Places all over the world are constantly going through hardships, ones that some of us are oblivious to. Most people would never guess that starvation strikes countries all over the world, even smaller countries that do not make it into the news. The problem of starvation in this picture is taken place in Yemen. A poor 9-month old infant diagnosed with acute malnutrition, is laying helpless in its mother's arms in a al-Sabyeen hospital. The photographer uses rule of thirds and color contrast to portray the hardship of starvation.
Rule of thirds is a photography term to describe a subject that lays on the gridline of a picture. If a grid lied on top of the photograph, it would be divided up into 9 boxes. The infant would line up with one of the lines. This draws the viewer's attention right to the baby, to assess its unhappy face and the situation going on. The effective use of rule of thirds allows the viewer to immediately direct its attention on the baby as the subject, and then realize what the baby is going through and how starvation is affecting it. The mother's hand also lies on one of the grid lines, showing the viewer that the mother is trying to do the best it can to comfort the baby, but it is quite obvious that the damage is already done.
The mother's hand also acts to create a color contrast with the baby's skin. The infant's skin is so pale and evidently unhealthy, it draws attention to the situation at hand. The black background also contrasts with the baby's light skin, making the subject more dramatic. This picture is very drab, reflecting the gloom tone of the photo. The only pop of color seen is the baby's hat, which is probably the mother's attempt of doing what she can do console her baby.
The use of rule of thirds and color contrast not only grabs the reader's attention to the baby, but creates an appeal to pathos, by honing in on the infant and the depth of the situation. The situation of a starving baby is very serious and tragic, and the photographer portrays that to the audience by crafting her photograph the way she did.
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