Inspiration
Donna Ferrato
Mary left her abuser to live in a shelter with her daughters. She returned to school and began to work with the children of addicts. Minnesota, 1988. Estrin, J. (2011)
The circumstances surrounding this image are not confirmed unless you read the caption attached to this image.
The photograph is in the medium of black and white image and shows a woman carrying a cardboard box overflowing with supplies. She is casually dressed at the bottom of a steep flight of steps by a handrail. Her front-facing pose suggests she was in a hurry to get away quickly from a difficult situation.
There is a lot of emotion captured within this image, the woman shows a combination of being scared and relieved all at the same. It is as if she is leaving the past behind her and is now able to move forward. It was captured in such a way that you cannot notice the movement, implying that the shutter speed was at the time or that the subject had stood still for a movement. The image appears more detailed in the foreground than in the background and at the sides, where it is darker. This composition is complementary to the nature of the subject.
Depending on an individual’s circumstance, freedom is viewed as something we should all have. The photograph above, taken in black and white, depicts this through the use of a road sign with the word “Freedom” and an arrow pointing to the left on an island. The sign is located in the centre of the photograph near a junction. Both the foreground and background are detailed, however, the sky is overexposed and burnt out. This would imply a sunny day, and we also observe a quiet moment on the road. The image is somewhat grainy which works very well well with the subject matter.
We will never know as to why Ferrato opted to shoot this image but as photographers, we are all guilty of capturing anything that catches our eye. It contributes to her initiative of photographing women leaving domestic violence and the route to freedom.
