Saturday, August 31, 2013

Possible Photos Of The Future


I am thinking of taking a trip to Africa, possibly Rwanda. The book I am reading that was quoted earlier deals with the genocide that happened there in 1994. If I can manage a trip in 2014, I could do work related to the 20th anniversary of that terrible event. I have wanted to visit Africa for a long time but have been unsure of which country to visit maybe Rwanda will be the one. 

The other thing that I have thought of for years but have never done is to photograph a war. I told myself I would photograph a war by 30, then by 40 and here I am on the edge of 50 and I still have not accomplished that goal. Maybe I can photograph a small action somewhere in Africa? Some small forgotten conflict, with soldiers that have an important stories to tell. Donald McCullen and W. Eugene Smith were both severely injured shooting battles, there is nothing glamorous in that and its something I am frightened by, but to make important anti war photographs that is a worthy goal. War photography now at my age and lack of experience might be a bit to much, but its still something I think of often.

Hey we can't live forever and the photographs you leave behind is what matters most. Here are a few new scans of images not posted before, one of a very young mother with her baby and the other of 3 young children  on the exterior dump road in Mae Sot. I feel the photographs are quite strong,  this is the future of my photography.

Young mother with her newborn baby Mae Sot garbage dump, Thailand 2013
Three children near their home in the Mae Sot garbage dump, Thailand 2013