Research Assignment 2 - Photojournalism Photographs

Research Assignment 2

Workshop 1

Fakes flooding markets

by Jim O’Rourke, Sunday Canberra Times, 1 May 2011, page 10, photo credit Australian Customs Service.

The main photograph caught my attention. It is of a Customs Officer in her blue Customs uniform jacket. She is wearing white gloves and holding a box of ‘Durasell’ batteries flanked by a number of other boxes with ‘Durasell’ blister packs spread around. The fact that the name ‘Durasell’ is emblazoned on what appears to be a Duracell package brought my attention to the article. It also made me think of grey market and cheap overseas photographic supplies.

There are five more smaller images, 4 depicting brand named products, Channel earings, Prada sunglasses, Tiffany & Co braclet, OMO laudndry detergent and the last of a male Customs Officer carrying a heavy bag, contents unknown, out of a cluttered room.

The misspelling of the word Duracell was very obvious the way the packaging was laid out for the shot with 9 packages displaying the mispelled word. The colouring of the packages, black, yellow and white is the same as the original manufacturers as well as the batteries having the Duracell “copper top”. The three fashion items, to me were less obvious. The OMO too seemed correct until I checked a photo of the real thing on the web and found that the colour of the word OMO should have been dard blue and not magenta.

The main photo appearst to have been set up considering the way the items have been laid out and the Customs Officer is looking directly at the camera the image has the feel of a set up photo. It was probably taken with a wide angle lens, using a flash as catch light can be seen in the subject eyes, and the blown out white of her glove. The fashion items have pretty strong shadows leading me to believe they were photographed using a flash. The OMO and officer carrying a bag photos appears to have been shot in a well lit space probably wide angle lens. I wouldn’t be surprised if the images were taken with a point and shoot.

In addition to the photographs the first line of the article draws the reader in:

"EXPLODING mobile phone batteries, chemicals in soup that can burn a child's skin and hair straighteners that can deliver a deadly electrical shock."