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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region Forums'I could write an entire essay about why I love this photo of Hillary'
I published this photo of Hillary Clinton and the response was overwhelmingBy Melissa McEwan | October 3, 2016
I published this photo of Hillary Clinton taken by Barbara Kinney, along with a few quickly composed thoughts on what the photo meant to me. I have gotten an unusual outpouring of responses from people who see exactly what I do and are similarly moved by it.
My original piece on this photo read:
I could write an entire essay about why I love this photo. This very candid photo of a woman doing her job in an unspecial room, surrounded by scattered water bottles and the cords to various electronic devices and notices crudely taped to a wall.
This photo of an A student, immersed in her studies.
This photo of one of the most recognizable and admired women on the planet, sitting on a folding chair all on her own, in what has probably become a rare moment of quiet, so she can prepare to lead the free world.
This photo of a woman whose country has often been unfathomably cruel to her, doing her homework so that she can be prepared to be its leader, because she loves this country even when it doesnt love her back, while its flag pokes into the frame from the corner, a symbol of the history, culture, industry, future of a great and struggling nation, stoically petitioning her from its perch above a dirty carpet in a small room.
This photo of diligent preparedness, demolishing ideas about voracious ego and ruthless ambition beneath a crumbling edifice of misogynist narratives about power-seeking women.
This photo of womens work.
This photo of Hillary.
Since it was published, this piece has remained the most highly trafficked at my personal site. Friends have alerted me they have seen it republished in full (with attribution) on social media. I have gotten a number of emails from strangers about it, telling me how much it resonated with them, including a missive from a Clinton volunteer who told me it was one of the most inspiring things he had read this election...
It occurred to me that there is not just a dearth of stories about Clinton supporters; there is also a dearth of stories about Clinton herself, the way her supporters see her.
There is a frustrating abundance of stories casting Clinton as any one of the myriad caricatures of her that have been drawn over decades, but precious few that are written with an eye to look at her, the human being behind the exaggerations, mischaracterizations, and outright lies...
read more: http://linkis.com/shareblue.com/FuG1v
treestar
(82,383 posts)just like the ones they make about President Obama. The M$M is useless.
gratuitous
(82,849 posts)There will be reams of copy flowing out of the popular media about how much they liked Obama all along, but they just couldn't say it in real time because . . . well, it definitely won't be because their racist readers and viewers would have come unglued, so stop saying that. But now that Obama has safely passed into post-presidency, all the little grace notes, thoughtful gestures, personal touches and other evidence of his humanity will finally be aired.
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)I think you nailed it...and it's just tragic, what idiots are out there.
I hate to think what they'll do to Hilary.
ailsagirl
(22,837 posts)She wouldn't have lasted in public service all these years had she not been.
And I don't think she has any illusions about the challenges of being the first woman President of the United States-- she knows it won't be an easy road.
But she will prevail.
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)Very true.
handmade34
(22,755 posts)"...preparing to be its leader, because she loves this country even when it doesnt love her back..."
brer cat
(24,401 posts)Very true statement.
C_U_L8R
(44,889 posts)To me, that is all the difference in the world right there
Bernardo de La Paz
(48,773 posts)Donald J tRump doesn't work and wouldn't sit in such an ordinary chair, a chair used by the common people.
Renew Deal
(81,801 posts)This is not the 30's. We have color photos. It's OK.
barbarakinney
Presidential giggles with @hillaryclinton and @barackobama
...she shoots in color, as well
athena
(4,187 posts)there are very few colors: bright blue, with complementary yellow-orange in the background. Everything else is black, off-white, or beige. If there were too many other colors, the photograph wouldn't work as well as it does.
bigtree
(85,915 posts)...that she's seeing the same things you are - simplifying the amount of colors in her shots, and coordinating them, as well, at times.
I couldn't have put your explanation for b/w photos any better. The 'message' is enhanced when the colors aren't allowed to distract from the subject.
...one of my faves:
Skittles
(152,964 posts)Hillary is a very reserved person so when she lights up, well, it's cool
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)Thanks for posting it!
athena
(4,187 posts)The colors add a lot of information. When you want to simplify a message, you reduce the information to the essentials. This is why, in fact, drawings and paintings look so much better to us than photographs, when they're competently done.
lunatica
(53,410 posts)Just like film is. The photographer gets to decide how to use his/her medium for effect.
You sound a bit bitter that someone would dare to opt for a black and white photo of a very simple visual message.
Everyone's a critic.
GReedDiamond
(5,299 posts)...very technically/beautifully done.
I would call it "art."
sammythecat
(3,568 posts)and how to do it.
I like the photo as it is... a lot. Color, here, would just add distraction and wouldn't work near as well.
Maru Kitteh
(28,303 posts)And as others have pointed out, color can make a mess and jumble of things where simplicity is preferred.
uponit7771
(90,225 posts)awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)Last edited Tue Oct 4, 2016, 10:06 PM - Edit history (1)
Color can help mask poor framing.
On edit: the word I was looking for was "composition" not "framing".
uponit7771
(90,225 posts)lupinella
(365 posts)However as others have said, photography is an art form.
You probably wouldn't expect all painters to work with oils if they believe watercolours express their vision more clearly. Or sculptors to work only with welded steel if wood complements the subject better.
One of the beautiful things about this photo is the sparseness of the surroundings mirroring the folding chair & the papers in her hand. It reflects who she really is, and the photographer's use of black & white echoes that theme.
tclambert
(11,080 posts)I'm sure if Donald is elected, he will re-decorate the throne room, I mean Oval Office, with lots of fake gold and ludicrously ornate furniture, plus a few grandiose more-than-lifesize portraits of himself, probably donated by a charitable (?) foundation.
sammythecat
(3,568 posts)PunkinPi
(4,870 posts)and illustrates the striking difference in this election between gilded artifice (Donald) vs authentic substance (Hillary). Thanks for posting.
tiptonic
(765 posts)Coming from a crummpy/bumpy old man (of the Bernie flavor), this simply says it all. She cares!!
Maru Kitteh
(28,303 posts)She works hard. The work is what matters to her, doing the most good for as many as she can.
Contrast with
Shankapotomus
(4,840 posts)That girl in middle school you had no clue how to talk to because, unlike most, she was genuinely there to learn and you were kind of a slacker.
JanMichael
(24,846 posts)Being an older X'er I am a slacker....
Rose Siding
(32,623 posts)others like me.
lillypaddle
(9,580 posts)bucolic_frolic
(42,661 posts)That's what I see there
She's a hidden gem that has been hidden in the shadows of her husband
Her talents will be on display if she is elected
byronius
(7,369 posts)JohnnyLib2
(11,206 posts)and a Methodist at that. K & R
asiliveandbreathe
(8,203 posts)I see thoughtful, educated decision making, not wavering. I see a traditional woman, who embodies family values in the truest sense...I don't see hunger for power - I see Hillary using just enough power to get her message across against a stormy incoming tide, sometimes you need to rev the engine to get through the sound bar -
Just common sense trying to do the most good, for the most people - always listening to reliable sources and yes, in some cases needing to listen to her own gut when it comes to her personal life..her most devastating, and her most finest hour...
Hillary has endured the most brutal attacks on her character for years - mostly from men - white men - who have been mischaracterizing her for years, fearful white men - of strong, independent women. All knowing powerful men - do as I say, not as I do men..
Women are leading the way - and Hillary is leading the charge - in a most respectful way - and with humor I might add....
Can you tell, I'm with her...Hillary...
uponit7771
(90,225 posts)AngryAmish
(25,704 posts)TheDebbieDee
(11,119 posts)her lesson, doing last minute studying to ACE that test. And when I read your description, I saw that you agreed with me!
lonestarnot
(77,097 posts)UTUSN
(70,494 posts)SunSeeker
(51,367 posts)lupinella
(365 posts)is brilliant at distilling my scattered thoughts into eloquent words. Both women (HRC & Melissa) are incredibly under-appreciated by a world in which they fight on a daily basis to make better, more just, less cruel.
Cheers to hard-working, brilliant people who fight for us all!