is one of my favorite actors, as it reminds me of the movie nights I used to have with my father. I thought I knew everything there was to know about De Niro’s story, but Platon made one of the most recognized actors in the previous years unrecognizable. His eyes show that there is much more to his story, and his eyebrows reflect the little that we know.  The first portrait shows that De Niro has had a difficult life, but the second one suggests that he has enjoyed his journey.

My photograph is not as sophisticated as the ones in the documentary, but as Platon says, sometimes simplicity is the key. I went to Cartagena, Colombia, this Spring Break, and it was an astonishing trip. I met new people and cultures and witnessed incredible sights. I took many photos myself, but very few were taken of me. This is why I decided to include one of myself and one of the people I met. If I were to name these photographs, I would call them the “Tourist Walk.” It portrays how we look at the world from a different perspective when we become tourists, and the question to ask ourselves is: Do we ever stop being tourists? Every day, there is something to learn, no matter if you’re in a familiar place. In Cartagena, I walked for hours daily, stopping to eat new food, hear new music, and learn about a culture. I realized that the natives became tourists when they started to talk to us. We were tourists in their country, but they were also learning about a culture. Both pictures show the streets of Cartagena and the people on it. It was a magnificent experience, evidenced in a photograph.