Wounded Eyes

"I have been a witness, and [my] pictures are my testimony. The events I have recorded should not be forgotten and must not be repeated." James Nachtwey
War: a state of armed conflict between different nations or states or different groups within a nation or state. Synonyms include but are not limited to: conflict, bloodshed, struggle or hostility. Since the beginning of time war has been with us and the constant growth of technology going from large 8x10 box cameras with long exposures to small 35 mm quick-snap cameras and so on has allowed photographers to become more intimate with war getting closer and closer to destruction and despair. With the first few decades of in-your-face war photographs it seemed the public was shocked at the horrific truths. However, because of the growing intimacy with war, we become more and more desensitized to the damage it ensues with each photograph we see. Although technology continually grows, the effects of war remain the same. No matter the day and age, it is still war there is still death, destruction, evil and horror. Whether brought to ones door physically or visually every person war surrounds is affected directly or indirectly. A soldier may have his photo taken while grieving the loss of a fellow comrade while feeling lost in the wake of brutal death. Someone countries away could witness this photograph and empathize with the soldier also feeling tears on their cheeks as they contemplate the death toll rising. The damage from war can be almost unbearable the vast emptiness left behind, relocation of families, cultures and races wiped out, cities and towns left in ruins and much more. And let us not forget about the emotional damage. All photographers, like James Nachtwey, have been a witness alongside with determined journalists, valiant soldiers and courageous sufferers. Documentary photography has grown in and out of the idea of promoting social change through photographs and has always presented truth to the public eye about the things we wish werent true. It seems we can be emotionally affected by looking at just one photograph but at the same time can be quick to move away from that same feeling. Photographers working in the battle field have risked their lives to bring forward that information about the things we are so far from. Some photographs produced have held so much intensity that

photographers like George Rodger and W. Eugene Smith stopped photographing war after WWII.

Desensitized as we may be, the photographs and the events are real and we are still affected by looking at them and still affected by history. Yet, it seems, history continues to repeat itself. War,

unfortunately, is inevitable and through wounded eyes, we have vicariously witnessed what others have tragically experienced. We must never forget and hope that we will never repeat such tragedies.

For the dead and the living, we must bear witness. Elie Wiesel, Author and WWII survivor