Washington Gridlocked Again… By a Snowstorm, Thankfully -by:Jacquelyn Martin

Washington Gridlocked Again… By a Snowstorm, Thankfully -by:Jacquelyn Martin

 

 

                On the front page of TIME.com is an unfamiliar picture of a familiar building. The White House, the home of the president, is recognized by millions of Americans and likely billions around the world. Countless movies and TV shows have featured the building (often time depicting its abrupt destruction). The White House is truly a symbol of America and its government.

                Despite the inherent familiarity that is triggered by seeing or hearing about the White House, the photo has a sense of unfamiliarity ingrained within it. I’m used to seeing the building directly from the front or behind, so seeing it at an angle is different. Additionally, the typical picture of the building is taken during the day, so seeing it at night lit up gives it and almost iridescent glow. Finally, as the title suggests, it is snowing in the picture. Washington D.C is fairly south, so I’m sure snow is a rare sight. I’ve certainly never seen snow on the residence before.

                Technically, the photo frames the White House in the bottom right corner. While your eye is drawn to the building due to its glow, it still doesn’t feel like the focus of the picture. This is another reason why the picture gives a feeling of unfamiliarity; the White House is almost always the sole component of the image it is in. Instead, we see much of the lawn, massive trees, and a field of night sky. Additionally, the multicolored sky and blurred snow make it seem like this could be a long-exposure shot.  If it wasn’t for the title explicitly saying it is snowing, the sky could easily be filled with stars (that appear to move with a long exposure).

                Considering all of the image’s aspects together, the White House begins to feel like it is just a regular home. Its importance within the photograph is lessened. To me, the image depicts a beautiful image of snowfall at a house, rather than snow at the leader of the free-world’s residence. Within context of the title,  you remember just how important the “house” at the corner of the picture is.