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“Fitting In”
By: Kevin Moore
Professor Davison
Writing Research and Technology
3 May 2016
Introduction:
The goal of my photo essay was to illustrate the temptations and struggles modern day children deal with as they progress through school. Peer pressure is relevant in so many forms and the need to fit in can sometimes head kids down the wrong path. My goal was to chronologically tell a story from early elementary education all the way through a child’s secondary education. My pictures start by showing small things students feel they should have to feel welcomed by the other kids they are in school with. These pictures progress from small materialistic things that kids may purchase to feel “cool”, or to try to fit in with the crowd. As my photo essay continues the pictures I chose gradually show that following the crowd is not always the best option. Materialistic things slowly start to fade out, and not be the only thing that students feel the need to have to fit in. Soon it become harmful habits that students experiment with at a young age. Where some people may just do exactly that, and strictly experiment, others may not always have that glory.
Many teens experiment with things at a young age and the peer pressure continues to grow on them. These small bad habits turn into much bigger issues that can cause serious life long issues. The goal of this essay was to show how these small goofy things we see children do to fit in with the crowd, can quickly spiral out of control. It’s unbelievable how many teenagers are smoking, drinking, and or struggling with some type of drug addiction. It is important children understand that being a leader is a much more valuable attribute than being able to be a follower. Following the crowd and fitting in is not what’s important, but staying true to oneself and being a unique individual is. My goal is that this photo essay can show the many temptations students go through, and how the little things can ultimately lead to something much bigger and more severe.
The photos I chose to include in my photo essay all have a specific purpose. I chose this topic specifically because of something stated in Sontag’s reading from class. Sontag stated that, “Photographs furnish evidence.” (Sontag, 2) Even as adults we hear about issues occurring in society that we tend to ignore. It is not until something is seen first hand until we truly want to believe or understand what is truly going on. Growing up in a largely populated town with many wealthy people, I witnessed first hand the story my photo essay is attempting to tell. I chose to first take pictures of my elementary, middle, and high school to make this photo essay a little more personal. People may think growing up in a less inner city type of location reduces the peer pressure students may face in some “rougher” areas. This is certainly not the case. My photo essay shows the first temptations of materialistic items students feel the need for to fit in with the other kids at school.
Some materialistic photos I included in my essay were things like pictures of advanced technology, name brand clothes, expensive basketball sneakers, and even cars as students get older. These photos depict the pressure students face to have all of these things to create a positive self-‐image. Angela Kelly stated, “We may look in the mirror only to check our appearance, not see through it.” (Kelly, 411) This is exactly the message I am trying to portray by using this group of materialistic images. These kids are buying these things so others can see that they fit the requirements to be labeled in a particular way. Students dress, act, and pretend to be someone who they may not truly be at all. The peer pressure is so strong though, that it almost feels one hundred percent necessary to be like everyone else. I not only took pictures of these name brand clothes and technologies, but also did it in a way that looks visually appealing to the eye. I used my IPhone as I felt it would be appropriate giving the topic we are discussing. Using different angles and filters I was able to not just to hope to show people these specific things, but also make them want them at the same time. Using these strategies I believe the pictures don’t just show materialistic items, but also show why students long to have them as well.
As A Group
Using my cell phone to take these pictures was also helpful by showing why these things seem too important to kids growing up in this society. Simple pictures of materialistic items can almost appear professionally taken with probably the most common cellular telephone students are using in modern day schools. If you don’t have a smartphone it almost feels as if you are the only person who doesn’t. As my chronological photo essay continues and students start to be tempted with different things it shows how quickly things can progress. I chose to first show photos of cigarettes and beer being that these are usually the first harmful temptations students are faced with in school. In these photos I took I showed why these things could appeal to the younger generation. The cigarette is burning in the photo next to the pack with the metallic green label, and the beers are all pumpkin flavored beers. The materialistic things start to take a back seat and students start experimenting in order to not just “fit in”, but also to have fun. Students are doing these things to have fun and peer pressure grows even stronger and more complicated for teenagers.
Although, some people can experiment and shortly realize they need to get back on the right track, others do not. These flavored beers, and menthol cigarettes can serve as gateway habits to bigger and more severe substances. As my photo essay enters the later high school days the photos quickly escalade. The cigarettes and beer photos become no big deal as pictures of multiple liquor bottles, marijuana paraphernalia, and prescription medicine come into play. I chose to take these pictures in a way that shows how easy it is for children to have access to these things. Many parents keep these liquor bottles in the house not keeping track of who and when is consuming it. Where the same issues go for tin foil to make a marijuana pipe, and prescription pills around the house. Although, these photos may seem severe, that was the goal of my essay. Parents are so surprised when things spiral out of control with their children. It is no longer shocking to me after seeing the millions of temptations kids are faced with going through school everyday. It was my goal to set these photos up chronologically and tell this story in a way that gets this point across to all of the viewers.
As A Group Continued…
One individual photo that I was happy with was the photo of the Ralph Lauren Polo Shirts. I attempted to use the photography tools we talked about in class in all of my photos, but feel as if they were best displayed in this photo. Susan Sontag stated, “photographs are as much an interpretation of the world as any other work of art.” (Sontag, 3) I agree with this statement, which is why I specifically took these pictures the exact way I did. I used exact angles and overhead techniques to enhance the audience to view this photograph in a particular way. In this photo the focus is on specific logo. Although all three of the shirts are the same brand, the focus is on the bright yellow one because the other two logos are both a duller navy blue. By using what I learned about the “rule of thirds” I was able to diagonally stagger the shirts to have each shirt in a third of the photo. The center of the photo is drawn to the bright yellow logo, which was the goal because the photo is being used to represent dependency on materialistic things.
I also attempted to touch on many of the other aspects we have learned about photography. Depth, background, viewpoint, patterns, and balancing elements techniques were all used in this photo. I attempted to accomplish depth by making sure the shirts were not laid completely flat. The shirts having waves and wrinkles in them give the picture a depth perspective that enhances the photo as a whole. I intentionally did not want to have any other background besides the shirts themselves. They are all loud colors, which pop and draw the viewer’s eyes to the picture. The viewpoint is still the logo specifically, but the different color shirts do not affect the way someone is drawn to the Polo horse. Lastly, I attempted to use the patterns of the shirts to show balancing elements in my photo. The middle shirt being solid surrounded by the other two striped shirts help balance the photo and give it a more symmetrical balance. The uses of these photographic tools help better portray my message in my photo essay of highlighting the dependency on materialistic brand name clothing.
Singled Out
Works Cited
Angela Kelly, “Self Image: Personal is Politcal” in Camerawork 12 (January 1979). Sontag Susan, “The New York Review of Books Photography.”18 Oct. 1973: n.pag. Print.