Sergey Ponomarev by Alvia Urdaneta

 

Sergey Ponomarev for the New York Times, 2014.

The first protest that gained a mass amount of following and support thanks to the Internet was the protest in Egypt in 2012, and now in 2014, the Internet is serving as a platform for spreading the mission of protestors in Kiev, Ukraine. Ukrainians have realized that to gain support for their cause, it is vital to show what is happening in their country. Sergey Ponomarev has created an image that is impactful, and successfully makes viewers want to reach out and support. 

Riots began in the Ukraine because of the corrupt government’s last minute decision to create closer ties to Russia instead of joining the European Union (which would have made for new opportunities for modernization and economic growth). This protest in Keiv had quickly become one of the most violent in history, with more than 100 protestors dead. Ponomarev’s photograph is a powerful image because she puts her subject (the protestor) in context with what they are doing. In the foreground of her image there is a man using the typical riot police gear to protect himself from billowing clouds of smoke lit up with fire, midway rubble can be seen, and in the background (just sharp enough to distinguish) we see more protestors gathering behind the smoke. These elements, paired with the diagonal composition which is made up by the protestors taking up 30 percent of the image, and the smoke taking up 70 percent of the image, shows the protestor for who they really are, simply people.

The greatest element in this photograph is the expression of the protestor in the riot police gear. He is not showing the traditional soldier grit that is commonly photographed, instead the protestor looks to be more scared, or stunned by the violence. His expression reveals that he is not a trained soldier or police officer, but a Ukrainian citizen who took up arms to fight for the good of his country, even though that means fighting a trained riot police. 

Ponomarev’s photograph can stand alone to make a point for what is happening in the Ukraine, but would also benefit from being in a series that showed the other aspects of the protest. The photographer does successfully make viewers want to learn more about the protest, and portrays the protestors with justice. Personally, the photograph has made and impact on me in reference to the riots, and Ponomarev’s skills as a photographer have also impacted my views on composition.