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Monday, March 17, 2008

Are You a Vulture or the Photographer?


A bleak , heart-breaking scene of a child starving, collapsing due to famine,due to starvation,due to extreme poverty and a stalking,hungry vulture ready to attack his prey. If you are the photographer what would you do on that particular moment? Would you rather save the child or would you rather take the photo?

Of course the famous and fearless photojournalist, Kevin Carter took that Award-winning photo last 1993 in Sudan. He got a Pulitzer Award for it in 1994. But few months after receiving the award, he committed suicide. Probably, he was haunted by the horrific images of Sudan especially the image of that dying,thin as a stick child with the vulture stalking him.

I post this photo because i keep on thinking about this image in my mind. I am asking myself am i the vulture? or the photographer? How would you interpret the photo yourself? In the Philippines, this week is called Holy Week. So, this photo might help us reflect a little bit of ourselves especially during this Holy Week Celebration.

My interpretation: the child represents extreme poverty,war,disease,etc...The vulture represents selfishness, power, fear, injustice. And the photojournalist? He represents opportunism. He represents many of us who sometimes doesn't care what others feel as long as our goals will be fulfilled even if we step on others' feet. Somebody who has the capacity to help but seems so blind.

The picture has huge impact on me. How about on you?

12 comments:

ellen said...

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feel free to visit my 2 site...nice meeting you Prily!

Lynn said...

Just watching the image kind of gave me goosebumps, cuz. More so when i read your post. I can't stand the scene. My goodness! I somewhat picture what happened after that picture was taken. Did the volture attack that helpless child?

You're right, there are those people who doesn't care about others for as long as they get what they wanted. It's because of greed - the hunger for power, wealth, fame, etc. They may get what they want, but for sure, happiness won't be in their hands.

Prily said...

Nobody knows what happened to the child but surely,the photojournalist was excited to submit the photo as much as possible.It was said that the next day after he took the pic,the photo appeared in international media.Maybe there was something bad happened to the child?perhaps?maybe because the photojournalist couldn't sleep and the image just haunted him until his death.

earthlingorgeous said...

Hi Prily! Nice to meet you! How do we link exchange hahahaha! so new at blogger :) haha! do you have a msn or yahoo maybe we can chat if you are free :) I am so excited hahaha! my hunny is hopefully coming here this june and he works at an oil rig too :)

earthlingorgeous said...

oh btw, I have some few chosen blog pages in there that I have put on my links page, I will add your URL to my page too if u don't mind :)

Sandi said...

Wow! I just read "What is the What"by Dave Eggers, a lost boy of Sudan. The story really moved me and this picture makes this tragic story come to life.

Pinay said...

What a selfish act gyd ay!I rather save the child from danger than having an award.Karma really hunted him,good for him though.

coolingstar9 said...

It was really a sad scene indeed, hope we would not seen this again.
Have a nice day.

DebbieDana said...

very nice post here...

Unknown said...

yeah, this is really a heart-breaking photo... it worth a thousand words, we don't what happened to the child... only the vulture knows after it.

Ely said...

i liked how u interpreted the photo but as a (self-declared) future photographer(naks!), i don't think Kevin Carter is an opportunist. We never know what he did before and after taking the photo. Besides, without him, we'd never get to see this. Taking this photo is his way to "help". His only mistake is commiting suicide, well thats another story...

Prily said...

Thanks for all your comments,my friends.I appreciated it.