Take a good look at the two photographs below then compare and contrast them using form and content as your guide. Be specific in your answers and support them with references to the photographs.
How are they the same? What formal elements do the photos share? Be specific here – state the obvious things you see.
What formal element do the two photographers use to divide the composition of each photo?
How are they different? What are your perceptions about the character of each photo?
What cultural differences do they reflect? Clues include the date and location of each photo.
The black and white photo is taken by Swiss photographer Robert Frank. He traveled the country in the 1950s documenting everyday life, publishing the images in a book titled https://www.nga.gov/features/robert-frank/the-americans-1955-57.html
The second image is a color photograph by a staff photographer at the Seattle Times newspaper. It was taken in 2017.
View the images below
Robert Frank, Trolley, New Orleans, 1955
Seattle Bus, The Seattle Times, 2017