AWM

Fashion

For the fashion task I chose to compare two uniforms from different countries in WWII. I chose a German soldiers uniform and a Soviet Infantry soldiers uniform. Instead of showing technical changes throughout time, these uniforms displayed technical change depending on the countries economy.

The German soldier had a khaki uniform that was made out of wool, which would have kept them warm in Russia's cold climate. They also had a warm waterproof jacket to withstand the bad weather and to use as a blanket at night. Shoes were lace up and made of leather to provide support for long treks. Their belts were also leather and had easily accessible bullet pouches. All in all they had a very well designed uniform. The German soldiers were known for their competitiveness and confidence on the battle field and were very skilled soldiers. Germany was also a rich country and could afford good quality materials to make the uniforms.

The Soviet Infantry soldier also had a khaki uniform, however in comparison to the German uniform the design had many flaws. Instead of a warm wool uniform, the Soviet Infantry uniform was made of cotton, which would not have been as effective in the cold climate. Instead of a jacket doubling up as a blanket, they had a blanket rolled up and slung across their shoulders, which would have gotten in the way. For bullets, the Soviet soldiers had a bucket attached to their belt instead of a bullet pouch, which would not have kept the bullets very secure. For shoes, they had what looked like gumboots, which would have been weatherproof, but would cause awful blisters. The Soviet Infantry soldiers were not as skilled as soldiers from other countries, and being from a poorer nation, couldn't afford the materials and design of a good, effective uniform.

Photography

This is a photograph of War artist Arthur Streeton taken in 1916. Obviously, it is taken with a black and white film camera. The actual photo exhibited in the war memorial has a sepia tone to it, which was used predominantly in the early 20th century. Since the early cameras had to have a very long shutter speed, most of the subjects had to sit still for long periods of time, so no action shots could take place. In this image he has a very 'classic' portrait pose and the image is slightly blurry, indicating a long shutter.

The next image I chose was of Australian and New Zealand peacekeepers at Suai cathedral on Anzac day, 2000. It was taken with a basic digital camera and was in full colour. It was rather dark when the shot was taken so a fill flash was used to illuminate the soldiers. This technology is a lot more advanced than the flash used with the early camera's, and it has a completely different look to it. With time, cameras have been able to use faster shutter speeds, and in this shot a rather fast shutter speed was used as it has stopped the movement of the soldiers. It is also taken in a different style of photography. The shot of the peacekeepers is shot in a journalistic style. The photograph of Arthur Streeton was a classic portraiture shot, but as technology advanced and cameras became more versatile and transportable, photojournalism and other genres took off and became a lot more common.


Arthur Streeton image taken from:
http://cas.awm.gov.au/PROD/cst.acct_master?surl=1891106685ZZFRZOYTXFIQ42187&stype=4&simplesearch=&v_umo=&v_product_id=&screen_name=&screen_parms=&screen_type=RIGHT&bvers=4&bplatform=Microsoft%20Internet%20Explorer&bos=Win32

Sorry for the lack of images.