It’s one of the most iconic photographs in American history and it was captured by one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century. The world knows the photograph as ‘Migrant Mother,’ and it’s seen throughout photography textbooks the world over, but how exactly did the image come to be and what led Dorothea Lange to capture the portrait of Florence Owens Thompson and her children?
YouTuber Nerdwriter1, who’s known for his thorough deep dives into various people and subjects, has created a video essay that takes a look into the history behind ‘Migrant Mother’ and the events that led up to Lange capturing the photograph. Throughout the nearly seven minute video, Nerdwriter1 explains what exactly Lange was doing when she captured the photograph and shows a number of images captured in the ten minutes leading up to the iconic frame to paint a picture of how the image was shaped frame by frame to get the powerful portrait known today.
Yes, the video is presented in portrait orientation, but Nerdwriter1 is known for experimenting with delivery and he particular chose this aspect as he explains in the highlighted comment on the video’s page.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)