(Person) Percentage - Sabanci University Research Database

The Asian Media & Mass Communication Conference 2010 Osaka, Japan
A potential point confusion in the message Samantha* is trying to portray has to do with her use
of two different locations to show how city spaces have been transformed during the Olympics.
Perhaps the street in the second photograph had not been affected because it is not near any of
the Olympic venues. However, from the first photograph we are able to get a sense of how
movement and access have been restricted in some areas of the city. While this set of photos
does not give us a depiction of the same space ‘before’ and ‘after’ the Games, it does contrast the
spaces that have been left untouched (such as the one in her neighbourhood) with spaces that
have been taken over by authorities and organizers (mostly in the downtown area). The first
photo, in particular, has a strong composition following the rule of thirds, with a slanted angle to
express a feeling of disorientation. Additionally, the stark, neon colours of the orange traffic
cones and red street sign contrast significantly with the natural, calm colours of the pink cherry
blossoms and green grass and trees in the second photo representing “normal” times.
Example #3
“These photos were taken downtown. I was walking with my family at night to see the wonderful
sights and saw many people, trash and a waste of energy. There is no contrast really but both
photos show different things. I went with using night shot for brighter pictures and I tried to
show more than one meaning for each picture. I want you to remember these words next. The
waste of energy did not just happen when the Olympics occurred, it happens all the time but it
doesn’t have to be like that. Just don’t waste energy or toss trash on the ground.”
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