Nguyen Huu An (left), 5 years old and Nguyen Thi Than Tuyen, 3 years old with their mother in Huong Xuan near Hue. The father lived in the Agent Orange infected province Song Be.

A shocking and sad documentary of how man can become inhuman.

A very powerful & evocative documentary shot. It's almost impossible to rate aesthetics & originality as in most PJ images. More gripping than the actual children is the zoo like atmosphere provided by the bars & the staring of those on the other side.

I took the time to view the rest of this folder. The entire folder is gripping, excellent PJ work

Powerful, emotive and true documentative. A story that NEEDS to be told. Thank you for sharing.

A searing human document, composed with profound sensitivity and also with outstanding artistry. The decision to cut off half of the left-ward child's face was brilliant, as was the intent to show the "normal" children peeking through the metal bars into the interior, producing a clear division between the life inside and outside. Placing the mother between them is what makes this photograph more than a cold documentation, taking us into these three lives and also to the fourth, the father who was exposed to agent orange, who we do not see but only imagine through words of the photographer.

 

If one photo can capture an entire narrative of the long term effects of a modern war, this is one example.

It is a chilling strong documentation, and has to be seen as such. It grabs attention to the cruel side of life.

Roland, this is such a moving photo, so tragically sad.

 

I agree with Pnina that this should not be judged by the usual means we have to rate photos.

 

I knew nothing about the birth deformities that Agent Orange can cause. After looking at the folder you have this in, I did a little reading on this subject.

 

This is a horrifying situation that you have brought attention to and I applaud you for having the courage to face this and document it for us photographically in order to bring it to our attention.

 

Thank you very much.

 

Regards,

Maria

A great documentary shot: it capture the attention and evocate an emotional response. Congrats Roland.

Indeed it is a picture that makes you think deeply about the people pictured, their context, and of the many that may experience similar venues.

I�m glad this powerful photo was chosen, as I strongly believe that serves as a reminder of the immeasurable power of communicating it has, hence the opportunity to use it as a vehicle to raise awareness on such an important subject as war and its forlorn consequences.

This documentary photo raised in me many question of which I'd better not to raise. Questions regarding ethics. These consequences from this part of the world are new to me. I've seen your portfolio. Thanks for sharing that. Actually, I'm looking that in awe, thinking about their suffer. Are they aware of their existence or not? If they are, probably they don't feel anything around. It is cruel for them to be exposed like that.

 

I think that photographer is very brave in his attempt, trying to change the world or their lives.

No words... really a moving and great documentation

Can we stop the unnecessory developments and inventions? which is not worthy actually... What we got after such developments, when we lost the real happiness and values..... This photo shows the reality behind the new and newer uncontrolled, distructive and unnecessory inventions going on....

I am choked by the image, and that is because it is thru. Innocents suffer from war more than any, because they suffer during years after wars are finish and soldiers are gone. Thank you for remembering us.

Moderator Note:

 

Please try and remember why we have a "Photograph of the Week".

It is a learning forum and the way to participate is through actual critiques. This forum also helps people understand what a critique is and we all learn why an image works well or is not effective etc... by reading the critiques.

 

I realize that some feel you can't "critique" this image with the usual photographic standards - at least the asthetics...

 

But - We need to hear about "why" it works as a good documentary image -

Or

 

What would have worked better - or why you "don't" think it works as a good documentary image.

 

What makes this a good photo?

 

Why/How does it do a good job to "document" the issue or why not? (Another photo might do a better or worse job in capturing this for instance).

 

This is not a political forum and we don't want "no war" type comments - unless it is part of your actual critique of the image. This is also not a philosophy forum although an image like this will evoke some emotional comments. Please try and strike a balance here. If this moves you, please explain what the photographer did here that moved you. If it moves you just because of the result of war but you don't feel the actual photo is effective in and of itself - we'd like to hear why.

 

Take a look at the link in Patrick's intro for guidelines on how to participate in a Photo of the Week discussion. Thanks.

Your composition fits the message you are sending with the children in front balanced by the children on the other side of the bars. Even the flatness of the light fits your picture. Well done.

You are very good at capturing images that we would rather not see but should.

 

Fearsome commentary on the cost of war. Remember that it it is the people we vote for as well as ourselves who are accountable.

V Moore/ stonedance

Wow. This is the kind of image that steps out from around a street corner, punches you in the chest, and then stands there, staring, waiting to see how you'll react.

 

When I saw the thumbnail, I figured it was a van Gogh style distortion of a family snapshot.

 

I agree with some that say it feels off balance. I think it'd be better if the center child was a bit farther off to the right. I was going to suggest that perhaps you might have moved a few inches to your right, then angled back some toward the left. However, I'd hate to lose those other kids looking in through the window, and I might not want to see whoever Mom is looking at, so perhaps your angle is the best that was available.

 

I do love the lighting and exposure. I also like that the left child's face is only half shown. We get enough to see that it's distorted somewhat, but little enough to keep us wanting to see more in order to finish the story.

 

Well done.

I'm sitting here wondering how we would critique a photo of, say, a mushroom cloud over any city of size in the United States. Would we say that the picture could have been shot better if the lens had been stopped down, if a prime rather than a zoom had been used, etc.?

 

This is a powerful image in spite of any technical deficiencies that might be pointed out--as would be a picture of a mushroom cloud.

 

Congratulations on this powerful capture of the unintended but to some extent foreseeable consequences of war, Roland. It is social commentary, and I am grateful that you posted it here.

--Lannie

Very powerful image - well executed and 'clean'.

 

The point of view, framing and subject posture all worked to convey a strong picture with an equally strong message. With the children facing the camera and the mother facing someone, as if to wait for an answer to something that cannot be answered... And the people on the outside...the bars... Mankind, prisoner of its own insecurities, waging wars...and the innocent victims of those barbaric actions facing the camera.

 

An excellent and very powerful image.

I can not say anything about composition, lighing, shadows, focus or any other asthetics, Just can say, whoever see this photo, it impackts soundly. Great photo for journalism, magzine or any documentary.

This photo is what photojournalism is all about. I love it cause there is a lot going on, the depth of field is unreal and it's pretty obvious where this image controls your eyes, thoughts and emotions. I love it even more that is was shot on film. I love that there are people documenting life elsewhere in the world and bringing it to Susie Jensen in Spofford New Hampshire. Without photos like this some people will never now what its like outside their comfort zone.

Mahalo Roland for a great image.

Nice composition for the subject matter. Are you familiar with the work of James Caccavo?

Astonishingly beautiful and loving portrait. The composition captured my attention in a tiny thumbnail shown on photo.net's main page and the larger view does not disappoint. I see this more as a sense of the photographer's love and compassion than as an overt statement on a social or political issue. In that sense, it's even more successful

It is interesting contemporary documentary photograph. The composition opens up a different peer inside of their world. Mother is "still there" with the children, but she didn't look at the camera, which puzzling me a bit.

I know that documentary photos should be in a high key and in this case it presents a better insight, without any of a hidden trace or symbol, or even drama.

 

I think this photo presents a world without emotions, strangely. But, we the viewers, beholders "showed" them a compassion.

 

7/7.

The after math of war should be seen. Photos like this may affect only a handful of people, but those handful can change the world's direction. As a viewer, I feel a part of this photo, not apart from it.

Thank you for selecting a photo with such impact. Prompting viewers to learn more about the Viet Nam conflict and the disaster of agent orange make this the most valuable of images. Excellent for a technical stand point and overwhelming in content.

 

James

This is a deeply harrowing picture, and one which is difficult to view. At once we want to recoil from the deformities of the children, yet we see that they are human and the hapless victims of the political ambitions of those whom they will never meet.

 

A very powerful picture indeed.