Exercise: Research and analyse

Looking at the image options, I chose to look at Don McCullin's Shell Shocked:

When I initially Googled 'Don McCullin', this image makes numerous appearances.

Google images result for Don McCullin search 2015

I have done a little research into this image and have come across vast information and opinions of other regarding this image which doesn't really help with the exercise in hand.
'Shell-shocked' (Hue, 1968) was taken by well known war photojournalist Don McCullin (born 1935) as he joined American marines who battled the north vietnamese soldiers for the city of Hue in 1968.
To look at the image using the ten point system, my first impression is one of war and sorrow. The image is in black and white which doesn't allow anything to distract from the subject of the soldier. The soldier is closely framed with vertical lines made through the gun as well as implied line from the gun to the soldiers face. The solider doesn't look comfortable. He appears on edge and more 'slumped' than sitting. The way he is gripping his gun adds tension to the image and gives an atmosphere to the photograph even though we can't see any of his surroundings. The dirt on his hands and face show that this was taken amidst 'something' and the gun , clothes and helmet immediately show this 'something' as war or fighting. Then there is the soldiers face. The pure look of shock shows disbelief. There is a look of pain and sadness in his eyes yet he is looking above the camera as though the moments leading up to this shot being taken have consumed everything this soldier has inside and he is completely unaware that the camera is even there. He appears to be 'lost' to the previous moments and he is reflecting the obviously painful situation that he has just endured, as well as maybe feeling a slight relief that he is still alive.
The genre is that of a portrait. The photographer has set out to show the soldier and nothing else so that the viewer sees just the soldier at that precise moment. This could be an editorial shot or just a gallery piece. I am not completely sure. It could be seen as a documentary piece to show the world the effect of war to the soldiers who are battling it, to show the emotional and physical effect that it has on it's fighters after and during battle as well as accompanying news articles on specific pieces.
The immediate situation facing the photographer would be the solider and his reactions. Had the photographer not been where he was at that exact moment, then he wouldn't have captured this photograph and the sheer look of devastation on the soldiers face. I would say that this was a completely unplanned image. There was no way that McCullin could've known that this soldier would have this reaction for him to capture it. McCullin was merely documenting what he saw as and when he came across it and this shot would've been completely unplanned and an opportunity that appeared at that moment.
Technical details, again, no comments here. The photograph has been taken or processed into black and white and the aperture may have made a difference with depth in the background but I would imagine that the soldier would've been as still as his expression when McCullin took this photograph. And as it is a portrait, there isn't much else going on in the image due to such close framing.
Going back to the google image search at the beginning, we see a lot of McCullins war photography with plenty of images of war and it's effect on the people caught up in it. They are all black and white from what I have seen and a lot show the strains and emotions shown in the people's faces so this image does actually follow McCullin's own style of Photography.
This photograph can be put into each of the following categories: Black and White, War, Portraits, but without researching McCullin and his work first, I wouldn't have known if it followed any mannerisms or a certain style of the photographer.
I think the photographers intent was to capture the pain and emotional stress that war and conflict has on, not only the people caught up in it but also on the soldiers that are in the midst of it and actually undertaking the fighting. The physical factor that they are doing a 'job' is strain enough on that person but even today with all the conflict in Syria and Iraq, we don't ever get to see the emotion and mental strain that these fighters are put under and as the situation arose for McCullin, I think that his intention was to show that war has a mental effect as well.
The fear, pain, shock, suffering and disbelief seen in this soldiers eyes is enough to show that there is enough information in his face alone. Mixed with his clothes and gun and body language, this image gives us enough to believe that this man is in a war zone and possibly quite shocked that he is still alive, so I think that this is not only a successful photograph but a very powerful photograph with very clear intentions that have been conveyed perfectly.






References:
O'Hagan, Sean (2010) Shaped By War: Photographs by Don McCullin [online] available at: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2010/feb/07/don-mccullin-shaped-war-review [accessed February 16th 2015]
Victoria and Albert museum (2012)Don McCullin Shell-shocked soldier [online] available at: http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2010/feb/07/don-mccullin-shaped-war-review [accessed February 16th 2015]