Influential Photography (some images may be disturbing)

[T!mmy]

I was curious to see some more photography that has some 'message' behind it...like the following:

U.S. Soldier being dragged through the streets
(maybe not so much a msg in this one as the next)
http://www.pdngallery.com/20years/photojournalism/images/22_paul_watson.jpg

Starving girl with waiting buzzard
http://www.pdngallery.com/20years/photojournalism/images/03_kevin_carterx.jpg


Anyways...lets see if we can get some photographs along these lines

[joe7987]

what I wanna know is why somebody is taking pictures of the starving girl rather than buying her some food.

[T!mmy]

that was the big controversey....photographer committed suicide in the end...let me find the story

[Chris.]

i wish i wouldve got a pic of it today but i was too late. there was this lady drivin a hyundai..her liscens plate said...NE1BUTW that woman has some ballz! i liked it. it was her real liscence plate too.

[T!mmy]

In March 1993 Carter made a trip to southern Sudan with intentions of documenting the local rebel movement. However, upon arriving and witnessing the horror of the famine, Carter began to take photographs of starving victims. The sound of soft, high-pitched whimpering near the village of Ayod attracted Carter to a young emaciated Sudanese toddler. The girl had stopped to rest while struggling to a feeding center, wherein a seemingly well-fed vulture had landed nearby. Carter snapped the haunting photograph and chased the vulture away. However, he also came under heavy criticism for just photographing — and not helping — the girl:

"The man adjusting his lens to take just the right frame of her suffering might just as well be a predator, another vulture on the scene." [2]
The photograph was sold to The New York Times where it appeared for the first time on March 26, 1993. Practically overnight hundreds of people contacted the newspaper to ask whether the child had survived, leading the newspaper to run a special editor's note on the fate of the girl. On April 2, 1994 Nancy Buirski, a foreign New York Times picture editor, phoned Carter to inform him he had won the most coveted prize for photography. Carter was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography on May 23, 1994 at Columbia University's Low Memorial Library.

He later confided to friends that he wished he had intervened and helped the child. Journalists at the time were warned never to touch famine victims for fear of disease. This criticism and the death of a close friend, Ken Oosterbroek, who was shot and killed in Tokoza on April 18, 1994 while covering township violence, may have contributed to Carter's tragic suicide. On July 27, 1994 Carter drove to the Braamfonteinspruit river, near the Field and Study Center, an area he used to play at as a child, and took his own life by taping one end of a hose to his pickup truck’s exhaust pipe and running the other end to the passenger-side window. He died of carbon monoxide poisoning at the age of 33. The last person to see Carter alive was Oosterbroek's widow, Monica. Portions of Carter's suicide note read:

"I am depressed ... without phone ... money for rent ... money for child support ... money for debts ... money!!! ... I am haunted by the vivid memories of killings & corpses & anger & pain ... of starving or wounded children, of trigger-happy madmen, often police, of killer executioners...I have gone to join Ken if I am that lucky."

Condensed

" PULITZER PRIZE " winning photo taken in 1994 during the Sudan famine.
The picture depicts a famine stricken child crawling towards an United Nations food camp, located a kilometer away.
The vulture is waiting for the child to die so that it can eat it. This picture shocked the whole world. No one knows what happened to the child, including the photographer Kevin Carter who left the place as soon as the photograph was taken.
Three months later he committed suicide due to depression.

[Rand0m]

.....

Starving girl with waiting buzzard
http://www.pdngallery.com/20years/photojournalism/images/03_kevin_carterx.jpg


Anyways...lets see if we can get some photographs along these lines

guy won the pulitzer for that, then later killed himself :|



EDIT*** you guys beat me to it....i was looking for pictures......

[Wolfy]

You mean he didn't pick the girl up and carry her to the food place? I woulda killed myself too.

[T!mmy]

You mean he didn't pick the girl up and carry her to the food place? I woulda killed myself too. see this is one misconception I would like to 'clear' up...

As it might be seen inhumane either way, from my understanding, around these times and in areas such as these, this was not a rare occurance. The area is basically covered with shit like this and you are warned about touching and getting diseases, etc.

NOW, in no way am I justifying his actions....just stating that there is more to it than one might assume initially...

[Rand0m]

http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0309/images/life/kentstate.jpg
Kent State.....
"Tin soldiers and Nixon's comin'.
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drummin'.
Four dead in Ohio.

[soldiaboy]

what I wanna know is why somebody is taking pictures of the starving girl rather than buying her some food.

how do you know he has any money?

he could of donated all his money helping other people already

[joe7987]

how do you know he has any money?

he could of donated all his money helping other people already

He has a camera and enough cash to develop photos. He has enough money to buy a girl some food in a third world country. And if not, he should sell his camera for some food.

[T!mmy]

" PULITZER PRIZE " winning photo taken in 1994 during the Sudan famine.
The picture depicts a famine stricken child crawling towards an United Nations food camp, located a kilometer away.The vulture is waiting for the child to die so that it can eat it. This picture shocked the whole world. No one knows what happened to the child, including the photographer Kevin Carter who left the place as soon as the photograph was taken.
Three months later he committed suicide due to depression.

The diseases was another issue. AND try to understand that it wasnt like this was the first or last time he saw things of this nature. To my understanding, it's quite common to see a starving child/person laying down publicly...

Not saying it was the right decision...he was put in a very hard situation...

His side of the fence could even say that atleast he was attempting to help those people by making the world more aware of such tragedies.

[joe7987]

The diseases was another issue. AND try to understand that it wasnt like this was the first or last time he saw things of this nature. To my understanding, it's quite common to see a starving child/person laying down publicly...

Not saying it was the right decision...he was put in a very hard situation...

His side of the fence could even say that atleast he was attempting to help those people by making the world more aware of such tragedies.

This is true, but no matter how common it is.. I would think he would do his part to help the starving child. And I'm sure he agrees with me, else he would not have regretted it as much as he did.

[Mr. Jollypants]

This is true, but no matter how common it is.. I would think he would do his part to help the starving child. And I'm sure he agrees with me, else he would not have regretted it as much as he did.
Not to be mean or anything, but I wouldn't touch em. Some of the deases they have and what not, plus, it's been said before, that people were instructed NOT to touch them.

[soldiaboy]

He has a camera and enough cash to develop photos. He has enough money to buy a girl some food in a third world country. And if not, he should sell his camera for some food.
how is he suppose to make a living if hes a photographer?
I understand your point but theres only so much you can do

[Wolfy]

...you are warned about touching and getting diseases, etc.

NOW, in no way am I justifying his actions....just stating that there is more to it than one might assume initially...
I gotcha, hadn't thought about that really.

[LowNotSlow]

http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/6181/vietnamchildrenlg6wx.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Nick Ut photo. The naked girl tore her clothes off as they were burning from a napalm strike. Won the Pulitzer Prize.

[joe7987]

how is he suppose to make a living if hes a photographer?
I understand your point but theres only so much you can do

I dunno. I just find it very difficult to believe that he's an American who has the money to buy an expensive camera and travel to a different country, but doesnt have the cash to buy a starving child a loaf of bread. Meh, maybe there was some reason, but if he was willing to kill himself in part because of his actions.. I think he was probably at fault.

[mailboy]

You know what.. I really like what he caught in this picture.. What he caught was a very good piece.. But No He wasnt in the wrong..


ALSO WHERE THE FUCK IS HE GOING TO BUY A LOAF OF BREAD WITH U.S. CURRENCY??????
If he helps one he must help all..

[Rand0m]

more pics, less complaining :thumbs up

[oc_civic]

i have a great book from Time that has images through history that contains really strong images.. this is a cool thread but i am going to edit the title to reflect that some of the images may be disturbing

in regards to famine and why is he taking pictures and not helping... THINK about it for a second.. its not like she just couldnt buy groceries this week.. it is a vast continuous problem... buying her a nice dinner or even groceries for the week would do NOTHING... taking a moving image.. getting the scene out to the world.. touching millions.. POTENTIALLY motivating people to get off of their asses and help to me is FAR more valuable than any food one man could provide... we all know the problem exists.. what have WE done to create change? can you honestly sit in your nice air conditioned room eating your sandwich.. say youve done any more than this man who is at least spreading the word...

[BuiltforSin]

interesting story behind the girl and buzzard photograph...

[$lick Rick]

in regards to famine and why is he taking pictures and not helping... THINK about it for a second.. its not like she just couldnt buy groceries this week.. it is a vast continuous problem... buying her a nice dinner or even groceries for the week would do NOTHING...

actually, to feed someone in a physicall state like that is dangerous
they eat too much, the wrong stuff, or too quick and it will kill them.


the best he could have done was gonna be to toss that girl a bottle of water... that should make her feel better for a whopping hour or so. then he would need to start doing iv fluids untill her body could handle solid foods....
then he only has another ~3million or so starving children over there to help out... but of course all of that would be pointless unless he continued to nourish and support them every day untill there arent anymore starving people in africa... so roughly another million years or so

[Beelzebubba]

We are not hated by all...
http://www.fototime.com/9C8E2E798A8F874/orig.jpg

[Maiku]

Nagasaki

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/8937/309al.jpg

[RedLine42]

interesting.

[Ltrain]

Not to be mean or anything, but I wouldn't touch em. Some of the deases they have and what not, plus, it's been said before, that people were instructed NOT to touch them.
fuck it id help im a fatherof alil girl and couldnt live with myself seeing a young girl die, id atleast try mybest to feed her and shit

[Ltrain]

actually, to feed someone in a physicall state like that is dangerous
they eat too much, the wrong stuff, or too quick and it will kill them.


the best he could have done was gonna be to toss that girl a bottle of water... that should make her feel better for a whopping hour or so. then he would need to start doing iv fluids untill her body could handle solid foods....
then he only has another ~3million or so starving children over there to help out... but of course all of that would be pointless unless he continued to nourish and support them every day untill there arent anymore starving people in africa... so roughly another million years or so
thats tru about thefood thing but at least u helped 1 person

[Kataku]

thats tru about thefood thing but at least u helped 1 person

You missed his point. He wouldn't be "helping one person". He'd be killing her. A human being that malnourished cannot handle any sort of solid food in that state. As he said, the guy would literally had to have hooked the girl to I.V's for her to even begin to regain the strength to handle "real" food.

Sometimes it's just not as simple as throwing someone a loaf of bread, sad or heartbreaking as that may be.

[NOFX]

actually, to feed someone in a physicall state like that is dangerous
they eat too much, the wrong stuff, or too quick and it will kill them.


the best he could have done was gonna be to toss that girl a bottle of water... that should make her feel better for a whopping hour or so. then he would need to start doing iv fluids untill her body could handle solid foods....
then he only has another ~3million or so starving children over there to help out... but of course all of that would be pointless unless he continued to nourish and support them every day untill there arent anymore starving people in africa... so roughly another million years or so
:werd:

Even the water could have gotten her sick. You can shrink your own stomach in (I think it's..) two weeks just by eating less. Now go back after you've shrank it and try to eat as much as you used to. You can't. You'll feel stuffed and maybe even sick.

Her stomach is probably so small and I doubt could even hold a bottle of water.

The fact is these people (people in starving nations that is) generally live in an area where you can no longer farm. The best thing to do would to just get everyone out of there anyway. My understanding is a lot of it also often has to do with the government though.

Sudan was under civil war (the second one that is) from 1983 until 2005. the war damaged the economy and led to food shortages. The north of Sudan is mostly Muslim and betetr off than the south, which is very poor. I understand now they are at war with Chad. It's a very unstable country and because of that this is the way life will be in that country for a long long time. BEfore these people can get back on their feet the problems with their government must be worked out first.

Even if he was willing to and thought of selling the camera, you have to reaize that that camera is WORTHLESS in southern Sudan. The only thing really worth anything to anyone would be food or water.

[92EH9]

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/162/burningmonk4rb.png (http://imageshack.us)

im sure everyone has seen this picture before. its one of my favorite of all time

[92EH9]

http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/9305/ts3dt.png (http://imageshack.us)

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/2351/vc8vn.png (http://imageshack.us)

these two are pretty historic

[NOFX]

http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/8421/carriershokaku8vz.jpg
Mitsubishi Type 00 Fighters onboard the Japaneses aircraft carrier, Shokaku. Probably during the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands.

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/3782/ussarizonapearlharbor2iu.jpg
The USS Arizona burning in Pearl Harbor.

http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/1640/654pxlbjtakingtheoathofoffice2.jpg
Lyndon B. Johnson taking the oath of office on Air Force One after the assasination of John F. Kennedy.

[joe7987]

Amy - point taken. Makes a little more sense to me now.

The buddhist monk on fire has always been kind of a symbol to me. It represents a wish for peace in its highest form.... and it's kind of ironic how a burning of one's own body can portray that. Can you think of any single thing that you would set yourself on fire, sit calmly... and die for? I think jumping in front of a bullet is one thing.... but when you burn yourself to death willingly with no complaints and no guarantees....it's something totally different to me.

[NOFX]

In case anyone's curious, a short bit on the two photos posted above by 92EH9.

The first one is a photo of The Unknown Rebel (also known as "Tank Man") during the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. He held up the column of 90 Chinese Type 90 tanks for around half an hour. When the first tank tried to go around him, he still continued to block it's way. Eventually he climed up onto the lead tank and had a conversation with the driver, though it is not clear what was said (rumors include "Why are you here? My city is in chaos because of you"; "Go back, turn around, and stop killing my people"; and "Go away."). Onlookers (possibly plainclothed police officers) pulled the man away into the crowd. It's unknown who he really is, but there is a story that it was a 19-year-old student named Wang Weilin.

The photo posted above wqas taken by Jef Widener from the sixth floor of the Bejing Hotel, which is around half a mile away.

The second one is a photo of the South Vietbanese poilce chief Chief General Nguyen Ngoc Loan executing NLF Captain Nguyen Van Lem.
Nguyen Van Lem was captured, his hands bound and was brought in front of the journalists. General Nguyen pulled out his revolver and calmly executed the prisoner with a single shot to the right temple. It was captured on film. Nguyen claimed that this was justified because the prisoner had been the captain of an NLF platoon that (reportedly) had just executed the wives, children and relatives of several South Vietnamese police officers. Thirty-four bound and murdered civilians were found in one ditch.

[92EH9]

cool, i knew the story on the tianenman one but not on the execution

[jak]

bump! anyone have any more? i have seen most of these before but this is a cool idea.

[Inigo Montoya]

http://painrelief-meditation-yoga.com/images/MonkOnFire.JPG

[NOFX]

I'm pretty sure we had a thread kind of like this in the old lounge too. Wonder what all those pics were.

[T!mmy]

Got this in a myspace bulletin...

http://sonic200.com/others/contrast_files/Charity%25201.jpg
http://sonic200.com/others/contrast_files/Charity%25202.jpg
http://sonic200.com/others/contrast_files/Charity%25203.jpg
http://sonic200.com/others/contrast_files/Charity%25204.jpg
http://sonic200.com/others/contrast_files/Charity%25205.jpg
http://sonic200.com/others/contrast_files/Charity%25206.jpg
http://sonic200.com/others/contrast_files/Charity%25207.jpg
http://sonic200.com/others/contrast_files/Charity%25208.jpg

[Matt]

http://www.pdngallery.com/20years/photojournalism/images/22_paul_watson.jpg





That picture is from 1993 Somalia, Mogudishu.