Brandon Stanton is a photographer from New York who created a blog called "Humans of New York." He documents the everyday lives of humans and the struggles or feats that they run into. More specifically, Brandon photographed a young man walking home from school. This photo went viral as the young man goes to a troubled school in the projects yet still succeeds in life and is surrounded by people that want him to succeed, Yet as we look closer as to why this photo blew up on the internet, Brandon's appeal to pathos and use of color attract the audience into this photo.
Brandon wants others to hear the young man's story, and he does this through capturing the image while the young man is half smiling attracts the audience into the photo. This half smile shows all of the struggles that the boy has faced and continues to face, yet also shows the motivation and true happiness that he has.
The happiness that the young man has even though he faces struggles everyday, like not knowing if he will have dinner at night, is truly amazing. The use of minimal colors in the photo sets up a somber vibe that appeals to pathos by pulling out the remorseful emotions of the audience. The black jacket and hoodie and the dull grey background of impoverished Brooklyn make the photo even more meaningful.
Brandon's goal was to show the world the story of this young man, and he did so in one photo by appealing to pathos with the boys half smile, and using colors to his advantage to capture the audience.
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