W. Eugene Smith was a master of the photojournalism essay. I became aware of his work in doing research on the Battle of Saipan in which my father fought. Smith was there and documented the aftermath of the Japanese banzai attack on July 7, 1944. There were other photos that he took on Saipan of the interaction between U. S. soldiers and the local children. After the war, Smith documented the effects of mercury pollution in Japan in his essay Minamata.
They could have been you. They could have been me. Refugees present a humanitarian crisis wherever and whenever to include the current situation on our southern border. Presented here are Polish refugees made homeless not once but twice in a generation. As a result of geography, Poland has experienced invasions in two world wars from both Germany and Russia. The lead photo shows Polish refugees on the road during the Great War c.1916. Perhaps some of the same people are seen below as they are once again forced to flee the Nazi invasion in September 1939
DPI’s contribution to the conversation on this film:
Gust Avrakotos: There’s a little boy and on his 14th birthday he gets a horse…and everybody in the village says, “how wonderful. The boy got a horse.” And the Zen master says, “we’ll see.” Two years later the boy falls off the horse breaks his leg, and everyone in the village says, “How terrible.” And the Zen master says, “We’ll see.” Then, a war breaks out and all the young men have to go off and fight …except the boy can’t because his legs all messed up, and everybody in the village says, “How wonderful.”
Charlie Wilson: Now the Zen master says, “We’ll see.”
You have to see the film. Our photo is “Mongol Horse and Yurt“; Mongolia (July 13, 1987). “It ain’t over till it’s over.” –Yogi Berra
Now that vacation time is here how about a trip to Wally World? It would seem that art imitates life. The family truckster, Clark, Aunt Edna, Audrey, Ellen and Rusty. Dinky the dog is no longer with us. An image too good to be true; “Wally World“; Colorado (July 7, 1948).
Sometimes a little gift just falls into your lap. We present this recent addition to our Immigration collection: “U.S. – Mexico Border“; c.1913. Migrant workers crossing the U.S.- Mexican border have been entering the U.S. for decades to do agricultural work which is seasonal and then return to Mexico. They have been employed in southern California, Texas, Florida and here on Long Island working in the potato fields before they were converted to vineyards. Many other states have also employed these migrant workers.
Say it ain’t so, Joe. The result of the institution of new tariffs by the U. S. is forcing HARLEY-DAVIDSON to move some production to Europe. As this trade war deepens retaliatory measures by many nations is assured. The ultimate result will be higher prices for consumers and the loss of jobs. Welcome to a brand new world.
These photos were taken at the Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania on June 12, 1983. Below we present a key as to who is driving what car in the images presented.
#22 Bobby Allison – Buick
#11 Darrell Waltrip – Chevrolet
#14 Tim Richmond – Pontiac
#55 Benny Parsons – Buick
#44 Terry Labonte – Chevrolet
#7 Kyle Petty – Pontiac
#48 Trevor Boys – Chevrolet
#33 Harry Gant – Buick
The winner was Bobby Allison with an average speed of 128.636 mph.
What is the significance, after all, of street photography if it does not provide society with a record of important moments captured for the historical record? Ahh, “the decisive moment” as Henri Cartier-Bresson would say. Well, here we may have just one of those significant, historical moments frozen in time by a talented street photographer.
The locale is San Francisco in sight of the ferry terminal building: “San Francisco Ferry Terminal” (1914). The date has been changed on the tower to 1915, but we are still in 1914 as these two men are in conversation on the street. Other men stand at the ready next to an automobile. Perhaps one or both of these men are very important? Perhaps they are discussing news of the Great War unfolding in Europe? In any case, a fine example of street photography proving that if you are serious about this craft it is necessary to always have your camera at the ready.
On another note, DPI is proud to announce that we have been listed at #40 of the top 50 photojournalism and blog sites by photojournalists for 2018 by Feedspot (https://blog.feedspot.com/photojournalism_blogs/).
Many of us living in the United States today have come here for freedom from persecution of one sort or another or our ancestors made the journey in the past for the same reason. Sometimes legally, sometimes not. While it is true that a country has to maintain control of its borders, walls, barbed wire and detention camps are not what the United States is about. Those people seeking asylum at our southern border are refugees, considered to be stateless under International Law. A county’s legal system does not apply to refugees in the same way as it would to those who have citizenship or who are legal residents.
When we take a photograph we are aware of the position of the sun and the subject so as not to create shadows which could ruin an otherwise fine image. Sometimes shadows can work to our advantage. Case in point is “Denmark: Long Shadows“; October 1939. Why? Because in this case the shadows add a sense of mystery to an otherwise sterile image. Moreover, I would argue in extrapolating a bit further is that the photo is incorporating the specter of the Nazi invasion in April 1940. Somehow these long shadows have become a testimony to the occupation which awaits the Danes. Hindsight is 20/20. Could the photographer have possibly imagined what was to come? Yet Poland had just been invaded a month earlier.