W.

Eugene Smith, Tomoko Uemura in her Bath 1971

Group G

Initial thoughts
Disturbing Interesting way of showing disablement. The knock-on effect of progression Showing what is normally hidden. Aims to shock and horrify the viewer.

Jenny. J Norris Chernobyl- Vesnova Mental Asylum Belarus Children of Chernobyl

history
Showing a young female Born with mercury poisoning, causing disability Industrial pollution His exposing the image to the public, lead to him being attacked which lead to a damaged eye and crippled health The image was later removed by Tomokos family after 20 year of publication

Gesture and posture

The posture of Tomoko almost infantilises her sense of womanhood due to her illness However it also shows her mothers undying love for Tomoko Tomokos stare into the above could be seen as a cry for help or for the hope of better life As neither subjects are looking at the camera we almost feel like an intruder into a sensitive scene

How has he portrayed his story

He did a series of photographs in a book called Minamata which documented these ill sufferers Smith decided to be a spectator and chose not to interfere He was chosen to promote a form called humanistic photography which explored creating an effect through spectating disturbing scenes, shocking the viewers to see the truth

Composition, object and frame

Close composition showing the mother and daughter relationship and how close they have to be everyday for Tomoko to survive High contrast and harsh lighting make the scene feel small and enclosed, which could suggest that they have been cut away from normal society Tomoko is almost objectified due to her lack of mobility and abilities

Visual choices
The lighting highlights the areas of visual disability but both faces are lit and therefore this questions whether artificial lighting was used to enhance the shocking but nurturing nature of the image The camera angle is from above the subject which may suggest that Smith was looking down on them in maybe pity or to feel a sense of power in his duty to release the photographs to the outside world

Our attitude to the photograph

Although some of us find this image disturbing, because of its shocking nature it led to the change in attitudes to pollution in the environment and the compensation of two and a half thousand people The image has brought an awareness to societys attitude to pollution and disability.