Today I am going to post two Look what I found editions. This is going to be a pretty serious and sad one. So if you’re not in the mood for a bit of grave reality…..Come back later today for the fun edition.
Okay for those of you who’ve stayed:
Like some of you know I like to keep track of the World Press Photo entries and contest because most of the photos are just too beautiful or special to ignore. They can tell a story without one written word, can make me smile and some of them can even make me cry. Oh heck, let’s be honest, they really have the power to move me.
Just recently I got my hands on this year’s World Press Photo book and again I was awestricken by the power some of the photos still have, especially the ones which had to do with the various wars around the world, like the current Iraq war. There was one portrait (which is part of a series about war veterans) that, at the time, moved me in more ways then one and today I came across this article:
"Words Unspoken Are Rendered on War’s Faces.
One of the more shocking photographs to emerge from the current Iraq war was taken last year in a rural farm town in the American Midwest. It’s a studio portrait by the New York photographer Nina Berman of a young Illinois couple on their wedding day. The bride, Renee Kline, 21, is dressed in a traditional white gown and holds a bouquet of scarlet flowers. The groom, Ty Ziegel, 24, a former Marine sergeant, wears his dress uniform, decorated with combat medals, including a Purple Heart. Her expression is unsmiling, maybe grave. His, as he looks toward her, is hard to read: his dead-white face is all but featureless, with no nose and no chin, as blank as a pullover mask". (you can read the complete article here and find the photo here). If you want, you can view some of Nina Berman’s other photos from the same set here.
Think of them what you like. At first I was going to write a very long story about how wrong this all is, but I am not going to because the words just won’t come out (at least not in readable English). All I can say now is: STOP THE WAR!
5 comments:
That was difficult, but a timely reminder
Yeah, photos can be incredibly powerful. Thanks for the links!
I didn’t say it was going to be easy, Lord Hutton, and I thought a warning was really necessary in this case. I know some people can’t handle it (and that’s also why this post didn’t have any photos).
Don't mention it, KJ’s Muse
Hard stuff to take. That IS the horror of war right there. And its a whole lot worse for the Iraqis.
In my opinion that war, or any war for that matter is never good, Andre. It’s just a waste of resources and human lives for all the parties involved :-( I don’t think much good is going to come from this.
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