This photo was taken by Diane Arbus in 1962. Arbus would frequently walk through parks in New York City searching for interesting people to photograph. In my opinion, Arbus had a knack for making ordinary people interesting. She knew that the camera had amazing powers of transformation.
Some questions to consider:
1. What in the scene gives some indication to the year it was taken?
2. What do you think the boy felt as he was having his (this) photo taken?
3. Diane Arbus once said: "I never have taken a picture I've intended. They're always better or worse." Take a look at the scan of Arbus' contact sheet below. Considering what she said above about her photographs surprising her, how do you think she felt when she looked at her contact sheet (below right).
4. There is a story that when this photo taken, Diane Arbus took her time before pushing the shutter release to take the exposure. After standing there a while, the boy became impatient, clenching his fists, making a face and pleading "take the picture already!". Some think that Arbus purposely took her time to get the reaction, while Arbus herself said she was moving around to get the best angle. Judging from the contact sheet, what do you think actually happened?
5. Many artists have created commentaries about warfare. Do you think that this says anything about war? Explain your answer.
POST YOUR OPINION: Do you think that this photo deserves the fame it has achieved? Explain why or why not?