The first historical photo I chose to analyze has always had an effect on me. Nearly anyone who sees this image will know the tragedy it is depicting: the U.S.’s decision to drop atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki near the end of WWII, when it became a reality.

The image leaves an impression on me because I’ve always been against violence, for no reason more than an intrinsic feeling that it is wrong. I am so far from having violent tendencies that I cannot even understand hurting a single human being, let alone the hundreds of thousands that died in Japan – all from our nation’s decision to use these man-made weapons. In fact, the bombs killed so many people that the body-count estimates have a margin of error of more than 50,000.

War already impacts ordinary people on an unacceptable scale, and this is one of the most extreme examples of where innocent people die from human conflict, which is largely due to miscommunication. We are all humans, and honestly, even though Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, I see this decision as unjustified. There’s a reason no one has used such a deadly weapon since this moment. The photo is powerful not only in the memories it evokes, but the visuals show how high and wide the smoke spread. Even though cameras in 1945 were not the quality they are now, they were able to capture these photos with amazing detail and perspective, also contributing to our visual historical record.

The second iconic photo I chose is on a bit of a less-serious scale. Although it was also was taken before I was born, I will always remember it. This is because it reminds me of how active, persevered and united 50 percent of the U.S. population had to become just to gain equal rights in the workplace, and elsewhere. The perspective of the photo, as the photographer is at somewhat of a distance, shows the mass scale of this protest, which many others of its kind matched throughout the 1960s. It even employs several creative devices, such as vanishing point, action and emotion.

Also, the “Women of the World Unite” sign is able to serve as the picture’s caption, even though it’s within the image itself – making it even easier for viewers to recognize what is happening, no matter how far removed in time, space or knowledge they are from the situation. What these women did eventually got the recognition it deserved, and it benefited every single woman that would exist in the future, such as myself.

Each of the images below illustrate the use of multiple photographic devices, which led The Washington Post (image 1), The New York Times (images 2 and 4) and The Associated Press (image 3) to select them as some of the best images of 2014. For each photo, I will analyze and describe what mechanisms I believe the photographers were able to capture. To see an image’s original source, click on the photograph.

For this shot, I recognize several creative devices, including selective focus on the right-hand side/bottom, dominant foreground/contributing background, the rule of thirds and diagonal lines, which are formed by tombstones’ alignment. Together, these elements form a very professional aesthetic.

This image is clearly interesting whether one has knowledge on photographic creative devices or not, but the components that I sense make the picture so good are texture, details, an unusual perspective, layering, the rule of thirds and interestingly, the two separate C-curves being shaped by the colorful tags.

In this photograph, I detect various devices in use, such as strong emotion, rule of thirds, action, an S-curve formed by Maria Sharapova’s body and detailed texture, seen in the wrinkles of her clothes, the texture of the court and her muscles. Also, I was personally very attracted to the overall color scheme.

This lively photo exemplifies many creative devices, but the first that caught my eye were (once again) the rule of thirds, introducing color into a monochromatic scheme, patterns, texture and C-curves.

As this article suggests, blogging is not only good for improving your writing skills and online image, but it may even have therapeutic benefits.

“Besides serving as a stress-coping mechanism,” the article states, “research shows that [writing] improves memory and sleep, boosts immune cell activity and reduces viral load in AIDS patients, and even speeds healing after surgery.”

The piece further references a study that revealed cancer patients felt healthier overall when they engaged in expressive writing, even before treatment.

Researchers are also interested in identifying the cluster of neurological pathways that writing is thought to activate in the human brain. So clearly, writing can do much more for humans than convey messages or serve as an easier form of communication.