Considering how much work we have done in class regarding photography and crafting the perfect shot, I decided to take a look around CNN and check out the photo galleries and slideshows on the site. The first that caught my eye was a gallery of the Chilean mine rescue, which began with photos of the T130 drill leaving the operations area, as well as family members of the relatives embracing as they learn that the Plan B shaft has broken through the chambers where the men are trapped.
The angles from which the photos were taken were spot-on; one of my favorites was a photo of a man wheeling a bike with the Chilean flag. I love the way that the musky, bland terrain takes up much of the foreground of the photo while the man with the bike is off-centered but still manages to stand out completely with him bright red shirt and Chilean flag. This photo depicts the “rule of thirds” that we applied to our own photography.
Another photo that I loved was one of the heavy equipment on the site, with the red of the flag peaking out from the left side of the photo. I loved the juxtaposition of the industrial efforts and the country’s intense national pride that ran rampant through so many of the photos, whether it be with flag images, or the color red. My favorite photo in the gallery was one of a young Chilean boy standing next to a (bright red) makeshift school, playing volleyball over a roadblock.
After I finished navigating the photo gallery, a thought popped into my head: wouldn’t a timeline be nice? Low and behold, as I backtracked to the main gallery, there was a comprehensive timeline covering the ordeal from August 5th to October 12th; the timeline contained photos, video clips, diagrams and graphic interactive simulations to depict what was occurring, and the probes that were being used.
I have to hand it to CNN; its coverage of the trapped Chilean miners was comprehensive and aesthetically alluring.
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