Frozen in Time

There's something extremely powerful about the ability to capture a moment in time. The photographer chooses the context in which the image will appear, the story that will be told long after the subject has gone.

Most people start off their collection of pictures with the help of their parents, memorializing their childhood firsts--the honorary nude picture in the bath (I am one such victim), the wobbly foot steps, the one-year old birthday celebration, the school dance. As people get older, they may choose to continue to snap shots of events that they want to look back on. It is as if the photo serves as a placeholder for their memories, evidence that an event actually took place. Most pictures remain in the private realm, with viewing accessible to only close family and friends. Even then, the girlfriend doesn't want to share her ugly duckling pictures with her boyfriend.

Then there are pictures that are meant to be seen by all. Pictures that are forever emblazoned in our minds, like the one of the piercing green-eyed Afghan girl on the cover of National Geographic. Pictures like the one above. I came across the heartbreaking photograph on James Nachtwey's website. He is an extraordinary artist who finds and magnifies humanity in every shot, even in the most horrific, appalling scenes. Nachtwey could have chosen to focus on the subject's face, but he opted to include the dilapidated feeding center, the rough dirt, and the famished man's frail body.* The photographer wanted us to see what was left of the subject's being--man forced to his hands and knees. Helpless. Even animals are treated better than him. They get fed.

So what do you when you see photos like that? What can you do? Feel sad for a couple seconds, think about how great you have it, tell yourself to not take for granted the freedoms and privileges that are afforded to you? I guess that's better than not feeling anything at all.

*I cropped the left picture to only include the head of the man to juxtapose it with the original picture.