The Four-eyed Journal » Photography

Kevin Carter – Photography & ethics

jhay — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:43:16 +0000

My instructor in Socio-Anthropology class asked us to look up who was that “photographer who won a Pulitzer prize for a photo of a young girl struggling on to reach a feeding center somewhere in Africa.”

That photographer is Kevin Carter, born September 13, 1960 in Johannesburg and was an award-winning South African photojournalist and member of the “Bang-Bang Club”.

He became famous when he won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography on May 23, 1994 for this photo of an emaciated Sudanese toddler struggling to reach a feeding center in the village Ayod in southern Sudan. When the girl stopped to rest, a vulture landed behind her, perhaps sensing that death would soon overcome her.

Kevin Carter's Pulitzer prize winning photograph that changed his life & the world

When the photo first appeared in The New York Times on March 26, 1993 and drew massive public attention. However, Kevin Carter was criticized for allegedly not helping the girl:

“The man adjusting his lens to take just the right frame of her suffering might just as well be a predator, another vulture on the scene.”

Months after winning the Pulitzer Prize, Kevin Carter committed suicide on July 27, 1994 by taping one end of a hose to his pickup truck’s exhaust pipe and running the other end to the passenger-side window. He died of carbon monoxide poisoning at the age of 33. Portions of Carter’s suicide note read:

“I am depressed … without phone … money for rent … money for child support … money for debts … money!!! … I am haunted by the vivid memories of killings and corpses and anger and pain … of starving or wounded children, of trigger-happy madmen, often police, of killer executioners…I have gone to join Ken if I am that lucky.”(source)

Our instructor was right, doing this kind of work – a sort of Ethnographic research which involves direct, first-hand observation of the subject’s daily behavior which can include participant observation – can have a drastic and often times negative impact on the observer/researcher’s life. In this case, it drove Kevin Carter to end his life.

Was Kevin Carter wrong in just taking the photo and allegedly not helping the struggling child? There has been much debate on this issue. I end with sharing this video presentation by four Media Ethics students that took on the ethics case of Photojournalist Kevin Carter and his infamous and award winning photograph “Sudanese Girl”.

PhotoHunt: Thankful

jhay — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 03:00:17 +0000

Another round of PhotoHunt has come, though I’ve missed so much already, here’s my contribution for this week’s theme, “thankful”.

It’s one of the elderly folk that received gifts from our local parish for last Christmas. It was simple yet joyous event especially the poor and common folk of my home town Silang, Cavite, Philippines.

I was thankful I was there to be part of it.

PhotoHunt

PhotoHunt: Furry

jhay — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 02:00:18 +0000

Woot! Thank God I am able to join this week’s PhotoHunt! This week’s theme is furry, and I couldn’t think of a better photo than this one below:

It’s my friend’s Shitzu dog, ‘Beyonce’ fresh from a bath and grooming. Shitzu’s are one of the cutest dog breeds on the planet which why it’s one of the most popular breeds kept as pets. Particularly here in the Philippines, Shitzu’s are very popular.

Can’t wait to see the other entries for this week’s theme!

PhotoHunt

Bente: LCDC 20th Anniversary Exhibit

jhay — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:36:42 +0000

Just this afternoon, the mother office of the student volunteer group I am part of, kicked off their 20th anniversary celebrations by opening the “BENTE: Dalawang Dekada ng Lasalyanong Paglilingkod” an exhibit which features the Lasallian Community Development Office‘s 20 years of history, origins, programs, achievements and awards.

I am part of the organizing team that spearheaded the exhibit. We spent the last two months of 2009 preparing everything for the exhibit from conceptualization, materials production and even the mounting itself. More photos of the launch here.

Along the way, I was able to put my novice Photoshop CS3 + photography skills to the test because I was assigned as the “lead graphics designer”. Would you believe that?! My task was to photograph each piece of memorabilia the office has under its roof and transform those images into exhibit-ready pieces using Photoshop CS3 and some inspiration from nearby calendars. It was a fun, challenging and learning experience as I was not only able to learn new things and be really creative with Photoshop CS3, but I was also able to learn a lot more about my mother-office’s colorful history and legacy.

DLSU-D students and faculty may visit the LCDC Bente Exhibit at the Aklatang Emilio Aguinaldo and it’s open during the library hours. Along with the exhibit, LCDC has also prepared “Sine Bente” a screening of selected documentaries about the environment, poverty, socio-political advocacies and many more.

With this, we hope that many more Lasallians will learn about the colorful history of LCDC and the Lasallian Mission of social transformation which we will continue to struggle for the next twenty years and beyond.

Saturday PhotoHunt: Breakfast

jhay — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 00:22:44 +0000

This is the first for me to actually join tnchick.com’s PhotoHunt series for bloggers who has taken on photography be it as a hobby or profession.

A theme is given each week and those who want to join would simply post a photo on their blog representing that chosen theme. Of course, much link-love goes around among those who have joined.

This week’s theme is breakfast!

I love tofu! It reminds me of everything that’s inside my blood. Asia: my Chinese ancestry, my Filipino heritage, its people and cultural awesomeness! Every time my parents prepare tofu be it mixed in with a dish or on its own, I never fail to help my self to no less than two blocks’ worth of this wonderful coagulation of soybean milk.

Stir-fried with mixed vegetables has been a favorite variety of tofu in our family. But in Sunday mornings, which is also family day in our household, tofu is prepared as part of breakfast as stand-alone dish enjoyed the Filipino way, deep-fried until golden-brown and its outer skin a tender crisp.

Served with my father’s very own secret blend of vinegar, soy sauce and other spices, it quickly runs out for those who are too lazy to get up on a Sunday morning. This tofu dish is accompanied by my mother’s arroz caldo*.

Ah yes, the glory and bliss of sharing a simple yet wonderful breakfast with your family. All thanks to the humble yet awesome, tofu.

*Ms Connie Veneracion, author of Pinoycook.net is not my mother nor are we related by blood or civil consanguinity in any way. I just pointed to her post about arroz caldo for reference.