Documentary photography is a tool to capture a moment and communicate with the people who is looking at it. A successful documentary photo can always tell the story behind even it is just a freeze moment, bringing the viewers travel back to the scenes where the photos were taken.
Don McCullin is a British Photojournalist and is known for his war documentary photography(1). During the Vietnam War which is also known as the Second Indochina War(2), Don was one of the war photographers and he has capture a range of photograph which reveal the ruthless side of wars. I choosed three works out of it. Both of them recounted how war damage the life of the civilian, they have no control of their important things and people and even their life. The photograph of the death young Vietnamese soldier with his possessions is the most shocking photo out of the three of them. The small photo of a girl in his wallet make a big contrast of the situation. It can easily tell that the girl is a very important person of the soldier, however they were being separate forever because of the war. This photo has not only told the story of this young soldier, but also represent a lot of civilians and soldiers which have similar story at that time. The next two photos are related to the ordinary Vietnamese during the war, the one that an American marine inside a civilian house with the couple photo ,and the one that an old Vietnamese civilian was tormenting by the US Marines are also another examples that shown the violence of war.
This series of photograph really brought me to a meditation because of the reality that they showed to me. These photos are way more powerful than any words because they were captured from the real moment of that period. They communicate with the real experience and that’s why they are so influential.
A Young Dead North Vietnamese Soldier with His Possessions 1968, printed 2013 Don McCullin born 1935 ARTIST ROOMS Tate and National Galleries of Scotland. Purchased with the assistance of the ARTIST ROOMS Endowment, supported by the Henry Moore Foundation and Tate Members 2014 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/AR01195
The Battle for the City of Hue, South Vietnam, US Marine Inside Civilian House 1968, printed 2013 Don McCullin born 1935 ARTIST ROOMS Tate and National Galleries of Scotland. Purchased with the assistance of the ARTIST ROOMS Endowment, supported by the Henry Moore Foundation and Tate Members 2014 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/AR01196
US Marines Tormenting an Old Vietnamese Civilian, The Battle for the City of Hue 1968, printed 2013 Don McCullin born 1935 ARTIST ROOMS Tate and National Galleries of Scotland. Purchased with the assistance of the ARTIST ROOMS Endowment, supported by the Henry Moore Foundation and Tate Members 2014 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/work/AR01199
Reference:
(1) Online: available from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_McCullin
(2) Online: available from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_McCullin
Photo: (Don McCullin, 1986)