Pulitzer Prize Photo Review
Tragedy by the Sea
Photographer - John L. Gaunt
In 1954, in Hermosa Beach, California, waves slowly washed the beach, eliminating the footprints of people passing by. A couple stood at the junction of the waves and the beach. The complex emotions make them feel anxious for a while, cry for a while and angry again. The waves pushed slowly, and suddenly it showed a black shadow. It was a drowned body, the body of a child. The waves were still washing the beach, and the child's mother could not accept this fact, so she staggered and almost threw herself onto the man's arms.
John Gaunt took this picture called "Tragedy by the Sea" on Hermosa Beach in California in 1954. And this picture won the Pulitzer Prize in 1955. If I didn't move the mouse over this picture, I would think it was a romantic couple photo. And, I think that among a bunch of photos that won the Pulitzer Prize, this seemingly "romantic" photo is not worth mentioning here. This is a sad photo. It tells how sad the couple saw their child drowning in the sea. The photographer also thinks of his similar daughter through this photo.
From the shooting point of view, this photo does not immediately make the reader reflect the true meaning of the first impression on the audience. The reason for this is that the expressions of the couple who are the focus of the entire photo at the bottom right of the photo cannot clearly distinguish what emotions they are. Women are frowning and the corners of their eyes are drooping, while men are just profiled. Such a situation could be that the couple or lovers are arguing or playing at the beach. In addition, if the audience does not carefully watch the bodies of children floating in the waves, they will not be able to pay attention. Therefore, I think it might be more impressive to take this photo from another angle. For example, from the perspective of a couple to take a picture of a corpse floating in the sea, or a couple’s eyes looking at a child in the sea and crying.
Judging from the color of the photo, this photo is a black and white photo. According to Brianna (2017), even if color photos appeared in 1861, color photos in the mid-1900s could be compared with black and white photos. Therefore, black and white photos were a popular trend in that era. "Tragedy by the Sea" was shot in 1954, which is not surprising from a contemporary perspective. Brianna also believes that black and white can also express the emotions of photographers (2017). I think the color black and white also played a big role in this picture. This seemingly "romantic" photo is very abrupt in the black and white colors. While watching the photo, I put aside the corpse in the sea, I would be curious about if this photo was not in 1954 but now in 2021, this photo would be very strange. I think the photographer wants to show the sadness of the couple through black and white tones to show a kind of sadness under the color. In a sense, black and white also represent people who have passed away. After paying attention to the true meaning of the photo, I can say that this photo is the photo of the child. It is a very sad thing for both the couple and the audience.
I think contrast and light/darkness are well represented in this photo. The most noticeable part in black and white photos is the dark part. In "Tragedy by the Sea", the couple's lower body and the children in the water are dark. At the same time, the sea and sand are almost white. The black and white tones unconsciously make people feel curious, and pay more attention to the strong contrast caused by some dark parts. Therefore, it can be said that the photographer emphasizes that this is not an ordinary couple photo by using dark colors.
In short, for me, even if this photo does not really work for me from the shooting angle, I have to praise the use of black and white to meticulously create a sense of oppression and sadness for audience.
Reference：
Cliff. “Tragedy by the Sea.” Flickr, Yahoo!, 18 Sept. 2010, www.flickr.com/photos/nostri-imago/4999514643/in/album-72157623484633083/.
Collins, Brianna. “Symbolism of Black-and-White Photography.” Our Pastimes, 15 Sept. 2017, ourpastimes.com/symbolism-of-black-and-white-photography-12597173.html.
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