What That Picture From Michael Brown's Funeral Does That Few Photos Ever Do

Rarely if ever do we talk about a news photo as aural. If we’re talking about the tone of a news photo, which we often do, we’re either addressing its visual gradations or it’s emotional quality, not something audible. The photos from Ferguson also raise the issue of how much certain people in the society “are heard from” in the media, or not. But that discussion — as it relates to pictures, at least — also has more to do with visibility.

Considering these points all together is when you realize how remarkable it is that we can practically hear Michael Brown’s father’s yell.

More Ferguson at The Bag.

(photo: Richard Perry-Pool/Getty Images. caption: Michael Brown Sr. yells out as the casket is lowered into the ground during the funeral for his son Michael Brown at St. Peters Cemetery on August 25, 2014 in St. Louis Missouri. Michael Brown, an 18 year-old unarmed teenager, was shot and killed by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson in the nearby town of Ferguson, Missouri on August 9. His death caused several days of violent protests along with rioting and looting in Ferguson.)