We look at other people's suffering

The book provides an overview of the history of the image of war: it describes a change in the methods of obtaining images related to the evolution of photographic equipment, as well as stylistic and compositional techniques - from the earliest photographs taken during the Civil War in the USA to the representation of modern wars of the late XX century. Another topic that runs through the entire work is the politicized nature of military photography and its influence on the formation of ideological attitudes.

The first military photographs: about the staging and the role of propaganda

The history of military photography originates from photographs of Roger Fenton , taken at the height of the Crimean War , commissioned by the government to popularize the campaign. The photographs did not show any military operations per se and consisted of staged personnel from a military camp.

Later works were staged, among them the testimonies of the Second World War - such are the “Banner of Victory over the Reichstag” by Eugene Chaldea “Arms of the flag over Iwo Jima” by Joe Rosenthal . Only in the second half of the 20th century with the advent of independent photojournalists did the number of staged shots somewhat decrease. At the same time censorship arose in military photography. The author mentions the phenomenon of self-censorship of photographers, in the framework of which certain rules were established for photographing the two parties involved in the conflict. Sontag raises the question of the possibility of trust in such evidence and again refers to the functions of photography described in the collection of essays “On Photography” . The author recalls that photography is always an interpretation. Being a way of fixing experience and therefore perceived by society as a confirmation of events, it in reality only represents the subjective view, one of the versions of events. In addition, military images deprived of any context can be interpreted in two ways - just change the signature, for example, in the photographs of the victims of the attack.

Images of Violence in Contemporary Culture

In today's media space, photographs of wars and evidence of cruelty are placed on the front pages of news publications - such images invariably attract attention: “photography is aimed at searching for more and more dramatic images, and this has become the norm in a culture where shock is the leading stimulus of consumption and a source of value” [ one]. Zontag mentions another property of military photography that provokes an increased interest in violent scenes - a photograph designed to show distant events inaccessible to the eyes of an ordinary citizen and become their "living confirmation", in fact, it only moves the person who looks at the picture from the image and creates a sense of security, speaking in as a kind of barrier between the world and chaos.

In conclusion, Zontag calls to address the issue of responsibility and power: “These images suggest paying attention, pondering, finding out, how do those with power justify the need for mass suffering? Who arranged this? Who is responsible for this? ”[1].

1. Sontag S. We look at other people's suffering. M .: Ad Marginem, 2014 .-- 96 S.
2. Leonard John. Not What Happened but Why. The New York Times.
3. Conrad Peter. "What the eye can't see .." . The observer