Migrant Mother, by Dorethea Lange
In your second blog assignment you will go to link above to learn more about one of the most famous photographs of the twentieth century, Migrant Mother by Dorethea Lange. After reading the material AND clicking on and viewing the additional images taken by Lange, answer the following questions. Please provide one paragraph (at least 5 sentences) for each of your answers.
1) After reading the background surrounding this famous photo do you believe this is a posed photo or a found photographic opportunity by Lange? Explain your answer and provide visual clues to support your claim.
2) Given that Lange's photograph is one of the most famous photographs of the Twentieth Century, if you were to find out for a fact that the photo was indeed posed would it change your opinion of this photograph? Why or why not?
I think that the picture is posed. I feel that it is a posed picture because the woman is staring directly at the camera. I also think that the picture is posed because I think that the photographer told the kids to look the other way. If I found out the picture was posed it would not change my opinion of the photograph because I originally thought it was posed.- Jacob Brittman
ReplyDeleteJacob, you need to elaborate on your answers more! Not enough of a answer for both questions, Mr. Sacco
DeleteI think that the photograph is a posed photograph. I believe it is posed because in some of the pictures the children are both looking away form the camera while the mother is just looking into the distance which doesn't look very natural. I also believe that it is posed because the woman is looking right into the camera in one of the photos. If I did find out that this picture was posed it would not change my opinion of the photo. The photo still shows some struggles that this family is living through. Also the photo shows the struggles that everyone has lived through once in there life. Posed or not this photo still shows the problems people live through.- Angel del Castillo
ReplyDelete1. I think the first one is posed because she is looking at the camera. Another reason is she looks like she was placed there intentionally. I also think that she would not want a camera in her face if she was in need of money or food. There may be lighting on her because in the background it seems dark. The last thing is that the children looked placed there and they asked them to turn away.
ReplyDelete2. Even If it was posed i still think it is a good symbol to look at. It shows people the horrible thing that it is to not have support. I liked the way it was placed and it had creativity behind it. The great depression was a horrible thing and this shows it really well. The Photo is a sad sight and it shows it well.
I think that this photo was posed. I say this because of the positions of the people being photographed. She has three of her kids in the photo with her that all fit in the photo frame. Two of them are in the same pose. Also the story of this photo says she "Seemed to know my pictures might help her, and so she helped me". This even further supports the claim that this photo was posed. If I found out that this photo was definitely posed, it would not change my opinion. I say this for two reasons. The first being that I already believe it is posed. The second being that the photos; especially this one, are very powerful and moving whether they were posed or not. This photo was one of the most famous photos of the twentieth century, and was an icon of the Great Depression. So in my opinion it doesn't matter whether it was posed or not.- David Warnking
ReplyDelete1. I think this was a found opportunity of a mother and her children. It looks like a found opportunity to me because they are not looking at the camera and it seems they don't realize they are having their picture taken. I also think if it were to be posed Dorethea Lange would want them to be a lot more upset then they already are to enhance the mood. Also other pictures taken by her make it look more direct in the sense of that the people were looking directly at the camera. For an example on the website the picture of the people in the little tent were looking at the camera.
ReplyDelete2. If I were to find out this was a posed photograph it would change my opinion on it. I feel it would take away my feelings for it and although it makes me feel bad for these people it would be to a lesser affect. Although it makes me think different of the emotional values I still think it is a nice piece of photography. I feel it is still trying to send a message and that would not be taken away even if they weren’t actually homeless. All in all this photograph by Dorethea Lange is a cool piece of art that passes a strong message.
Eric Deegan
I believe that this is a posed photograph. In the photo, the woman, or the point of interest, is looking in the direction of the photo while the children are both facing away from the camera with their backs at the camera. The woman has her hand under her chin, which to me looks as though the photographer had directed her to do that. Also, both the children are in a very similar stance, which most likely wouldn't of happened naturally. Both the stance and expressions of the woman and her children look as though the photograph was posed.
ReplyDeleteEven if I learned that the photograph was posed, It wouldn't affect me any differently than it already has. I thought it was posed beforehand, so it would only be confirming my opinion. I feel that the photo is well taken even if it was posed. Many famous pictures are posed, so this one would be no different. I like the picture and whether it being posed or not would not affect my opinion of it. -Chase Buhler
1. I think this picture is posed. Usually people don't usually put their hand on their face like that. Her finger tips are just below her lip and her thumb is on her neck. I find that unusual. She also is looking just past the camera, so she must have seen Dorethea Lange there taking the picture, and asked why and she had to tell her to pose for the camera. It also looks like she asked the children to look away because it shows more that they are sad and upset.
ReplyDelete2. This photo could pull of being found or posed it's kind of hard to tell. If i were to find out if this picture was posed or not it would not change my opinion. I think this picture would be considered either way. Although I see it more of a posed opportunity. Seeing the way she is sitting with her hand on her face like that.
Emily Wilson
I think this picture is posed because the "eye" candy seems to be positioned to look the way she does. Also another piece of evidence supporting the fact that the picture is posed is that both the children are in a similar pose. Furthermore the pictures seems to be posed because the woman as well as the children's pose are not very natural. If I were to find out that the picture was actually posed it wouldn't change my opinion of it because the essence of the picture and the reason for it would remain unchanged. The photo still shows that the family is not wealthy and is struggling and you can infer this from the way they are dressed, how they seem to be tired and maybe even a little dirty. I like the way it was posed because it is creative and shows struggle which creates a sad tone and I think that's what Lange was going for.
ReplyDelete-Lauren H.
1.I believe that this photo was posed.I think this because She is intentionally looking away like she is super upset.Another reason why i think this is a posed photo is because the children are both doing the same pose by looking away and leaning on their mom's shoulders Normally kids do different things and it is unusual how they would both be doing the same pose..My last reason why i think this is posed is because her hand is on her chin.This is usually a pose models do.Which are posed.
ReplyDelete2.If i were to find out that this photo this photo was posed i would keep my decision the same.This photo still demonstrates many things.One thing is the way that they are dressed and how they are all very dirty.You can also see that there clothes are ripped a little.Another thing this photo demonstrates is how they are feeling.The mom and kids in the photo are sad.Since her hand is on her chin i am inferring that she is day dreaming hoping that life could get better.
~Anthony Cassano
1. I believe that this photo by Dorethea Lange is on that is posed. I believe this because of the way the mother’s hand on her face is placed. It looks extremely unnatural and fake. Another reason is that the kids in the background look sad but the way that they are leaning against the mother, to exemplify the sadness, shows that Lange told them to look away from the camera. The last reason why I believe that this image is posed is because the mother looks very uncomfortable with the idea of posing for a picture and having her kids lean on her shoulders the way they are.
ReplyDelete2. It is hard to tell if the picture was posed or found but if I were to find out that it was indeed found, it would not change my opinion at all. This is because of the way the mother is acting. If she looked more natural and comfortable, I would believe that the picture was found. I wouldn’t change my opinion because of the many different factors that force me to think that it was definitely posed. Even if the photo was posed, it still evokes the same feeling; the Great Depression was a horrible time period. The photo, no matter if it was found or posed, says to the viewer that no one should ever want to live this way.
Amy Lynch
I believe this photograph, Migrant Mother, by Dorethea Lange was posed. There are a few reasons I think this photo was posed. First, the mother and her sons look like they have been told how to look, being that their positions aren’t very natural. Although there are some reasons it for it to seem like a found opportunity, I feel that the mother would have had a different expression on her face and would have been interacting with her children instead of looking off in the distance. If I was told this photograph was posed, it would not change my opinion due to the fact that I already believe it was posed. I definitely wouldn’t be surprised because it also seems like Lange was trying to achieve capturing a mood with worrisome and sorrow. - Anna Rosalia
ReplyDelete
ReplyDelete1. I feel like this picture is posed. I feel like this is posed even though it was taken in the great depression. This woman and her children are posed into this picture because the expression on her face. She wouldn't let her children see her like that even though it's a rough time. The mother and her children look very upset about something and it would need to be a very quick photo if it was found.
2. If it was posed I would feel like the picture isn't real. Even though this is a picture the expressions i feel are fake.
-Meghan lorenzen
ReplyDelete1) In my opinion this photo looks posed. People do stand like that often but the surroundings seemed more like they had placed where she would stand and who would be around the woman in the center. The photo could be a natural stance but I feel as if the woman would have moved too much for this to be taken at an open opportunity.
2) I wouldn’t change my opinion since I felt it actually was posed.
-Desiree Mair
1.After reading the background surrounding this famous photo, i believe this was a posed photo because it said that the woman in the picture, Florence Owens Thompson, thought that the picture might help her, so in return, she helped the photographer. this leads me to think that she listened to the photographer and posed for different shots. the photographer, Lange, then picked the best one.
ReplyDelete2.if I were to find out that the picture was posed, it would not really change my opinion of the photo because I already suspected it to be posed. Even though posing a photograph isnt as “real” i think it is still a great piece of art.
-Ben Deaver
I think that the picture was posed because both of the kids are turned around and the mother was just looking out into the distance. If I was the kids or the mom I would be looking at the camera. I probably would not know what it was and I could have been very curious (by that I mean just looking at it confused). Also If it was posed it would be a good eye candy because the mom was the first thing I saw when I saw the picture.
ReplyDeleteIf the picture was infact posed i would still like it because it was a new experience for both Lange and the Mother. Lange experienced was what it was like during that time period. The mothers experience was being a model for a picture that soon became popular all around the world. That is why I would like it.
-Madison Poggi
After reading the background surrounding “Migrant Mother”, I believe it was a posed photo. The positions of the people in the photo seem too dramatic and stiff to be natural. The woman’s forehead is creased, and she is looking away from the camera, which seems to be a deliberate action. Her worried facial expression is very exaggerated. The two children leaning on her shoulders also seem posed; they most likely wouldn’t be naturally turning away from the camera if it were a found photographic opportunity. Additionally, under the circumstances, the “migrant mother” Florence Owens Thompson would have posed herself for the photographer Dorethea Lange, in order to spread awareness of the financial struggles of that era.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to find out for a fact that the photo was indeed posed it would slightly change my opinion. The photo still illustrates the struggles of the impoverished during the Great Depression of the 1930s, but if the photo were posed the story behind it would be exaggerated for the media. The idea of the photograph, a mother’s perseverance in desperate times in an attempt to provide for her children, would continue to be present. However, the distress of the Thompson family and the anxiety of the mother are emphasized through the positions of the people, which seem to be posed. If posed, the photo would still demonstrate the photos caused by the depression, but it would seem more exaggerated to appease the population and, through the photo’s popularity, convince the government to provide for the struggling masses.
Amanda Cajigas
I feel like this photo is posed. I feel like it is posed because it seems very perfect to be found. This photo could be natural stances of people but how everything ties into the photo seems too perfect. I really like how the woman in the middle is the center of everything and if that were to be found it would be very rare. The woman is really the eye candy or the center of attention and I think that was purposeful because it was posed.
ReplyDelete2) If I found out it was posed it would not change my opinion because I already think it was posed. I do not think this was found at all. I do not think this was a found opportunity it seems too perfect -Andrew Munch
1) I feel this photo is a found and posed opportunity because i feel the photographer found her sitting there looking off into the distance. But then told her the position to be in and for her sons to look away. If this was a found opportunity and not posed at all i would be very shocked and surprised because it is a perfect photograph to resemble the Great Depression.
ReplyDelete2) If i was told this photograph was posed it wouldn’t change my opinion of the photograph. I feel this photograph says so much about the Great Depression and the feeling in the mothers face. So it wouldn’t change my opinion based on if it was posed or not.
-Isabelle Kuhn
After reading the background information, I believe this photo has been posed. This is because the photo has a "perfect" look to it. This is because of the way the women, who is also the center of interest, is looking away from the camera. Even though her stressed look in her face is genuine, I believe the position her body is in has been posed.
ReplyDeleteEven though this photo is posed, it does not change my opinion on the photo. This is because the look on her face tells a strong story. It is also a very strong eye candy. This photo shows how the Great Depression was a sad and horrible time. It shows this because of the look on her face, and the way her children are holding her. -sofie kahn
1. After reading the background of the photo and looking at the other photos i think that this pictures was posed. The photo is so perfect in a way that it is unrealistic. The way that the women is looking in a different direction and her children are opposite. Also the way both the kids are in her shoulders and facing away from the camera. Also how her hand is on her chin. Everything just seems to "perfect" to have been a real opportunity.
ReplyDelete2. If this photo was found out to have been posed than i would not look at the photographer different but the situation. It would take a lot go the effect off the picture. The picture has a lot of emotion and i think it would be lost if this picture was to be posed. The "depressed" feeling this photo gives off would be lost.
-jenna dimech
1) After reading the background surrounding the famous photo, Migrant Mother by Dorethea Lange i believe this photo is posed. The reason i think this is because of the way the woman is looking. The center of interest, the mother is looking away in the photo which helps give clues. Also, if the photo was not posed, I'm sure the woman would be looking at why there is a camera in her face.
ReplyDelete2)If i were to find out that the photo, Migrant Mother by Dorethea Lange was posed, it wouldn't change my opinion on the photo because i originally thought it was. This also doesn't change my opinion because it represents how horrible it was at the time. Maybe thats what the photographer was trying to portray. The children in this photo adds so much to showing that because it seems like they are scared and are clinging on to the mother. - Jessica Lang
I believe the picture is posed. it's posed because of how the children are perfectly angled away from the camera. as well as how the mother is looking near the camera but not directly at it. also think the children wouldn't naturally be leaning on the mother and looking the opposite direction. in the one picture of the whole family in the tent, there's really only one member who's not looking directly at the camera. none of the poses seem natural enough to be found, even though Lange did 'find' the family. if I found out that the picture was posed it wouldn't change my opinion because the photos are still so strong in expressing the troubles being faced by the family at the time.
ReplyDelete-Sabrina Verdecanna
I believe the picture is posed. it's posed because of how the children are perfectly angled away from the camera. as well as how the mother is looking near the camera but not directly at it. also think the children wouldn't naturally be leaning on the mother and looking the opposite direction. in the one picture of the whole family in the tent, there's really only one member who's not looking directly at the camera. none of the poses seem natural enough to be found, even though Lange did 'find' the family. if I found out that the picture was posed it wouldn't change my opinion because the photos are still so strong in expressing the troubles being faced by the family at the time.
ReplyDelete-Sabrina verdecanna
Even though the people in this photo look like they were posed I believe the photo Migrant Mother that was photographed by Dorethea Lange was a found opportunity. This photo was taken during the Great Depression in February or March of 1936 in Nipomo, California. There are many reasons why i believe this photo was a found opportunity, one reason this photo was a found opportunity is because of the way the mother and her children in this photo are posed, they look extremely depressed and they were not looking at the camera. All the other images that Dorethea Lange took during this time gave off the same depressing mood as this photograph.
ReplyDeleteIf i were to be told that this photo was not a found opportunity but a posed photograph i would completely change my opinion and my feeling for this photo would drastically be transposed. I would feel less sorrow
Julia Blank
After reading the background surrounding this famous photo I believe that this wasn't a posed photo but a found opportunity due solely to the fact that a person cant express this feeling of devastation among someone telling you to. If this was a staged picture the women wouldn't look so depressed.
ReplyDeleteNo, if I found out that it was a posed photograph I would still think the same about it because it is one of the most famous pictures of all time and it deserves to be since it perfectly displays the feeling and state of the nation at that dreadful time.
George Pav
1) After reading the background of the famous person, Migrant Mother by Dorethea Lange, I believe this is a found and posed opportunity because they found the mother and posed her. This migrant mother was found by these photographers and they asked if they could take pictures of them.
ReplyDelete2) If this photo was really posed it wouldn't change much about my opinion but I do know that there are real people who live like the migrant mother. These times of the world are what the photographers are showing us, its terrible.
Jared benaburger
I think this picture was posed. I think it was posed because the woman is looking directly at the camera. Also, the children are hiding from the camera which they wouldn't have done if they did not know that the picture was being taken. -Pat
ReplyDeleteI believe that this photo taken Dorothea Lange was posed. I believe so, because the children appear to be hiding from the camera and the Woman is looking directly at it. It is an unnatural position for the children and I doubt that the mother wouldn't even acknowledge that her children are crying. I think she would have paid some attention to her children even though it was such a horrible time.
ReplyDeleteFrank
If I was to find out that this photo was posed, I would still think it was a great picture because it took a lot of creativity and displayed the emotions that people were feeling during this time. -Frank
DeleteIf I found out that this photo was posed it would not change my opinion. I would still think that this is a great photo because it took great creativity and displayed the emotions people were feeling during this time
DeleteI think that this photo is posed because the mother looks like she is posing for the camera and the kids are looking the other way. maybe she told the kids to look the other way so there more of an effect on the picture when viewers look at it just to see and feel the tough times that they are going through. Even if this photo was posed which I think it is it wouldn't change my mind I actually really like this picture and think it is very interesting. -Olivia ross
ReplyDelete1. I think this photograph is posed. The women is looking at the camera, which makes it seem like a posed picture. The kids seem to be hiding from the camera, which they wouldnt do if it was a found opportunity
ReplyDelete2. No it would not change my opinion, because I believe it was posed
-Vanessa Lollo
After reading the background information on the photographer, I believe 'Migrant Mother' is a posed picture. I think this picture is posed because it is almost too perfect. The mother is the focal point of the picture. she is in between her two children that are shying away from the camera. the children are in the exact same position which leads me to believe that it is posed. The mother is looking off into the distance and holding her hand to her mouth and makes her face look depressed and stressed.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this photo is posed, it would not change my feelings of mood towards the photo in any way. The photo tells a story just looking at it. The mothers face is eye catching. The look on her face would sure bring some to tears. The scenery identifies that the mother and her children struggle with a solid home foundation and money overall.
Jennifer Araneo
1.I think that the photo Migrant Mother, by Dorethea Lange is posed. I think this picture is posed because the children aren’t facing the camera, so we can’t see their facial expressions. I also think it’s posed because the women is kind of looking right at the camera. Another reason why the woman looks like she was posed because Dorethea asked to take their picture, and in the article Dorethea said she knew that the picture might help her, implying if she looked sad enough and depressed people might help them out.
ReplyDelete2.If I found out the photo Migrant Mother, by Dorethea Lange was posed, It would not changed how I viewed it. It wouldn’t have changed how I view it because It shows how bad it was in the 1900’s. It would also not change my view on it because the children are leaning on their mother for support which is sad like the photo is expressing. Also because the expression on her face shows that they need help and she's sad and depressed. -Christina Gross
1. I think this photo was posed because the woman looks like the photographer told her to do that pose. The pose that the woman id doing is not a very natural pose. I think what the kids were doing wasn't planned.
ReplyDelete2. A Fact about the photo I would like to know is, were the children posed to be like? I would like to know that because I think the woman is posed and wonder if the kids were just there at the moment or posed also. -Gianna Campagna
I think this picture was posed. I think it was posed because the woman is looking directly at the camera. Also, the children are hiding from the camera which they wouldn't have done if they did not know that the picture was being taken. Even thought it is posed it still serves as an example of what people wer5e like during the Great Depression and what it was like to live during that time period. -Pat
ReplyDelete(sorry this is late, I didn't know my comment didn't go through.)
ReplyDelete1) I think that this photograph is mostly found. This is because the photagrapher found this family on the road. I also think that this picture is a little posed though because of the positions of the childrens and the posed look on the mother's look. I believe that this photo is only a little bit posed to exagerate the depressed look on the family's setting. Also I don't that that the family got dirty just to take this picture and that they were already dirty because they are poor.
2) My views would not be changed. This is because the photo is still very powerful. Even though this photo is posed there is still the deep meaning which is expressed through the stressed look on the mother's face and positions of the scared children. It is probably true that the poses were only to reflect the actual emotions that can't be seen physically but are exagerated so you can see them. This Picture covers s huge subject that has been photographed countless times but posed or not, this is one of the best descriptions of the Great Depression.