Guerrero A. Abril
CODES 121
Dr. DeSpain
25 August 2024
Analyzing “Where We Are” From The New York Times
While reading the photo essays, I was amazed by the different things and how pictures can express more than words. All the photos express similar elements; some were inspiration, communities, and generations. The images show life’s creativity through color, freedom, dreams, hopes, love, and life. As I analyze the photo essay, I hope to have a different approach to life and color through them.
The picture essay “My First Car” by Adali Schell demonstrates young people’s dreams, the fullness of life in them, and their connection with the people around them. The youth generation of today, in the article of the photo, expresses “escape monotony fear” from the mentally dark pandemic and isolation from 2020. At the same time, the color of the images shows joy, the freedom to experience something new for the first time and not alone.
The overall pictures and writing displace the new experience of driving freely and having a sense of freedom when driving for the first time by yourself. In one of the photos, it gets my attention to see people driving in a car and the hands of a girl with her hair moving from the window open, feeling let go of responsibilities and just happy driving in the sunset. In writing, Kerry said, “It doesn’t matter where you are” and “It’s just the company.”
In life, a new experience is always fun and scary at the same time, but it feels better when you’re not doing it alone. In the writing, you learn that words help express the images. The people in the young community show color, as Kerry says, “You realize you’re not alone.” It shows the creativity of young generations and how independence is not Amazon but Amazon when experiencing new things with friends and people.
Finally, the photos craft the beginning of creativity and show the physical geography of traveling and independence. The creativity of the different types of car rides with friends on the journey of the unknown with the freedom to explore the city, sunrise, and landscape. It inspires a new perspective on life to explore new experiences.