Video: The most famous photographs and their authors in Tim Montoni's project "Behind Photographs"
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Among the many pictures taken in the history of photojournalism, there are especially important ones that have gained worldwide fame, have become symbols of an event. Most people are familiar with the portrait of a green-eyed Afghan girl, or the picture of Vietnamese children fleeing a napalm-burned village. But who took these photos? What do the people who participated in these events look like and captured them on film? Once I asked this question Tim Mantoani, and his research grew into a photography project Behind Photographs … To the great regret of Tim Montoni, it was discovered that the authors of some of the most famous photographs had already died. The next problem was that not all photographers agreed to participate in the project. The fact is that many masters of the old school do not respect modern digital technologies and do not want their portraits and works to exist in digital format at all. But Tim found a solution - take pictures with a Polaroid camera and publish them in a book with old photographs printed on paper. This format interested most of the project participants, and then the publication of the book "Behind Photographs: Archiving Photographic Legends" became possible.
It took five years to implement the project, now the book is on sale and anyone who has a desire and $ 40 can buy it. Of course, many of the images have become publicly available through leaks on the Internet.
On the photographs participating in the project, the authors signed their autographs or wrote short comments and explanations to them: after all, many of the works managed to acquire legends, which are not always true. So, a few years ago, horrifying photographs of the same “ Afghan girl , allegedly taken 5 years after the publication of the first portrait. Photo author, Steve McCurry, debunks this myth: in fact, Sharbat Gula, that is the name of the girl from the picture, is alive and well. Now she is married, has three children and is as happy as one can be happy in the country after the war.
Snapshot Nika Utah, which depicts a small Vietnamese girl Kim, who became a victim of the war, also participates in the project Behind Photographs … The photographer remembers the Vietnam War as if it happened last year. And the girl, photographed that day, survived and admits that two tragedies happened in her life: napalm, which burned her clothes and left scars for life, and … a photograph taken by Nick. The picture went down in history as a symbol of war, and the girl in the frame became the subject of attention for everyone: photographers, journalists, politicians and even neighbors. Therefore, as soon as the opportunity arose, Kim Fook left for Cuba, and then moved to Canada, where she was able to live the life of an ordinary person. However, she and Nick Yute have maintained friendly relations and communicate to this day.
Another symbol associated with the war was a picture taken Jeff Widner in 1989. It depicts an ordinary Chinese man with string bags in his hands, who stands in the middle of the road, restraining the movement of a column of tanks. This photograph is known all over the world under the name "Unknown rebel", and is considered a protest against the tyranny of the totalitarian state. However, the Chinese see a completely different meaning in the picture: it became proof that the authorities did not want to shed innocent blood, because the tank could easily run over a person, and not wait for the police to arrive and take him out of the way.
But don't think that all the photos from the project Behind Photographs associated with war or political events. Among them are portraits of famous people such as Marilyn Monroe and Kurt Cobain, a photograph of the Beatles, and a photograph taken during the fight of Muhammad Ali. The project also features humorous photographs such as "Dog Legs" by Elliott Erwitt. Photos from the Behind Photographs project have made people cry, smile, and reflect on life for many years. And the photographers who took these pictures were often surprised to learn how their work influenced people, changing their views and opinions.
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