Robert Frank was a Swiss American documentary/Street photographer, who documented the life in 1950’s America. His most famous work would be his 1958 book tilted ‘The American’ which consitsed of 83 photos. He began in photography as using it as  way to escape the horror of World War ll  and express his emotions. In 1047 he moved to America, however he did not settle there he went traveling in South America and Europe he then  came back to the USA in 1950. Although he was excited for what he was going to experience in the USA this excitement quickly tuned into disappointment as he found the American lifestyle as a fast paced and overemphasis on money.  He found the country to be bleak, lonely and disappointing which he expressed in he documentary  photography of the country.

The image shown above is a famous image from his series ‘The Americans’ which is entitled ‘Trolley’ the image can be broken down in to different sections.

Technical

The image has lot of visual technical features that makes the image, one of them being the use of rue of thirds. as the image is clearly dived up into three sections it helps to that the onlooker can take more time into looking into the detail and texture of the image. The use of symmetry can also be classed in the rule of third as it helps to make the image more effective as the use of repetition is very pleasing to the eye. Another technique that is used in the image whether it was intentional r not it has been used in the image is the use of Anansel Adams Zone system, the darkest tones are in the space within the trolley are the lightest part is in the bars on the outside,

Contextual

This image highlights the struggle ans segregation in at the time. In the image the people on the trolley are very clearly separated into sections; White men, White woman, White children. Black man and finally Black woman. The image shows the struggle that black people would be facing having to give up there seats for others, being forced to sit at the back and having to be sectioned because there was something ‘wrong’ with them. So this image has a lot of contextual meaning to it.

Visual

The one  of the visual feature of the image is the use of black and with and within that the high levels of contrast and highlights as it makes the image more dramatic. One of the natural feature tat has formed in the image is the frame like types of windows as it helps to break the image up into different sections.

Conceptual

One of the conceptual features is the meaning of the bars. Which can also be seen as prison bars which could have a symbolic meaning that the people are trapped in society beliefs in what they are/worth based on there appearance, which helps to bring a structure of the segregation in the society at the time.