War in Iraq: 2002

The photograph for January 29, 2002 shows George W. Bush shaking the hands of Dick Cheney and Dennis Hastert after a speech to Congress. They are in the middle of a crowd. The three of them are the main points of interest in the photo; everybody else is looking towards them. This shows that they are in a place of power; they are separate from the others as well as above them. They have space in the picture while everybody else is crowded. George Bush has the only clear contrast, making him stand out. The picture is positioned asymmetrically with two of the three focal points on the left side of the frame, and the third in the middle. The photo crops the crowd in a way to show that there are many more people in the room. The only real linear aspects of this photo come from the desk. This helps to enforce the idea that it is a separation from the rest of the people in the photo. The woman wearing the bright orange suit on the right helps to balance out the photo a little bit. Everybody else is wearing dark blue or black, so she stands out quite a bit and the eye is naturally drawn to her.