http://proquestWednesday, October 17, 2007
Friday, October 12, 2007
Huge Article on Nachtwey and VII
http://proquest.umi.com.libproxy.usc.edu/pqdweb?index=20&did=644508361&SrchMode=1&sid=4&Fmt=4&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1192215958&clientId=5239
"Even in the age of television, still photography maintains a unique ability to grasp a moment out of the chaos of history and to preserve it and hold it up to the light. It puts a human face on events that might otherwise become clouded in political abstractions and statistics. It gives a voice to people who otherwise would not have one. If journalism is the first draft of history, then photography is all the more difficult, because in capturing a moment you don't get a second chance."- James Nachtwey
I couldnt agree more with that statement. Photography is incredible. It is the most realistic way to depict reality...pardon my wording but it really is as simple as that. Even nowadays with Spieldberg and Michael Bay movies exciting viewers everywhere with their special effects and action, photography will always still hold value in world wide culture. It is a still image of something real. Movies, even documentaries are less effective at letting the viewer decide what they are looking at. If you look above at this image by James Nachtwey titled "Rwanda" you can see the scars that have been afflicted upon this man's face. You don't necessarily have the whole story laid out in front of you so you are urged to learn more. Why is this man in such pain? Who caused this pain? Where did this happen and how? Professional photographers have all these questions racing through their heads when they set out to capture something this intriguing. So be it this may be Nachtwey's best but he took pride in all his work. From short snap shots to well composed images like this. I will continue on this post later...
Gerda Taro: The other half of "Capa"
http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/shared/shared_main.jhtml?_requestid=39440
This article is a short biography on Gerda Taro who was Robert Capa's on again off again lover. She was killed during combat in 1937 but she was not really remembered until Cornel Capa collected images of Taro's from teh past century and published them very recently. She had a gift and worked as a tag team with Robert Capa to create some of the most awe-inspiring images of war. When people see an image and read the name "Capa" they just assume that it was always Robert's work but in actuality, most of the time, the couple was working together to capture the still.
This article is a short biography on Gerda Taro who was Robert Capa's on again off again lover. She was killed during combat in 1937 but she was not really remembered until Cornel Capa collected images of Taro's from teh past century and published them very recently. She had a gift and worked as a tag team with Robert Capa to create some of the most awe-inspiring images of war. When people see an image and read the name "Capa" they just assume that it was always Robert's work but in actuality, most of the time, the couple was working together to capture the still.
Robert Capa Article 2
http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/shared/shared_main.jhtml?_requestid=39440
Robert Whelan is the author of this article. It is a direct attack on the credibility of Robert Capa's work "Falling Soldier" which i posted a picture of a few posts back. When Capa first published this picture in September of 1936 no one challenged if the photograph was real or staged until 1975 when South African O'Dowd Gallagher told author Philip Knightley about his take on the matter. Knightley, British born, soon after published his own book that included O'Dowd and several others questioning the authenticity of the image. The article goes on to talk about the claims that these guys made against Capa but their stories become blurred and mixed up. Their own credibility about their own allegations softens and I end up agreeing with Whelans re-enforced claim at the end of the article. he and I both believe strongly that Capa actually did take that photo in 1936 of Federico Borrell Garcia. Its really sad that people looked at Capa's work with such a skewed eye for the last 30 years solely because some guy wanted to make a name for himself by drinking Haterade. Ridiculous. Capa is a God and he proved why in this image, one of the most famous images of War. Ever.
Robert Whelan is the author of this article. It is a direct attack on the credibility of Robert Capa's work "Falling Soldier" which i posted a picture of a few posts back. When Capa first published this picture in September of 1936 no one challenged if the photograph was real or staged until 1975 when South African O'Dowd Gallagher told author Philip Knightley about his take on the matter. Knightley, British born, soon after published his own book that included O'Dowd and several others questioning the authenticity of the image. The article goes on to talk about the claims that these guys made against Capa but their stories become blurred and mixed up. Their own credibility about their own allegations softens and I end up agreeing with Whelans re-enforced claim at the end of the article. he and I both believe strongly that Capa actually did take that photo in 1936 of Federico Borrell Garcia. Its really sad that people looked at Capa's work with such a skewed eye for the last 30 years solely because some guy wanted to make a name for himself by drinking Haterade. Ridiculous. Capa is a God and he proved why in this image, one of the most famous images of War. Ever.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Someone Won't Be Coming Home Tonight
http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/jumpstart.jhtml?recid=0bc05f7a67b1790e8aff0fe8a48e18e4df67c2cab028e2e2b4fa2e3abaa57cecd73bb6e8dea31d41&fmt=H
part of a full article about 3 photographers of war. This piece focuses on Carolyn Cole and what she has to say about war imagery and caputring in the heat of the moment during the Iraq invasion since 2003.
part of a full article about 3 photographers of war. This piece focuses on Carolyn Cole and what she has to say about war imagery and caputring in the heat of the moment during the Iraq invasion since 2003.
James Nachtwey Article
http://proquest.umi.com.libproxy.usc.edu/pqdweb?did=908295301&sid=18&Fmt=3&clientId=5239&RQT=309&VName=PQD
Above is an example of how close James really did get to the action...
For whatever reason...blogger isnt letting me post the link to the site but the url is right below the image so. Im sorry but this thing is pissing me off . anyways..
this article was very useful in getting into the mind of a war photographer. James Nachtway is in his 50's and is a professional war photographer. This article is an interview taken from Esquire magazine about what exactly it was like to photograph war.
There were a lot of great things said about being involved during combat and listening to bullets whiz by your head as you attempt to reload your film. He talked about how being fearful fueled him...not paralyzed him. It kept him alive. It kept him alert. In no way was the man invincible. He has shattered pieces of grenade lodged in his leg. He is half deaf now from all of the noise. But that was his choice. He could have used ear plugs but he didn't want to. He wanted to hear. He had to hear to make it more real for him. But then something very interesting was said. In reference to the first article i posted about "How can one take a picture of something that is happening in front of his eyes...like a man being shot" ...Nachtwey talks about how if given the oppurtunity...where he is the only one who can stop something bad from happening...he will suspend his journalistic job and save them. He talks about the times during lynch mobs that he has intervened and saved someone. Thats really cool to me. These photographers arent machines. They are real people trying to make a difference in the cultural aspect of it all...but at the same time make the right decisions in the process. There are a lot of great things said in this piece and ill continue to learn more about these photographers. So interesting
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