Defending the Benetton Ad Campaign

The Benetton Ad campaign under Oliviero Toscani employs shock value in order to convey strong messages and attract attention to certain controversies around the world. Although many people find insult in such bold images, the strategy of shock value advertising works. Images that are out of the ordinary grab the eye and cause the viewer to study and remember what is seen. In the case of the David Kirby ad, even though the picture had already been published, Benetton's use of it brought attention to the world and media, causing people to talk about AIDS. In 2003 the photo was included in Life magazine collection "100 Photos that changed the world." (Courtesy Benetton Press Group). The picture of David Kirby causes the viewer to sympathize and relate with the victim and his family. The AIDS epidemic is controversial, let alone the use of the matter in an advertisement; however Benetton prides itself on using its ads to call attention to social issues. Even criticisms are considered good attention, because whether the use of the picture was beneficial to Benetton or not, it was beneficial in bringing awareness to the AIDS epidemic.

Lighting and Perspective

These photographs employ the ways that perspective and lighting can change a photograph. The first photograph has the leaves in focus, and views the flowers from a lower angle. The contrast of the light on the leaves to the flowers stands out. The second picture views the flowers from above, focusing on the yellow flower's face. The light hits the flower directly while the vase and leaves are darker in the background. The last picture has a side view of
the yellow flowers, so that the pink flower grabs the eye. However the light is still hitting all the flowers equally, the vibrancy of the pink flower overpowers the yellow.

Composition Project #3

This picture stood out among the other nature photos primarily because of the skewed viewpoint. The angle of the tree opens up a whole new backdrop for this picture. While the birds are the main focus, one cannot help but notice the beauty of the tree against the sky as well. This also touches on the color contrast created by the brown birds and tree against the bright blue sky. The birds are also placed at the bottom of this picture, rather than the center, increasing the depth already created by the skewed viewpoint. The composition of this photo is remarkable to say the least.

Source: National Geographic

Composition Project #2

The photo of "The Stricken Child Crawling Towards the Food Camp" (1994) in Sudan has drawn attention from all over the world. The viewpoint of this picture is so important because the depth created by the child being watched by the vulture practically screams out at the audience the blatancy of the tragic situation. Also, the color contrast and backdrop draws attention to both the vulture and the child. While the ground is clearly barren and dead, the two living things stand bold against the dirt, grabbing the eye.
Photographer: Kevin Carter

Composition Project

This Photo is called "War Underfoot" and captures a man walking through bullet-case covered streets in Monrovia, Liberia circa 2003. The vantage point used draws attention first to the citizen walking the streets, and then from his feet to the streets. By cropping out the person's identity, the photo further emphasizes the state of the street. The lighting creates a solemn tone, as if the abundance of post-war evidence is not enough. Although by placing the passerby in the middle of the photo violates the rule of thirds, the depth perception created by the bullets compensates, since focus should really be on the street and not on the person.

Photographer: Carolyn Cole
Source: Pulitzer.org