I today came across an image which stuck itself firmly and immediately into my memory banks. Taken last year by Getty photographer John Moore, it truly reflects the emotion that so many feel (and that so many others are oblivious to) during Memorial Day in the USA. John Moore is more famously known as a war photographer, having won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the Iraq war. He also was mere metres away from Benazir Bhutto at the time of her assassination, and captured some of the most poignant images from that incident.
On its own, this image is moving. But a photograph is never complete without a story behind it, and Mr. Moore’s account makes this a truly powerful image. Everything about the photo contributes to its message, from the numerous (and still growing) rows of tombstones, to the gifts laid on them that are so telling of the people they serve to honour.
To me, this represents everything that war stands for - senseless killing and needless loss. And the worst thing is, Mary McHugh is but one in millions who have experienced such tragedy.
4 Comments
March 20, 2008 at 2:34 am
hello! just wanted to say i’m glad you’re blogging again and i read the account that you linked - iLike! very warm, fuzzy and nostalgic. good bedtime story to feel thankful abt life. seeya ard!
March 20, 2008 at 2:42 am
thanks jayne! i’ve felt the urge to blog for ages but just couldn’t find enough momentum. now with photog there’s always new things to talk about.
about the picture - i don’t normally get moved by single photographs, but this one really struck me. truly an evocative image.
March 21, 2008 at 5:43 pm
blogblogblog
eh i give you memory card for your birthday ah….
March 21, 2008 at 5:43 pm
why you moderate comments!
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