Old News Interpretation

Jeff Sprang's exhibit "Old News" really had me wondering about all the photographs that were hung around the gallery. The photograph that really stuck out to me was Life Flight. It was taken on July 24, 1985, after an automobile accident in northern Richland County. You can tell that it had been taken many years back due to the style of car that was apart of the crash and the emergency vehicles that were on site, as well as the style of short shorts the males in the photo were wearing. The shorts also tell the viewer that it was a summer month.The digital silver gelatin print allows the viewer to focus on what is really happening in the photograph, not the bright colors that would have taken been in the photograph due to the season. The point of view of this photograph allows you to see the emergency response teams, the ambulance, firetruck, and most importantly the life flight helicopter. As well as seeing the response vehicles, the viewer is also able to see the car smashed into the tree and how much damage was done from this accident, along with everyone that was at the accident helping out. There are so many different objects to look at in this photograph, but your attention soon becomes turned to the helicopter that is rising in the air.

When I look at that photograph so many questions run through my mind. What happened that the car crashed? What was happening at that exact moment in time that the photo was taken? Are the people that were in the vehicle alright? What I believe happened in this photograph is that maybe the driver was driving too fast and lost control, or tried to get out of the way of another car. I think these things because from what I saw in the photograph it didn't look like it had been raining so the roads would not have been slick, it almost looked like a nice sunny day out. One thing I love about this photograph is that everyone in the photo has their backs turned away from the camera. This usually doesn't happen in most photos. However, due to the severity of the event that had just occurred no one is focused on who is taking pictures. In doing so, it allows Sprang to make more emphasis on what is going on and takes the attention of the viewer straight to where everyone is looking, the life flight helicopter. This photograph was taken to document the accident and to tell others about it. Many people use photographs like these to try to promote better driving or for people to slow down, because in an instant things can go terribly wrong.

When I look at this photograph it makes me realize that even though you don't think so, bad things can still happen to you. It also reminds me that when driving, you don't just have to watch out for what you're doing and how fast you're going, but also be alert to what is going on around you and trusting in the other drivers that they are being mindful while they are driving, as well. Three questions that I would like to ask Mr. Sprang would be:
1. How do you hear about the events occurring? Are you walking around seeing them happen or getting alerts from others?
2. What would be your advice to those beginning to take photographs?
3. What made you want to become a photographer?