Vietnam war photography

[Silver]

A collection of powerful images from the intriguing (and hideous) Vietnam war:
https://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/05/vietnam_35_years_later.html

[neatbik]

Very thought provoking..

[colin1]

That website is ace for photos. I've seen stuff on it before, and they are always amazing. I really should bookmark it.

The marine in pic 5 looks about 12 years old.
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[Silver]

[hellkat]

Do you know what ...

I've seen that Kim Phuc photo so many times over the years, it means nothing to me any more, it draws no emotion. Shocking but true.

But the picture following it, where you can see from the back view either (is it ??) ... her skin burned off - or the clothes she has torn off, burned on ... that's more evocative to me than the original famous picture.

Same with the one of Nguyen Van Lem being shot in the head. Seen it loads of times, even seen pix that allege to show his brains spraying out. No effect on me.

But the one following, of him not even lying flat on the ground yet, where you can't see his head any more, but you know that his brains are probably spilling out over the concrete, and his legs haven't even touched the floor properly ... much more powerful, BECAUSE of what I have become familiar with regarding that particular picture.

Having said that, neither of those pictures have any effect on me, but if I were in those situations, if those pictures were part of my life, if I had been "in" them as even just an observer, not even the main focus person ... I'm self-aware enough to know that they would traumatise me for the rest of my WHOLE life.

Two I've not seen before which metaphorically whacked me one round the head just now were :

* the women and children hiding in the water behind the reeds; and
* the one of the woman in the helicopter with her baby.

Fleeing, with nothing.

It makes you think, when you sit here surrounded with everything you think you "need" in life, comfortable, yet discontent. Imagine if that were you, and you were fleeing with just your child, and even then you didn't know what was going to happen to you next, whether you would be able to protect what was left in your life.

VERY thought provoking.

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Not nearly as interesting in real life.

[hellkat]

[ms51ves3]

[Dazbo666]

Fantastic photography, very thought provoking.
For me, the impact is all the more powerful knowing that these are real photos of real people, and not a screenshot of a Hollywood money-spinner.
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1st bike (Sept'06 - May'10) : 1991 GPZ500S / Current bike (since Nov 2009) : 2003 Suzuki Bandit 600N
Word of the day : DILLIGAF

[silky666]

[silky666]

[hellkat]