‘A woman sits for a final photograph with her dying mother’ or just another great post on Conscientious
Written by duckrabbitIf you only read one thing about photography this week, next week, or for the rest of the year, read this post.
‘Even if your photographic diet only consisted of, let’s say, James Nachtwey photographs, I am relatively certain – relatively, not absolutely – that this photograph will move you. It might even shock you. Needless to say, that is not why this is a good photograph. This is not why you might want to use it as an example of what photographs can do. For the shock, all you’d need is something by Nachtwey. But for something that strikes your innermost self, this photograph is an amazing example. It is a photograph that, to (mis-)use Francis Bacon’s words, speaks directly to the nervous system.‘
Author — duckrabbit
duckrabbit is a production company formed by radio producer/journalist Benjamin Chesterton and photographer David White. We specialize in digital storytelling.
Discussion (2 Comments)
The huge irony for me is that from our western perspective, where we are so often very guilty of considering and portraying african life as ‘cheap’, we would never ever contemplate arranging an image to be made like this one, which portrays an individual life as being so very very precious.
Yes there have been many images I’ve seen of ill and dying westerners, and powerful and moving many of these images undoubtedly are. But these images have been made for the most part by photographers who have sought out their subjects. In the photographer’s absence the process of death would have continued unrelentingly, but unrecorded.
This particular image’s power for me comes from the fact that the subject has not only sought out the photographer, but also made a journey to ‘the place of the camera’ to have the image made. I think it would be fair to say that this image shows something very very special, that gives an insight into the human spirit.
This is pilgrimage, in the truest and most wonderful sense of the word.
For the exact same sentiments (but no shock!), arrangements and human spirit look at 19th century post-mortem photography.