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Dorothea Lange was a well-known documentary photojournalist. Lange was born on May 26, 1895 in Hoboken, New Jersey. According to Biography.com, Lange contracted polio as a child, which left her weakened. As her life progressed, she faced more challenges. Her parents divorced when Lange was a teen. Despite the struggles that Lange had to overcome, she continued her education at Columbia University. Lange's photography career started in 1919 when she opened her own portrait studio.
Dorothea Lange's most popular photographs were taken while working for the California and Federal Resettlement Administration, which is also known today as the Farm Security Administration. She worked as a documentary photographer. According to an article on Americanswhotellthetruth.com, Lange was hired to, "record the Dust Bowl exodus when drought and hard times forced thousands of farm families to move west in search of work". Lange's work under the California and Federal Resettlement Administration was extremely important and informative. One of the most popular photographs from Lange during this time is "Migrant Mother". When Lange photographed the family, the mother explained that the only food that the family was getting was frozen vegetables and birds that the children killed. This image shows the true struggles that families were going through during these times. One can infer that the family is going through a struggle just by examining the photograph. Dorothea Lange went a step further and aimed to discover the full story from the person being photographed.
Photo by Dorothea Lange
The obvious main subject of the photograph is the mother. Although there are two small children surrounding her, the viewers eye is directed towards the mother. The mother takes up about half of the photograph. Without the obvious main subject, the photograph would not have the same impact. There is a feeling of desperation and hopelessness that is given off by the expression of the mother. She does not look overly posed. Her expression is fitting for the situation that the families were facing during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl exodus. Also, the fact that the children are leaning on the mother suggests that the children are truly depending upon the mother for survival. The image is in black and white. I think that this adds to the drama of the photograph. Color would take away from the image rather than add to it.
After working for the Farm Security Administration, Lange worked for the Office of War Administration and the War Relocation Authority according to an article on spatacus-educational.com. In 1942, Lange photographed the internment of Japanese Americans. Lange did not agree with the displacement of the Japanese Americans, which made it difficult for her to photograph her subjects. This is where her ethics came into place. Although she did not agree with the governments decisions, she photographed the internment of the Japanese Americans. This gave Lange the opportunity to share the stories of the people. The government censored many of Lange's photographs.
Photo by Dorothea Lange
The above photograph was taken during the internment of Japanese Americans by Dorothea Lange. The use of lines is very noticeable in this image. The people are in two straight lines, which draws the eye down the line. Also, the buildings in the background create a line and add symmetry to the photograph. Also, the lines seem to split the image into three sections. The light of the photograph is not bold or dramatic. It is very flat. The left side of the photograph is lighter than the right side of the image. The left side is washed out compared to the right. I think that the composition of the photograph is fairly simple. The people for the most part are in two lines. There isn't much going on in the background of the photograph besides the buildings. The buildings are very similar to each other, which makes the photograph simple.
Dorothea Lange also worked for magazines such as Fortune & Life. According to an article onAmericanswhotellthetruth.com, Lange, "visited Vietnam, Ireland, Pakistan and India, making photographic essays for Life magazine." One of the most popular assignments that Lange had was when she was sent to Ireland. She photographed the people who were, "working people of modest means who, unlike the tenant farmers and displaced migrants of the Great Depression, farmed and worked their family-owned land." It was a change of pace for Lange at this point in her career.
Photo by Dorothea Lange
Image Source: http://www.richardmoorephoto.com/lange-exhibition/
The rule of thirds is very evident in this photograph. The man is the main subject of the photograph and he is placed in the last third of the photograph if you split the photograph vertically. The horse is placed in the middle of the photograph, but it is not meant to be the main subject of the photograph. You can infer that a faster shutter speed was used for the photograph because the image is not blurry. The horse was probably moving around and if a slower shutter speed was used, the horse would come out blurry. The image is in focus. The mountains in the background are a little out of focus, but that is expected because they are not the main subject. The main subject of the photograph is definitely in focus.
Dorothea Lange worked in the 1920's and 1930's to photograph the Great Depression. Also, she worked as a photojournalist during the 1940's to photograph the Japanese American internment camps. At this time, it was difficult for a female photojournalist to get the same credit as a male photojournalist. Females had to work harder to get noticed during this time. Photojournalism was a male dominated career.
Lange's motivation for photojournalism was started in the early years of her life. When she was younger, she contracted polio and when she was a teen, her father left her family. Dorothea Lange went through struggles early in her life that motivated her later on in life. As a child, she understood what suffering was. She felt like it was her duty to show the struggles and suffering of those who are unable to show it to the world. According to dorothea-lange.org, "she believed passionately that those who were pushed to the margins, whose existence had no color, needed to be heard, as well as seen." It was a passion of this photojournalist to raise awareness for those who are unable to have a voice.
The type of photographic equipment that Dorothea Lange used was a Graflex camera with a film size of 4x5. She photographed the Dust Bowl and Great Depression with this camera as well as the Japanese American internment camps. This camera was a popular press and sports camera. It allowed the photographer to take photographs without the subject being blurry if it was in motion.
As with any photographer, Dorothea Lange faced ethical dilemmas. Lange photographed sensitive events in history. The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl were very emotional times for the United States. It was a low point in our history. It would be difficult for any photographer to photograph people who are going through a hard time. Most of the people that she photographed had a hard time finding food to eat for the night. I can imagine that it would be hard to go up to someone and ask to take a picture of them at a very difficult point in their life. Another ethical dilemma involves the photographs taken in the Japanese American internment camps. Lange did not agree with what the government was doing to the Japanese Americans. This could cause some bias with the photographer and its subject. She did not agree with the situation and therefore she might take photographs to make the situation look a lot worse than it was. However, the government censored a lot of the images, which could mean that the photographs were so real that the government did not want the citizens to know what was actually happening at the internment camps.
Photo by Dorothea Lange
The contrast of the above photograph is high. There are a lot of very dark and very light aspects. The sky appears to be very white. The clothing of the people is very dark against the white sky. This adds to the emotion of the image. It was taken during the Great Depression and the light and dark aspects add drama to the photograph. The background of the image compliments the photograph. It is very plain. If there was a lot going on in the background, it would be impossible to focus on the faces of the people. The background is out of focus. The right amount of area is in focus for this image. The focus is on the people in the wagon. There is more focus on the people in the front of the wagon rather than the front, but you can still see every person. The background of the image is blurry, which directs your attention to the people.
Dorothea Lange had a large impact on photojournalism and society as a whole. She brought awareness to the struggles of millions of Americans during the Great Depression. It was a documentation of a moment in history that people still look back on today. She made the world more aware of the unfair treatment of Japanese Americans in the internment camps. She serves as an inspiration to photojournalists around the world. She was able to give a voice to those who lacked the ability to share their story. Also, Dorothea Lange established the Aperture Foundation and magazine.
In relation to my major at AIC, Lange worked for the Farm Security Administration, which was created under the Department of Agriculture. This was initiated by the United States government. This relates to my major at AIC because I am a criminal justice major. Another part of Lange's career that relates to my major is that she wanted to understand the suffering of others, not just simply take a photograph of them. I am a psychology major as well as criminal justice. As a psychologist, you are expected to understand others and why they are struggling.
Overall, Dorothea Lange was remembered as a pioneer in photojournalism. She pushed the boundaries as a female photojournalist. She strived to give those who were struggling and suffering a voice. The viewpoints of others on Lange were most likely the same. She fought as a female in a male dominated profession and she truly fought for awareness for those who needed it the most. Her photographs will be remembered and viewed for many years to come.
Overall, Dorothea Lange was remembered as a pioneer in photojournalism. She pushed the boundaries as a female photojournalist. She strived to give those who were struggling and suffering a voice. The viewpoints of others on Lange were most likely the same. She fought as a female in a male dominated profession and she truly fought for awareness for those who needed it the most. Her photographs will be remembered and viewed for many years to come.
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