Pre-Writing Assignment 2

The arrangement of objects in a photo portrays a certain perception of the scene that the photographer wants the viewer to experience. This arrangement is no coincidence; the photographer either waited until the opportune moment to snap the shot or edited the photo to his liking. My selected photograph contains seven men, but they are not side by side. The varied positions of these men create depth and a more compelling argument. From the title we know that this train is about to the leave the station. Logically, we believe these men were loading the train and preparing it for departure. Three of these men’s vectors of attention are directed toward the right bottom corner of the photo (the tracks leading to the next destination). This presents an ethos of expectation or accomplishment since they have finished their job. The man furthest from the camera has a vector of attention aimed at the group of men gathered around the locomotive, especially the man on the far left. Concerning ethos, he seems distant and lagging creating pathos of loneliness and isolation. The man on the far left is staring at the locomotive with his whole body pointed toward it. It seems he has a connection with the locomotive, evoking feelings of losing a beloved friend.

Finally, the last and most intriguing man is addressing his attention to the window of the locomotive where the conductor’s torso is visible! I failed to notice the conductor until I accessed all the other men’s vectors of attention. From this observation we can infer that these two men have a deeper connection than the others do. The worker may be wishing the conductor a safe journey, requesting that he delivers a package to a relative, or warning the conductor about a possible malfunction or aversive weather.

Altering an image is essential to portraying the photographer’s rhetorical argument. One strategy I noticed right off the bat was that the black locomotive was in the center of the frame, it is also large in comparison to the men. The photographer helped to accent this fact by increasing the saturation of the locomotive and decreasing it on the men. Another example of saturation and brightness is the snow laden foreground and its contrast to the train cars and the men. I’m sure the photographer increased the brightness and saturation of the snow, steam, and sky not only to make the train the centerpiece, but to make the whole photo eye-catching. Also, it’s no coincidence that the frame is black with a thin white line in the middle. This complements the overall contrast present in the photo.

One of the quantifying elements of this photo is the lighting which illuminates areas of the photo that would normally seem obscure. The time of day plays a major role in the rhetorical argument it is trying to present. Imagine if the setting was during dusk; most objects would be barely visible and the train would not be the center of attention anymore.