16 replies to this topic

[Steve May]

Not for the photography thread, despite it possibly fitting the light theme, for the simple reason that I didn't take it.

It's a Tasmanian grandmother hiding her grandchildren in the sea under a jetty while their house burns in the background. It's taken by the grandfather apparently. I think it's quite brilliant.

Full story and good commentary below. One of the early comments suggests that it looks like a scene from the Depression era dustbowl. I think I know the picture he means, but I can't find it. It's something about the woman's face that does it.

http://www.guardian....ing-photograph#

And some more pictures of the scene

http://www.guardian....tralia-pictures

[Padge]

The picture you refer to will be this one. Its titled Migrant Mother and was taken by Dorothea Lange in 1936.

I think that one could become as iconic, its a very emotional photograph telling a story from a moment in time by the faces captured.

Edited by Padge, 09 January 2013 - 09:57 PM.

[Steve May]

The picture you refer to will be this one. Its titled Migrant Mother and was taken by Dorothea Lange in 1936.

That's the one.

[gingerjon]

The picture you refer to will be this one. Its titled Migrant Mother and was taken by Dorothea Lange in 1936.

I think that one could become as iconic, its a very emotional photograph telling a story from a moment in time by the faces captured.

It's a brilliant photo.

Staged and manipulated but got the point across.

[hindle xiii]

'Napalm girl', for want of a better name, is probably the most powerful I can think of.

[gazza77]

It is an excellent photo, and as was commented earlier, may well become an iconic representation of the situation.

It's one I'm glad I didn't take however, as I certainly wouldn't have wanted to be in that situation.

[gingerjon]

'Napalm girl', for want of a better name, is probably the most powerful I can think of.

The girl, now a woman, now lives peacefully in Canada.

[Futtocks]

Talking of people in memorable photos, this Afghan girl was tracked down years later for a TV documentary. Those eyes are amazing.

Edited by Futtocks, 10 January 2013 - 01:30 PM.

[Steve May]

'Napalm girl', for want of a better name, is probably the most powerful I can think of.

The one of the vulture waiting for the young child to die in the Ethiopian famine is just....I don't know really, terrible.

I believe the photgrapher had a breakdown afterwards and killed himself.

[gingerjon]

I believe the photgrapher had a breakdown afterwards and killed himself.

Kevin Carter. Killed himself about a year after taking the photograph.

[Steve May]

Kevin Carter. Killed himself about a year after taking the photograph.

Yes, I just looked him up on Wikipedia.



Here's the photo, taken i Sudan. It seems that it the situation may not have been quite as it looked. The vulture may be much further away than it appears.

The guy led an interesting, but short, life it seems. Photographed a woman having a burning tyre put around her neck in South Africa and various other horrible things.


He left the following note when he ran a hosepipe from the exhaust into his car..

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 and corpses and anger and 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.

Cheerful stuff

Edited by Steve May, 10 January 2013 - 04:38 PM.

[hindle xiii]

Photographed a woman having a burning tyre put around her neck in South Africa and various other horrible things.

*shudders* That's really horrible, I won't shift that image for a long time, and that's just my imagination it must look a million times worse.

[Padge]

It's a brilliant photo.

Staged and manipulated but got the point across.

As far as I'm aware it wasn't staged, however it was manipulated with the woman's thumb being 'photoshoped' out, a faint outline can be seen of it.

The controversy over the photograph came years later, Lange had promised the woman that her name would not be published, but a researcher found out who it was in 1978 and published her name. The woman was still alive and tracked down.

[WearyRhino]

*shudders* That's really horrible, I won't shift that image for a long time, and that's just my imagination it must look a million times worse.

Sadly, a frequent 'punishment' for 'collaborators' and political opponents in the later years of apartheid. And one which I fear may come back in an unstable post-Mandela South Africa.

[gingerjon]

As far as I'm aware it wasn't staged, however it was manipulated with the woman's thumb being 'photoshoped' out, a faint outline can be seen of it.

The controversy over the photograph came years later, Lange had promised the woman that her name would not be published, but a researcher found out who it was in 1978 and published her name. The woman was still alive and tracked down.

I believe there's a contact sheet which shows the family mostly playing before being settled down for that shot.

[gingerjon]

Should you be running low on awful but incredible images google Don McCullin and James Nachtwey..

[Padge]

I believe there's a contact sheet which shows the family mostly playing before being settled down for that shot.

There is rumour of such an image but nobody as far as I know has ever produced it, Langes photographs of 'the dust bowl' were for the government and are all part of the national archive.This set only contained 6 photographs and all 6 are freely available and show no such image, though in a couple of the pictures the children appear to be smiling, a natural reaction of some children to a camera.

If you look at all 6 photos you would say that possibly some were posed, not staged though as that would imply the whole thing was a 'set' put up for the photographs, the reason for thinking things are all not what it seems is the fact that a rocking chair with a boy on it moves from one picture to another.

According to the families own recollections though, Lange pulled up in her car and walked forwards the family taking photographs, she then spoke briefly to Florence Thomas, the woman in the photograph, and left.