Exploring Dorothea Lange’s style

Dorothea Lange was an American photographer, who was well known for her Great Depression photographs. One way to distinguish Lange’s work is by a black and white image usually depicting working class Americans during the Depression. One reason I am very interested in her work is because all of her images are very intimate. This works well for her pieces, which were created to raise awareness for how the Depression had affected America. Her images convey a lot of raw emotion, and therefore work well with the black and white photographs.

Dorothea Lange 1895-1965

One image I regard as beautiful is Dorothea Lange’s “Migrant Mother”

Migrant Mother Dorothea Lange 1936 

The reason this image is regarded as beautiful is because it is a candid image of human nature. The way that children are all leaning and resting on the mother I believe has a symbolic meaning. Since this was taken during The Great Depression ,it shows that the children are relying on the mother to survive, and the mother is barely making ends meet. I have assumed this from the body language of the mother and the children, as the children are all leaning on the mother exhausted, and the mother’s facial expression shows fatigue and worry. The image is so detailed, and it shows every small blemish on the mothers face, and really expresses her emotions to the camera.

Another image I like by Lange is the image of a woman in a car window. I do not know the name of the image, but I do know it is Lange’s image. The reason I like this image is again because of the candid approach, but also the symbolic meaning of the woman’s view.

The woman is staring off-camera, yet through the reflection in the window we can see what she is looking at – the clouds in the sky. To the woman, these clouds could remind herself of her journey, blowing around America aimlessly in hope of a job of money. Her face is very weathered, which shows age and experience.

This is my first image in imitation of Migrant Mother. The over the shoulder shot and the direct look at the camera creates an intimate relationship between the viewer and the model. The reason I chose to use a mirror is because it allows for multiple perspectives in one shot. It also allows the audience to better read the models body language in relation to the facial expression. The model looks angry, and this is also shown by the stiff body language and slightly clenched fist. The only editing that I have done to this image is to add a silver-tone filter, which has been done to firstly imitate Lange, but secondly it creates a more sombre tone.

This image I am very pleased with. In the style of Lange, it shows part of the models grim face, and the reflection of the window to show what he is looking at. Most of the editing done here was to really express the buildings in the reflection so that they are clear and easy to see.