SJOTIME PHOTOGRAPHY

 

From the Book Inferno

Famine in Sudan

James Nachtwey

1993

 

James Nachtwey began his career as a newspaper photographer in New Mexico. He later moved to New York where he became a free lance magazine photographer. Nachtwey is known for his photographs which document wars, conflicts, and critical issues. This image in particular is in the book titled Inferno and is a shot from the famine documented in Sudan during the 90's. This man is obviously beyond the state of being hungry. He is starved and is dying. His arms seem abnormally long due to their thinness. Bones are seen clearly almost as if skin does not exist on this man. It is a very hard image to look at, but I chose it because sometimes documentaries are hard, but they are stories people should be subjected to.

 

This photograph is well shot for the circumstances Nachtwey was in. Being subjected to such an intense scene is a hard thing to get over, let alone take a picture of. Most people do not want to make a memory of something so sad, but Nachtwey is fearless in his work. He is not afraid to capture the devastation at its prime time. This photograph captures the sadness immensely by being in black and white. The gray tones in the photograph capture the "gray" mood of a sad, dirty, disturbing situation. The expression on the man's face is devastating. He looks scared as someone hands him a piece of paper. He seems hesitant to take it, and with good reason because a piece of paper in no way could save this man, at least not immediately. The ground this man is lying on sums up the environment he has been exposed to for a long time now. Empty, colorless, and hopless. This is a devastating picture not only for the content, but for the story behind it as well.