"Agent Orange"-folder

Hello

 

In June I showed two photographs of my project about the

consequences of the chemical war in Vietnam. Some people asked me to

show more pictures in photo.net

At last I'm able to do that. It is impossible to give here all the

necessary informations and facts but I hope that the pictures can

transmit a certain idea of the whole problem. I know also that there

are many other victims in USA, South Corea, Australia and Cambodia - I

show only one side of the coin. One of my future projects is to make a

documentation about the victims in USA.

 

Here is the folder:

http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder.tcl?folder_id=233567

 

Thanks for your attention

 

Roland

 

PS: I hope my English in the legends isn't to confusing...<div></div>

Don't need any legends, Roland. This terrible great photography speaks by itself, right the way it should.

 

Might your work help to avoid this misery in the future.

 

Please believe me I got sick literally but I still thank you to post these images/atrocities.

 

-Iván

It's excellent reportage, actually more than that, as author's text suddenly changes the perception.

A "tourist" shot of human-powered "cyclos" - bycicle-taxies with a legend

 

"The "Cyclo" is a popular conveyance. Their drivers are mostly veterans who faught on the side of the US troops. Therefore they don't have any possibility to ascend in society. "

 

turns it into something much more profound, doesn't it? Not speaking of the images of the people disfigured by USA defoliants.

 

Humanistic reportage, showing the reality surprises us! Why? Now we are fed sensationalist and untruthful stories about things much more mundane. Simple truth is hidden. When (rarely) one sees it, it surprises.

 

Excellent work.

Roland-

 

You've got an incredible, extremely powerful body of work. Thank you for sharing it. As someone who wasn't even around during the Vietnam War, it's amazing to see it's lingering effects on society, the people (physically & emotionally), and their spirit even today.

Roland, your folder is truly powerful!!! Thanks for posting and sharing!

Roland: Very strong work. Do you intend to publish it formally? Strikes me as suitable/ideal for Stern. Alas, there aren't many mags left in the US that would have the courage to run so complex a story. A few years back, Life ran a photo essay by Derek Hudson on Gulf War Syndrome, which opened eyes. I suspect your essay would have the same effect.

 

Do you mind a few questions? How do you choose between b+w and color? Do you evolve a relationship with your subjects or are you forced to shoot quickly at a given location (such as an orphanage or clinic)? What reaction has there been to your essay? Finally, is it possible your work might generate assistance for the victims and an investigation into the consequences of the defoliant?

 

Thanks for sharing these frames. I wish you every success and congratulate you on your courage and talent.

Roland--

Congratulations on this body of work. Beyond solid and well into

the realm of remarkable. Please go and get this stuff published

somewhere where many, many people will see it. It is important.

Roland, I'm not going to repeat how strong this work of yours is, just to add the information that <A HREF="http://www.agentorange.reflection.org/"> it has been published</A> and that there is a book available.

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BTW, Roland is selling superb fiber prints of his photos. I bought two.

This is a breathtaking portofolio, Roland. It must take a lot of strength to be confronted with all these destinies. I wonder how they treat you in the US, when you add the next chapter to you work ...

Thank you for sharing Roland. It is moving stuff.

I saw some of this at the war museum in Ho Chi Minh city -- very

emotional to view through it all. I felt angered and sad. War is

ugly and so wasteful. There was a section on war photogs and

several were sporting M3's and M2's.

Haunting photos, Roland. I.e., excellent photojournalism.

Subject: Response to "Agent Orange"-folder

 

Jonathan. Here the answers to your questions.

 

"How do you choose between b+w and color?" - That is a question of intuition. Of course not all motives are worth to be taken in colour, sometimes

I photographed a motiv in colour and b/w. Sometimes both works. Usually I mostly do b/w work. The Agent Orange Project was the first work I mixed b/w and color, in the beginning only for the reason to get more possibilities for publications. When I evaluated the results I decided to mix color with b/w and I think it works rather well. In the exhibitions I mixed both too. In our book you find only b/w photographs.

 

"Do you evolve a relationship with your subjects or are you forced to shoot quickly at a given location (such as an orphanage or clinic)?" - The first thing is that we had limited time for this project and there were also some obstractions from the official Vietnamese side. We had one mounth for the project and wanted to show as many aspects as possible of the whole problem. We worked together with the Vietnamese Red Cross which opened many doors for us. On the other side we had always official "helpers" with us who observed our steps very carefully. In the best case we could stay a couple of hours with the victims' families, better would have been a couple of days to see how their daily life works and to deepen the relation. I found out that certain families are a kind of model families to which foreign journalists are brought regularly. So I found "my" victims also on Philip Jones Griffiths' pictures of his Agent Orange work. In the clinic and orphanage I could work two days.

 

"What reaction has there been to your essay?" - This project originated from a collaboration with different NGOs (Swiss Red Cross, Green Cross,Caritas Switzerland, Terre des Hommes Switzerland and many others and was also supported by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture and by many others).It was and still is a campaign for enlighten people on the whole problem and for foundrising. Sometimes the reactions were really quite vehement, some people left the exhibitions with tears in their eyes. As far as I know the fundrising was quite successfull too. My hometown Basel for example contrebuted 30 000 dollars to an organisation which cares about Agent Orange victims.

 

"Finally, is it possible your work might generate assistance for the victims and an investigation into the consequences of the defoliant?" - It already is (see above). Of course it would be good to show the whole work also in other places and for other organisations. By the way - you know any in your place / country???

 

Greetings

 

Roland

Thanks, Roland, for provocative photos and discussion. A breath of fresh air to the forum. We need more stuff like this here. See, we forum members can be sensitive and discerning on occasion. ;>)

Roland,

 

I spent a long time going through this work, and came back to it again. I'm sure many of us would be curious to hear more about how you go about your work (unfortunately, I can't read German, so your webpage gives no leads.) I am struck by how 'unarranged' the compositions are -- meaning that the camera seems to 'find' the composition, as opposed to creating it. (I find the exact opposite with Salgado's work, and I think it's why a lot of people react negatively to what they see as aestheticization of suffering.)

 

Beautiful. Stunning.

Tim - On the webside you can also find a short English text version.

 

http://www.agentorange.reflection.org

 

Regards

 

Roland

Your portfolio is very strong, Roland, and more courageous by far than anything I've yet shot. You and your work are to be commended.