Image Analysis 2: News Photograph

      This photograph was published on the website of the Canadian newspaper, The Globe and Mail on October 19^th, 2010. The image shows French riot police detaining a young man in Lyon, France. Youth in France have been violently protesting, setting fires in multiple cities against a proposed bill, which would raise in the retirement age to 62.

      This image is a powerful example of visual rhetoric. The photographer, Laurent Cipriani of the Associated Press, chose to use the two police in the foreground as a framing device to showcase the main action of the photograph, the arrest of the youth. All the faces of the police look away from the young man in contrast to his intense expression. The scene is one of chaos and anarchy: smoke billows along the city street, there is rubble on the ground and a foggy gathering of riot police is visible in the right back corner of the photograph. This image relies on the persuasive power of the visual composition and arrangement. It speaks to an audience (who is interested in international news) through the argument that the authoritative state institution of the French law enforcement holds the power. The visual elements of the navy and black police uniforms, police batons and helmets signal control, and contrast the red shirt of the citizen and the dullness of the concrete and street. The main colours blue, white and red symbolize the national colours of France. The two foreground police act as blockades between chaos and order. The subject and tone of the image are very serious and may aim to present an objective journalistic point of view that the Associated Press is known for, but the overpowering arrangement and imagery of the photo expose the strategic use of visual rhetoric. No journalistic image through the lens of a camera can be considered neutral. The image works to assert and reinforce the idea that France has social control over its rebellious youth. Although there is live action, implied by unsettled smoke, the visual construction of the image draws attention to the visual decisions made by the photographer.

Cipriani, Laurent. France Retirement Strikes. 2010. Associated Press. New York.