Visual Media Literacy Analysis

Every image has a purpose that is presented by the different elements it contains in the

image. It is not by accident that certain images bring overwhelming joy while others can present

impending death. Aesthetic elements in pictures are easy recognized by every viewer, but not all

elements are easily recognizable to the viewer and can seem incognito. Lines, colors, and other

similar elements can create some of the most powerful messages with a particular arrangement.

It is important to consider these when constructing advertisements and images, improper

assembly will alter the entire image. The picture I chose to discuss presents a woman in Nepal

amongst rubble after an earthquake struck. James Nachtway took the image after the earthquake

in 2015 that killed over 9,000 people and left hundred of thousands of people homeless and

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without power. The image represents the strong emotions behind the catastrophic event that

occurred.

When taking a first glance at the image, it is natural to understand that there is a strong

feel of destruction and struggle. The attention is immediately drawn to the women in the center

who seems to be rummaging in heavily effected areas. The woman is leaning over towards the

bags in a diagonal shape that shows the activity and motion of her working hard at cleaning up.

Assisted by the visible destruction, the image shows the hardships of living conditions and leads

to assume that the entire area surrounding is in shambles as well. The other main emotion drawn

out is a sense of hope even though there is not much to visibly support this. So what helps pull

the accurate emotions delivered in this powerful image? Without knowing the context of what

occurred, the emotions are entirely accurate and created through the delicate use of aesthetic

elements.

The attention first captured in the image the construction of the vertical lines. The

concrete columns with rebar remaining standing create a unique message. The deconstructed

building with remaining columns shows that the effected area used to have strong tall buildings

that are strongly associated with strength. The columns are also angled in such a way that they

create a giant vector leading towards the women in the middle. The angles also shout the

building and reconstruction of the city relies heavily upon each person’s contribution. The

concrete poles are angled from both sides pointing at the women while the rebar remains

continuing vertically further than the image. The sense of destruction is very alive without

crushing all hopes.

The building was obviously affected by the destructive events, but still did not

completely fall to ruins. The columns help to create the sense of hope that they can be rebuilt and

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were not totally destroyed. If the image only contained crumbled rock and concrete, it would

derive a much more hopeless emotion. The ravaged building is full of rocks, lumber, rope and

bright yellow bags. All the colors besides the lady and the bags are grey and lifeless colors. The

steady grey hue to the image makes it very dull and lifeless in the foreground. The basic color

choice allows the viewer to understand that the entire area has been set back and needs to start

from the beginning. The concrete is quite the opposite of a warm comfortable feel and shows the

undesirable living conditions.

The bright yellow bags in contrast with the devastated building impact the image in such

a strong manner. The bags being filled by the women help present hope and strength through

hard work. The bags show someone’s dedication to rebuild and their mental strength to persist

through it. This reiterates the sense of hopefulness in hard times. Only two or three of the bags

are visible by daylight while you notice afterwards that there are many more already filled bags

in the shadows. Having only a few visible bags also communicates that reconstruction and clean

up will not be an easy road, but rather a vigorous one. Working away at this overwhelming

project in small pieces shows the woman’s mental strength and persistence.

Yellow is strongly associated with caution and warmth. Without the sun being visible in

the image, the yellow bags are positioned in the shade of the building walls and are attempting to

take the place of it. The sun is often associated with hope and I believe the bags were well

positioned to take the place of that. The bright yellow bags placed in the shade may be dull

without the light, but still maintain hope for the people of Nepal.

The timing of the light in the picture creates a powerful emotion in itself. The shadow is

perfectly timed to highlight the woman and create a vector aimed right at her. The shadow is

followed directly down towards her and stopped by the square concrete structure so the viewer’s

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eyes do not continue to the left side. If the sun was present in the right top corner of the image, it

would present hope an unrealistic manner. With the limited amount of light available and the

woman still working, it reiterates her dedication to long tough challenge ahead of her.

The calm skies speak loudly for the scenery presented. The sky appears very still and

shows ‘the calm after the storm’ even though the area has been devastated. The peaceful sky and

background helps support hope. Even though disaster came and struck, now is the time to work

and recreate livable areas. If the sky were clouded or stormy, this would utterly crush the hope in

the image. It is also important to note that the image presents the affected building in the

foreground and jumps immediately to the far off background of mountains. If there was a

background surrounded by a ruined city or more deconstructed buildings, it would create an

overwhelming emotion that crushes inspiration to rebuild. The jumping contrast from a high

building to far off mountains helps the sense of power and strength that the community has. The

tall mountains are powerful and create a clear similarity to the building and area.

The carefully centered mountains in the background create peace and an optimistic

emotion. The symmetry of the background creates a vector towards the center as the woman is

placed near even underneath the peak of the mountains. The foreground is close to symmetrical

so the woman is focused in the center, but not everything is symmetrical. The hard square

structure on the left contrasts with the ropes and bags on the right side. The contrast shows the

road to reconstruction will not be easy or simple. The background is essential to understand the

full message of what the image presents.

The purpose of the image is very clearly shown. The image does not only present the

women’s ambition to the situation, but it is metaphorical for the entire community. The message

shows that the entire community and all people are willing to dedicate their efforts to rebuild

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what they once had and not have their lives totally crushed due to natural disasters. Nepal may

have endured one of the worst natural disasters in years, but hope is still very alive in the

community.

The emotions drawn out of this image are very clear and well communicated. For all

intended purposes, I think this image exceedingly gets across the message that Nepal is working

to rebuild and reconstruct what was once was a thriving community. The sense of hope and

ambition to work away at these rigorous projects is very alive in the image. It also does not

misinterpret the amount of hope and balances it with the message of hard work and amount of

time it will take to achieve these goals. It is a very fine line of presenting optimism without

presenting a false hope and the image successfully does so. This image accurately presents a

clear message through the use of aesthetic elements.