Introducing Disorder

A Ming vase can be well-designed and well-made and is beautiful for that reason alone. I don't think this can be true for photography. Unless there is something a little incomplete and a little strange, it will simply look like a copy of something pretty. We won't take an interest in it. -John Loengard

When thousands of agitated Wisconsin tavern owners converged on the State Capitol steps to protest the raising of the legal drinking age from 19 to 21, the media was out in force too, hoping to capture or depict the anger and frustration these people felt and the controversy this topic generated as well. While most of the photogs at this event were satisfied to shoot wide angle pictures--surmising that perspective realistically conveyed the size of the crowd--I chose a different view utilizing one of the compositional techniques discussed in a previous post: introducing disorder.

Even though this topic generated some confusion and debate in one of my photo classes, I stand by this definition for the term: introducing disorder relies on a generally chaotic scene with a clear focal point and a discernable and simple message. By employing a telephoto lens(in this case, a 180mm)and concentrating(or compressing)a selected section of the crowd, I believe this photo was able to accomplish those goals.

The essence of photojournalism is story-telling -- cleanly and quickly -- and sometimes there is beauty and truth in chaos.