When asked to choose a picture from the many galleries on the website, I connected quickly with "Through the Eyes of Children- Rwanda Project". I have always been intrigued by the happenings of Rwanda and it was interesting to go through and see the ways these children expressed their lives through photography.
When going through the many pictures, this Untitled photograph of a crying baby really appealed to me. I am a very emotional, caring person which made a picture like this one, which heavily appeals to emotions, really stood out to me. The first thing that I was attracted to was the crying, half-clothed baby in the center of he picture. This infant is definitely meant to be the focus of this picture: his emotions and his lifestyle. Because the subject of these collections of pictures are on the orphans of Rwanda, I can assume that this little baby is an orphan as well. His emotions appear to be very strained and sad. I almost feel a bit of loneliness in his expressions, and can infer that he isn't being looked over the best since he is the only person in the picture.
This baby's environment is one that most would name unfit for a child: his "nest" of blankets serves as his place to rest, surrounded by corn husks and gasoline containers. I've never been to Rwanda, but I can assume that it is very hot. The baby in this picture is partly shaded but is still exposed to the sun. His clothing consist on a single vest, with what looks like no diaper or pants. The baby and his surroundings are not very clean for a young developing child. I feel really bad for this child. I feel that this child may live his life wondering who will care for him, without much security or closeness. I'm sure that he most likely gets passed from person to person to be cared for, receives the basic care he needs for survival, but most likely doesn't get the love and closeness that a baby needs.
After examining this picture I realized that this picture, while pertaining to the child in the picture, is about life in the eyes of Devota, a child of Rwanda. I started to think about why Devota would take a picture of this child. Maybe, this is how she felt when she was little- lost and scared. Lonely. This unnamed baby may be a snapshot of what she went through and experienced as a baby. Not only her, but I feel that this is an expression of how all of the orphan children of Rwanda feel secretly. The older children like Devota maybe feel that they shouldn't express these feelings of loneliness, and instead hold it all in. The snapshot of the baby crying may be what Devota wants to do herself. Just sit down and cry.
I am very excited to analyze this photograph further. I feel that I really connect to this picture.
I think that the visual arts can be one of the most appealing to the heart and mind. Within this category of visual arts, photography captures ideas, thoughts, and emotions in ways that other visual arts cannot. While paintings can express some of these emotions and ideas, they sometimes do not come off as "real" as photographs. Photographs captures the exact moment or feeling that the photographer experienced at the time. I find it interesting to look into what seems like a simple picture, like the one to the right, and try to figure out what the photographer was thinking or feeling at the time he/she took it. I have a much more personal connection with photography.