Picture Analysis

Migrants stand during a sandstorm in El Paso, Texas. Tens of thousands of people are waiting to cross into the US from Mexico, officials say, after a pandemic-era border policy expired on Friday. The policy, known as Title 42, allowed the US to swiftly deport people without an asylum hearing, using the coronavirus pandemic as justification.

Shot type - Long shot -

The rule of thirds is utilised as bottom half of frame is shades of yellow and silhouettes of black, whilst the top half is a changing gradient to black from yellow. In terms of composition, we only see silhouette outlines of people and barbed wire. The silhouettes signifies the marginalised nature of the migrants and lack of uniqueness or worth in the eyes of the government, perhaps critiquing. Also, we can see a diagonal line of yellow floodlights in the background radiating the scene.

Symbolism - The barbed wire positioned in front of the migrants further exemplifies the idea that they are marginalised, viewed as outsiders from the inside.

The yellow tint dominates the landscape, it reveals nature of sandstorm and creates a melancholic aesthetic.

The scattered crowds suggests that the migrants are helpless in this situation and that there has been little efforts made to aid them during the sandstorm.