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August 11, 2008
Pictures and storytelling
This remarkable photograph today by Joao Silva of the New York Times is visual storytelling at its best.
The eyes of the man in the taupe shirt bore into us. He's protecting another obviously frightened man on the ground, surrounded by concerned beefy men, some of whom are wearing flack jackets, some not.
A black automatic weapon points downward to the crouched man, highlighting the obvious danger present.
The sprig of a bush in the foreground ironically contrasts against the man-made weaponry nearby.
Finally, a camera lens in the lower left-hand corner is cinema-verite, of being there with others, as it's happening.
Silva's photo documents the unfolding drama in Georgia, as it and Russia square off in a real battle of life and death. Georgia's president was rushed to the ground by his bodyguards when a jet flew very close overhead.
But what Silva's Pulitzer-quality photo really shows is a major fight involving power, fear and determination. It draws us into the story, making it easier for us to understand and talk about.
Great photos come from a substantial investment in telling the story, no matter what it is.
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This picture is great (the photo itself) and it conveys a strong message. It is as if it captures you and tell you what is happening.
But I also know that we should be careful about telling a story from a picture alone, as anyone can give any meaning a picture and it may not be the appropriate one.
We agree with the commenter above - this photo is certainly powerful and envokes a strong feeling but sometimes we do have to be weary of judging an entire situation based on a photo - either way... great article
Georgian president - clown! Came to raise morale army and shot himself with the sound hiding for bodyguards. A-ha-ha!
The image is compelling - and we always have to look behind an image for the full story. As in business, we're not just passive - we're active participants.
The old saying that a photo says more than thousand words, will live BUT it is so to fake photos today digitally that people don’t trust them as much as before. This is also to reason for why amateur photos are growing strongly (we believe more in them). I believe that we like photos where we can se our self and when we see ourselves we spread the word (from me to you), in the commercial world we call it storytelling. For a photographer it means that work has change from making the picture for the thousand words to create a mirror.
I would like to here what you have to say with the set of this
http://ep-news.livejournal.com/45700.html not so glamourous photos.
And this man hiding behind his bodyguards started all this.
I think this one http://img-fotki.yandex.ru/get/28/epoddubny.0/0_14c56_6169360a_L.jpg is particular strong message. Woman and child in the bed burned and headless.
None of the westerns news groups were in Tschinvally, so you would not see this pictures on the news.
Great image and even better analysis. A picture truly is worth a thousand words (or more.) The best images are always the ones which betray subtle flaws or capture something true about a moment or a subject. Studio work is nice and all, but this right here is the real thing. You just scored some points for posting this. ;)
