Charles Moore, Civil Rights Movement

This photo from Charles Moore shows two Black men and one Black women getting sprayed with a water hose. The caption describes the hose as propelling 100 pounds of water per square inch. The three people are leaning in to a door way trying to protect themself from the hose. The man on the far right appears to be getting most of the spray in the moment this photo was captured and it is clear to the viewer how hard the hose must have been due to the splashing water off the man and the white vertical line of water that almost looks like it is indenting the man. I think this photograph is effective because it conveys the true pain and terror that these Black demonstrators endured. In this photo the three people are clearly in a situation they have no control over and despite trying to protect themselves (by turning away from the hose) they are getting hit with a very strong hose that must have been incredibly painful. No written description of these events can compare to seeing a photo of the actual action and faces of the peoples affected. The overall sense of sadness and anger that is elicited in the viewer from viewing a photo like this one is not comparable to any written description of this same event.

Charles Moore: Birmingham, Alabama, 1963. Retrieved from: https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2010/03/charles_moore.html/