Nick Ut and the Napalm girl photo
No matter all the clean cut images we nowadays see from current wars, war is still as dirty as always. The problem is we don't see the pictures anymore. They are effectively censored by withholding access to the battle zones, imposing bans on photographers who publish "undesireable" photos, pressing photographers into strict self-censorship and pressure from governments on the publishing houses and broadcasters.
There was a time, however, when war photography played an important roll. Actual footage from the battle field was used for propaganda and recruitment purposes. That many photos were also used by "the other side" for similar purposes was considered just an unfortunate side-effect.
The Vietnam War has probably produced the photos with the most impact on modern society. One photo in particular stands out: the photo that became known as Napalm girl, taken by Huynh Cong 'Nick' Ut at the village of Trang Bang, Vietnam, on June 8, 1972.
Napalm girl by Huynh Cong 'Nick' Ut.
Leica M2
Leica Summicron 35/2
Kodak 400 ASA B&W film
shutter time & aperture unknown
The photo has had tremendous impact on Western and American society ever since it was published in 1972. It won several awards, including the 1973 Pulitzer Prize. However, the story behind the photo, the girl in the photo and the photographer haven't been told very often. Sofar, the best article on the photo and its history is the article from 2000 The survivor: Phan Thi Kim Phuc and the photographer Nick Ut. The story relates Nick Ut's day when he took the photo, the incident itself and the aftermath of the incident. The article also shows photos that place the Napalm girl photo into context. The accompanying interviews with Nick Ut and Kim Phuc further place the photo in a historical context.
This is one of the photos that I think are part of the world heritage of photography. Very few other photos have had the effect that this photo has had. And the fact that the history of the participants are known, gives this photo even more weight.
The Girl in the Picture : The Story of Kim Phuc, the Photograph, and the Vietnam War (Paperback)
Technorati Tags : photography photo rangefinder Vietnam War Vietnam Nick Ut war photography Leica Kim Phuc Pulitzer Prize
Shards of Photography http://shardsofphotography.blogspot.com/
There was a time, however, when war photography played an important roll. Actual footage from the battle field was used for propaganda and recruitment purposes. That many photos were also used by "the other side" for similar purposes was considered just an unfortunate side-effect.
The Vietnam War has probably produced the photos with the most impact on modern society. One photo in particular stands out: the photo that became known as Napalm girl, taken by Huynh Cong 'Nick' Ut at the village of Trang Bang, Vietnam, on June 8, 1972.
Napalm girl by Huynh Cong 'Nick' Ut.
Leica M2
Leica Summicron 35/2
Kodak 400 ASA B&W film
shutter time & aperture unknown
The photo has had tremendous impact on Western and American society ever since it was published in 1972. It won several awards, including the 1973 Pulitzer Prize. However, the story behind the photo, the girl in the photo and the photographer haven't been told very often. Sofar, the best article on the photo and its history is the article from 2000 The survivor: Phan Thi Kim Phuc and the photographer Nick Ut. The story relates Nick Ut's day when he took the photo, the incident itself and the aftermath of the incident. The article also shows photos that place the Napalm girl photo into context. The accompanying interviews with Nick Ut and Kim Phuc further place the photo in a historical context.
This is one of the photos that I think are part of the world heritage of photography. Very few other photos have had the effect that this photo has had. And the fact that the history of the participants are known, gives this photo even more weight.
The Girl in the Picture : The Story of Kim Phuc, the Photograph, and the Vietnam War (Paperback)Technorati Tags : photography photo rangefinder Vietnam War Vietnam Nick Ut war photography Leica Kim Phuc Pulitzer Prize
Shards of Photography http://shardsofphotography.blogspot.com/
posted by ShardsofPhotography at 8:35 AM
1 Comments:
Thank you for posting this now historical picture. Ive just now shown it to my teen age sons of this age (video gameing). I'm thankful that they expressed horror for the people in the picture. My brother and I remember whatching this on TV around the dinner table.....its where we learned about the world other than National Geographic Magazines.
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