Yusef Komunyakaa’s poem “Facing It” describes a Vietnam War veteran’s painful experience of visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. In his poem I couldn’t help but be impressed by its vivid imagery. Reading the lines, Komunyakaa makes it so easy to envision what he describes. It makes me feel like I’m there. Through the use of vivid imagery, Yusef Komunyakaa shows the veterans’ response to the Vietnam War memorial by using both literal and figurative illustrations.…
In Chapter 9 of After the Fact, The Mirror with a Memory, James West Davidson and Mark Hamilton Lytle, attempt to describe the way photography has shaped American history, especially through the lens of Jacob Riis, who was known for his urban activism during the early 1900’s. The chapter begins with an explanation of Jacob Riis’s work as a journalist who wandered the streets of New York City in search of people and things that he could write about. Then, it mentions Alexander Alland, a professional urban photographer, finding, in a book by Riis, photographs taken by Riis that capture the image of slums in New York City. This was similar to the field of photography that interested Alland. Then, Alland asks Riis’s oldest son to go through Riis’s…
Just like every other war, the Vietnam War was a tragic age where blood was spilled and sorrow filled the hearts of people from both sides of the battlefield. Yusef Komunyakaa was one of the many who mourned over lost loves and friends. His poem describes the heartache he encounters as he visits the memorial for all the lives that were lost. Post-traumatic memories flood him all at once and he envisions some of the slain veterans and citizens reflecting in the wall of names. He is bitter at the war that has scarred his life, but the poem ends with a tender scene of a woman brushing her child’s hair, which overpowers the grudge he holds. The message Yusef Komunyakaa implies in his poem “Facing It” is that enjoying life’s beauty and warmth is stronger than mourning over regrets and mishaps, and he displays the theme by powerfully utilizing metaphors, imagery, and symbolism.…
American photographer and photojournalist, Eddie Adams, was born on the twelfth of June in the year nineteen thirty-three. He began his photography career as a high school student in New Kensington Pennsylvania, the city in which he was born. He photographed Marine combat during the Korean war. Throughout his career, Adams photographed 150 operations in Vietnam as well as thirteen wars, including those in Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Cyprus, Portugal, Ireland, Lebanon, and Kuwait. In 1969 he won a Pulitzer Prize for capturing the moment Nguyen Ngoc Loan, general and chief of the national police, shot Vietcong officer Nguyen Van Lem on a street in Saigon on February first, nineteen sixty-eight, during the Vietnam War. Saigon Execution is so iconic that it is the picture most people think of when they think of Vietnam. Eddie Adams almost obsessively wanted to win a Pulitzer Prize. He desperately wanted to win a Pulitzer long before he’d ever encountered the Vietcong prisoner in Saigon. Adams admitted how deeply he wanted to win a Pulitzer Prize for his photography of widowed first lady, Jacqueline Kennedy, holding the flag that had been handed to her at her husband’s (President John F. Kennedy’s) funeral in November of nineteen sixty-three. In fact, he was quite angry when he did not win the Pulitzer not only for not winning but also because an administrator at The Associated Press submitted other A.P. pictures to the Pulitzer jury but not his. Eddie’s photo of Jacqueline Kennedy was taken on purpose. He waited for the perfect moment to take the picture to ensure that he captured every…
Joe Rosenthal used different types of technique and media, to create a successful connection to the cultural link of an American Victory. By the foreground and the background of the image; The smoky air and the manmade…
In Guillermo Verdecchia’s play, American Borders/Fronteras Americanas, he talks about the postcolonial effect on the world. Verdecchia talks about the use of lenses to see the different view points of society. For example, in the play he says, “I check into the Hotel de Don Tito, listed on page 302 of your Fodor’s as a moderate, small hotel with six suites, eight twins, eight singles, bar, homey atmosphere, and it’s located on one of the main streets in Santiago on Huérfanos at Huérfanos 578” (38-39). He shows how his Fodor, a well known and renounced travel guide, talks about how homey and ‘safe’ Hotel Don Tito is. However, in reality, this so called in depth perception of a culture and country by a travel magazine is not as important or relevant as how it is seen to be first hand.…
Capturing the decisive moments of these wars have not just created a genre of photography called war photography but also enhanced public awareness. Both Donald McCullin and Eddie Adams, being photojournalists recognized for their war photography, have produced some outstanding photographs and successfully portrayed the harsh reality of war. Even though their conceptual concerns were similar, there was a visible variation in terms of their styles, techniques, compositions and subjects. A further comparison between the two photographers for the above attributes has been done later. Apart from his coverage of 13 wars,…
Having had perfect timing to catch a spontaneous lip lock in the middle of what is still the biggest city in the United States of America, “The Kiss” is categorized as one of the ten greatest images in the history of photojournalism. Pegged as the “father of photojournalism,” German born American photographer/photojournalist Alfred Eisenstaedt is renowned for capturing naturally lit candids on his 35mm Leica Camera. In 1944, Life magazine would quote Eisenstaedt to be the “dean of today’s miniature – camera experts.” As one of the first of four staff photographers for Life magazine, “eighty-six of his photographs made the cover” (Gallery M). Following the news of Japan’s surrender, a set titled “The Men of War Kiss from Coast to Coast” features Eisenstaedt’s photograph along with thirteen other images for the article, “Victory Celebrations” (Chan). None of these photos have the iconic effect quite like Eisenstaedt’s black and white…
Fresh, Modern and Simple are three words to describe Russ Stoeckel Photography’s style. As a Cottage Grove photographer, Russ Stoeckel Photography offers High School Senior photos, Portraits, Headshots and Wedding photography in Cottage Grove, Woodbury, Stillwater, Hastings, Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN and the surrounding Twin Cities metro areas. To get updates or to keep in touch, become a fan on my Facebook page or follow my blog. To inquire about bookings or prices of High School Senior Portraits, Portrait Sessions, Maternity Portraits, Weddings and Headshots, please contact me through this website or call 651-402-0592.…
Between 1860-1865, the U.S. was engaged in a Civil War between the North and the South. It was unprecedented in its use of photography to document the various aspects of war. This picture is the bloody battle of Antietam. The photo was taken by Alexander Gardner displaying the horrific tragedy that occurred at the battle of Antietam. Since the battle was declared over, now the battleground is a place to go and look around at the battlefield. It was a very hard fought battle on both sides, and each General had very good qualities that will be further explained in the body paragraphs below. Speaking of the body paragraphs, they will discuss the photo in more depth and detail about the very gruesome battle of Antietam. Also the articles that…
This newborn photographer was overjoyed to be taking little Whitaker Graham's picture, since he was as handsome as his name. His parents, Lance and Belle, named him Whitaker after his grandfather. The day of the shoot, handsome Whitaker was just 8 days old having been born on December 7th.…
A horrifying event can create such an enormous impact in people’s lives especially during wartime when society does not need more individuals to be harmed or killed. In the mid-1950s, a shocking event happened that left an unpleasant memory in some people’s lives which occurred in the Vietnam War. The North Vietnam communists at first initiated efforts to take over South Vietnam and untied it with the north under one communist government However, the United States disagreed because they thought communist practices would lead to aggression in other parts of the world, therefore the United States decided to help South Vietnam by bringing military and financial aid. Yet, more aggression occurred in Vietnam due to their disagreements (Phan Thi Kim Phuc) while its people were constantly affected by catastrophes from the fatal weapons. Meanwhile, during the Vietnam War, there were photo journalists who made an impact through their pictures. One of these famous journalists was Nick Ut, one of his well-known pictures was “Napalm Girl”, also known as “Attack on Trang Bang” taken in 1972. This image evokes such a feeling of sorrow and fear that can be easily noticed on the children’s expressions, while it seemed like they are running away from something terrifying. For that reason, it gives the viewers a sense of empathy by showing a small side of the tragic event that was happening during that time in the photograph. Furthermore, children at that age should be enjoying their childhood and by seeing this picture, it contradicts all expectations of their regular way of living. Therefore, the image is focused on the girls horrifying expression which gives the feeling of sadness shifting people’s expectations of how a child is supposed to act. This illustrates the real story behind the Vietnam War through the pictures’ which causes a change in Americans’ opinion towards the war.…
In “The Boston Photographs” by Nora Ephron, Ephron used most of the time writing about the reactions of the many readers all over the nation and world whom were shocked by the pictures that were published in their local newspapers. She should have used most of the time writing about the day when the incident happened. By doing this, it would have affected people a lot more than seeing the bad of it. In telling the facts, Ephron only provides factual information such as whom took the picture, what the picture is about, what type of camera he used, and what a variety of newspapers all over the nation did with the pictures.…
Stanley Foreman, a journalist for the Boston Herald American, captured three famous photographs of a fire rescue case which reminded me of my grandmothers tragedy, displayed the themes of tragedy and anger, parallels to the movie World Trade Center, and aligns with my opinion that Foreman published the photographs rightfully. Foreman snapped the camera thinking to take heroic shots of a brave fireman successfully rescuing a woman and a child. Little did he know, he would capture the collapse of final hope as a woman fell into the gateway to death.…
It was clear that portrait photography leads the world against war. There is one-man name James Nachtwey who was inspired by Images from the Vietnam War and the American civil rights movement to become a photographer. And he and his photography became my inspiration to be a photographer. James Nachtwey covered conflicts and major social issues in more than 30 countries. Some of the countries he covered were, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza, Israel, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, the Philippines, South Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Rwanda, South Africa, Russia, Bosnia, Chechnya, Kosovo, Romania, Brazil, and the United States. Here, he talks about all the conflicts and tragedies he covered in last…