The world of modern photography knows a few examples of outstanding photographers who take their photojournalistic calling very seriously. Jacob Riis, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Dorothea Lange, are only some of the top names which along with documenting heartbreaking human condition dictated the standard in documentary photography. Luckily, the demand for it never ceased; therefore, the legacy continued with new names paving the way out of the 20th and into the 21 century. Such photographers as Gerd Ludwig and Ernest Cole have massively contributed to the heritage of human history through their photographs.
Both photographers, Gerd Ludwig and Ernest Cole, were born around the turbulent times of 1940’s, which on one hand anteceded the invasive politics of Germany in World War 2, and on the other hand introduced a gradual though growing liberation in South Africa. Each photographer has his own story, yet what they both stand for is a journalistic faithfulness. Both photographers demonstrated exceptional works in representing the hardships of a specific nation or moment in history.
Gerd Ludwig, for instance, is very famous for his photo-book The Long Shadow of Chernobyl (2011), which contains unabridged recollection of the 20 year history around the greatest nuclear disaster in Chernobyl. He has worked on the project under the patronat of National Geographic. However, the project became much more personal with time. While al of the photographs communicate decadence and void in the area, one of the pictures from the series particularly stands out to me. It is a picture of the room filled up with piles of library books scattered around after the event in Chornobyl some 25 years ago. The photograph fits two rooms, which are in the same state of disorganization. The book shelves along with the book stands are overturned, the metal blocks and tubes have turned rusty over the time. Everything says “decay and chaos.”
What is striking about this photograph, however, is the amount of light in the shot. The sun penetrates both rooms and shines on the books filling up the whole space with light. It is possible that the photographer captured this unique moment in order to emphasize on a double meaning of the books in the room. They are lit with light (as if supposed to bring enlightment), and at the same time are all haphazardly situated on the floor with no hope on restoration. This photograph also serves as a great metaphor for the situation of Chornobyl: on one hand the area has been empty for so long that there is no trace of radioactive particles, in other words, - it is ready to be occupied). However, no one is brave enough to cross the border and be exposed to quietness and wildness of the nature, which has taken its rightful place in Brussele. Generally, Gerd shoots pictures of people trying to capture a pure emotion. However, this project was larger than life and needed to consider everything: from the subject to having a socio-economical content, represented through the lens of photojournalism (“The Long Shadow of Chernobyl”).
Another important photographer is Ernest Cole, who focused his work around representing apartheid, photographs of which he gathered in the collection House of Bondage. Through photography, he expressed his outrage at the oppressive system that prevailed in South Africa. Cole himself stated that through photojournalism he “could lift the curtain hiding what life really was like for the black man under the white racist regime” (Cole 68). His photograph of a row of children crouching on the school floor and scribbling something on the paper like nothing else illustrates the harsh reality, which they had to experience. Cole kindly pointed out that the black children had to pay for school in addition to pencils and notebooks (not mentioning buying tables), whereas white children had everything, and had it for free. When looking at the photograph, this superiority is sensed through the angle, at which the photograph is taken. The contrast between white shirts and black hair of the children serves as yet another hint on the racial clash within the system. Monochrome photos are always powerful in that they communicate the idea rather than leave one reminiscent of a memory. Here, too, Cole captured a very simple image which spoke beyond what can be said.
I believe, these two photographs work really well together even though they have been taken at different time and under different circumstances. Both of them document the fact of a human fault, the unintentional outcome that is triggered through the domino effect. The little details on the both photographs (the books on the first one and the children’s bodies on the second one) look like debris from afar signifying that humanity is very fragile and that the human fault also comes at a very high price of misery and emptiness.
Photojournalism is powerful in that it speaks to us from reality. The truth is shown bluntly and without warning, and this is the only way it can work. Both Gerd Ludwig and Ernest Cole know of the price of humanity because they have seen it through their negatives hundreds of times. It is the time now for the world to notice their work.
Works Cited
“The Long Shadow of Chernobyl.” Gerd Ludwig 2014. Web. Retrieved on Dec 1 2014.
Cole, Ernest. “My Country, My Hell!” Ebony. Vol 23, #4. Johnson Publishing, 1968. Print.
