Inspiration

If it bleeds, it leads. This quote from lecture one tugged at my heartstrings because it is inevitably true, some of the best stories, the best pictures, are of people’s pain and anguish. Personally, I’d rather read into the gory detail of Somali refugee camps than read about some really cute panda’s, SUPER cute first steps. My priorities are backward, I know.

In saying this, my goal for quite some time now, has been to become a contributor to National Geographic, a magazine that boasts equal amounts of suffering and beauty, and this is where the lines blur, for me at least because there is a fine line between them. The stories of bloodshed we are attracted to are in no way beautiful, beautiful is something that’s innately heart-warming, some might say it’s even assuring. No, the photography juxtaposed with the story is what is most beautiful, despite the grim context it’s in. Sure these photos are just as unsettling as the story, but they also thrust the stories into reality. I think this is why we as infants, are drawn to picture books, because they make us think; they give us leeway to imagine the situation, and put ourselves in it. Essentially, this process inspires people to care, and inspires people to take action. – And it is all these things that photos allow for, that make them beautiful.

This claim may seem a bit far-fetched, but it leads to what I like to call, my inspiration. 

 Behold, The Afghan Girl.  This photograph, taken by Steve McCurry, was published by National Geographic in 1985 amidst the beginning of the Afghani struggle with the Soviet Union. At only 12, she became the face of Afghanistan’s plight, her piercing gaze telling a story of a land ravaged by war, a story that exceeded the capability of the written word.  Her face transcended borders, and the vast majority of people ignorant of the third world, were now knee deep in what they felt was an obligation to help. Point being, no one knew what was happening in Afghanistan, but they sure as hell do now. 

But in the time it took for her photo to be snapped, she was gone, no one knew her name, her story, or if she was still alive. However, those eyes had captured the attention of the West and they WANTED to know, they WANTED find her, and they WANTED to know her story, because they were moved by her gaze.
In 2002, at the height of the Americanised, religious and oil driven war; seventeen years after this photo was published, Sharbat Gula was found – her recovery to me a symbol of hope for the future. 

I’d like to take a moment to address an issue that is more recent, but nonetheless proves my point – KONY 2012.  This issue boils down to one thing, white people feeling guilty. I was hesitant to draw this link, what with KONY 2012’s credibility being at the mercy of try-hard hipsters to whom the thought of world peace is way too mainstream, but I will anyway. One video, and one picture of this mean-looking guy turned the world into a bunch of activists who felt compelled to do something, and it was concerning, but it was effective. So perhaps this too will inspire some sort of action.

Nevertheless, the fact that all of this inspiration stems from just one photograph leaves me in awe- and this is what draws me to photojournalism. If you can take just one photo or in the case of KONY2012, a video, and have it say everything that needs to be said, if you can make pain and anguish beautiful, then you have success.  Compelling people to think beyond a photo calls for talent, and I will strive to be one of those people, one of those people who can capture not only an image, but a feeling, and transfer that feeling to someone else.

A side note:
To be quite frank, if people can be more inspired visually, than by text, then we should milk if for all it’s worth, if it is indeed a more accessible way to make people care. This links to what we are currently learning in terms of new media too doesn’t it?  Yes, we are evolving technologically, but implied in this is that we want information quicker, we’d rather not spend an hour deconstructing what a stuffy old white man said in The New York Times - we want facts, images alongside text (Which I agree is equally as important) that reiterates the point and thrusts us into the situation and in turn makes us FEEL something that text just can’t.

Sometimes sure it might seem a bit degrading to the profession, but make things bloody, make them accessible, and people will pay attention. I’m sure it’s been this way for decades.

- Shannen.