Every year, two photographs win a Pulitzer Prize. Every Pulitzer Prize Winning photograph is currently on display at the Newseum in Washington, DC. A couple of weeks ago, our class had the opportunity to visit the museum to check the exhibit out. We were each told to pick a photograph to write a critical analysis on, and since I am a lover of most sports, i chose "Babe Ruth Bows Out" taken by Nat Fein in 1948.
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| Photo Courtesy of the wonderful people at this blog |
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This picture was taken on June 13, 1948, which was the day that Babe Ruth retired from the New York Yankees. It was also the 25th anniversary of the old Yankee Stadium, a ballpark that Babe Ruth made legendary during his career. There were many photographers staked out to get the best shot of the Babe, but Nat Fein took his shot from behind, showing us not only the number that the Yankees would retire that day, but also the sold-out stadium cheering for Babe Ruth. From this angle, we also have a better look at the hunched over and tired Babe Ruth who was battling with disease at the time (he would die two months later).
Fein also did a great job framing his subject. Babe Ruth is not directly center, but just a little off to the left, showing just how effective the rule of thirds is. He also used a shallow depth of field, the Babe is in crisp, sharp focus, while the ballplayers barely 5 yards away from him are out of focus. All in all, it is not hard to see why this photo won Nat Fein the Pulitzer Prize.
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