Saigon Execution- Image Analysis

“People believe them, but photographs do lie, even without manipulation. They are only half-truths.”

                                                                -Eddie Adams

Introduction

Eddie Adams is recognised in contemporary society as one of the worlds leading photographers. Born in Pennsylvania, USA on the 12^th of June 1933, the American photojournalist pursued his passion in photography when he was a young teenager. Shortly after graduating, he joined the United States Marine Corps, and was assigned as a Combat photographer for the Korean War. Before passing away on the 14^th of September 2004, Adams managed to leave behind a vast and remarkable set of photographs, which he collected throughout his lifetime in thirteen different wars. This included one main photograph, known today as the ‘Saigon Execution’.

About the ‘Saigon Execution’

It was in 1962 when Adams became part of the Associated Press, a multinational nonprofit news agency. Three years after having been recruited, Adams was sent to Vietnam to witness and document the events of the war at the time. It was two years later, in 1967, when the American photographer returned to further elaborate on the situation in Vietnam. On February 1^st, 1968, Adams witnessed and snapped the Pulitzer-Prize winning photograph, which is familiar to many today as the ‘Saigon Execution’. This remarkable piece of art in fact has a brief story behind it. As Adams recalls, “I had no idea it was going to happen.” He simply raised his camera to snap a few photos of what seemed to be a ‘regular’ rise in tension between two men, when suddenly one of the men, South Vietnamese Brigadier General Loan, triggered his pistol and killed the enemy. Despite the fact that this photograph lists as one of the worlds most influential, Adams shares what he said after taking the photo, “when I did the picture, I stopped back at the AP office and I handed them this roll of film and I said ‘I think I got somebody killing somebody’ and I went out to lunch. It was simple.”

Analysing ‘Saigon Execution’

To begin with, it’s important to note that the photograph is in Black and White, which helps associate the events of the Vietnam War that arose in the past. By not using colors on his photograph, Adams has sustained a more focused and less distracting image. One that focuses on the composition, texture and without doubt the action-taking place between the two subjects.  The effective use of Black and White has resulted in aiming the audience towards the crucial elements and subjects; these include the gun and the two men. Furthermore, by placing the man being shot on the right side of the frame entitles him to a more prominent role, because it has been scientifically proven that elements situated to the right side of a paper, manage to attract human beings attention more than the left side. In relation to the ‘Saigon Execution’, this actually creates an instant perception that the man being shot is a poor, powerless and humble Vietnamese civilian, who has been captured by the ‘dictator’ enemy and killed. What helps in creating this psychological sense of sorrow towards the man being shot, is his facial expression and clothing. At first, his mouth seems to be bleeding, in addition to a terrified look on his face. His clothes on the second hand resemble a deprived and homeless man, and this of course adds to the sense of grief towards him.

Political Perspective

From a political point of view, there are several factors that need to be discussed. At first, the man being shot “had murdered the family of one of General Loans deputies just hours before, and was a known Viet Cong conspirator that had long been ‘undercover’.” The ‘Saigon Execution’ after being published across the globe and specifically printed as the front page of the New York Times, ignited the American anit-war people, who protested against their Government, in solidarity with their sons and daughters who were sent to a war they had no ties to.  The publication of this photograph had other impacts as well. For example, three months after the image was captured, General Loan got shot and was transferred for international treatment. He was deported back to Vietnam from Australia; he was also deported from the US after having escaped there. “Adams carried guilt regarding Saigon Execution up until his death,” he was never impressed with his award-winning photograph, simply because of its negative implications towards the General.

Conclusion

“The General killed the Viet Cong; I killed the General with my camera.” I personally find the ‘Saigon Execution’ image as one of a kind. It truly manipulates the audiences’ feelings, whether they should be feeling sympathetic with the Viet Cong or not. At first glance, I recall being one of those audiences who despised the General and looked down on him as an evil dictator-like man. However, having read the events of the story, my perception and understanding of the whole photograph has actually altered. To me, this is the picture that tells a thousand words.   

Bibliography

• "Eddie Adams." Eddie Adams. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. <http://www.tufts.edu/programs/mma/fah189/2004/kuok/adams-bio.html>.
• "Saigon Execution": The Consequences of Eddie Adams Pulitzer Prize Winning Photograph." 2014. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. <http://rbp2013.wordpress.com/2013/09/19/saigon-execution-the-consequences-of-eddie-adams-pulitzer-prize-winning-photograph/comment-page-1/>.

Richard Mosse - The Enclave

Richard Mosse is a 30 year old Irish photographer. He was born and raised in Ireland, however he currently resides in New York, USA, where he pursue's his career as a photographer. The last project he was working on was based in Congo, where he not only captured phenomenal photographs, however managed to create a documentary as well. During his three year stay in Congo, Mosse decided from the beginning to use an infrared film on his camera, which would conclusively give of a very unique effect. By using an infrared film, Mosse was capable of producing photographs that were pinkish/reddish colored. For example, he captured a lot of landscape images of green hills and mountains, however, with the red film he was using, these landscapes shifted from being green to pink. In addition to landscape photographs, the Irish photographer produced a documentary/film, one which was one of a kind in the market. Instead of physically holding the camera and walking around, Mosse chose to alternatively use a remote control drone, one with a camera fixed to it. Therefore, the outcome of the captured footage was absolutely perfect, as the drone flew smoothly and at different heights and angle's, hence giving the audience a soothing sense. Nonetheless, even the drone's camera had a red film on it, in order for his project to be consistent and related. Through the use of the drone, Mosse captured footage of mountains, lakes, soldiers from the Republic of Congo, children playing and rural villages on the country side. I personally admired Richard Mosse's exhibition, it was surely one of a kind. The use of a filter was intelligent and very effective, in a sense it made the scenery look like it was taken from an imaginary world, where mountains looked like cotton candy.  

Automobile Society

'Automobile Society' as the title clarifies, is my photo book on cars. The final product turned out to be just as imagined from the beginning. My photo book included images of three cars; an Audi (German make), an English make Range Rover and finally a Japanese Mitsubishi. The aim of the book was to show similar photographs from each car. For example I managed to capture images of the gear knobs in each car, however, each image was taken from a bizarre angle to give that unique effect. The overall philosophical moral of the photo book is to send a message to the public that it doesn't matter what brand of car you drive, at the end of the day, the purpose of each automobile is to transport you from point A to point B. I was personally satisfied with the final outcome, especially with the use of black paper throughout the photo book. This small difference, gave a glamorous appearance to the album in general, because it contrasted well with the topic; automobiles.  

-You can preview and buy the photo book here.

Post- Processing CA

Composition and Light- Home Exercise

Shallow Depth of Field

Texture

Space

Color

Frame

Lighting

Andreas Gursky- Five Photographs

The Genius of Photography: Snap Judgements

• How many photographs are taken in a year?

As the documentary explained, 80 billion photographs are taken in a year, however, this figure exponentially increases from one year to the other.

• How does Gregory Crewdson work?

Crewdson's work varies completely to main stream photography, as he aims to photograph staged locations. With the aid of a film production crew, he manages to set up a whole area, whether a street or neighbourhood, to suit the elements of his photo. Cinematographic lighting is also used at the scene to enhance the overall sense Crewdson wants to portray through his lens; a camera lens which is not even operated by himself, however, a professional photographer.

• Which prints commands the highest price and what are they called?

First copy prints which include either the original photograph or some of the first few prints are classified as the most expensive and they are called 'Fine Wines'.

• How many photographs does Andreas Gursky produce and what size are they?

Gursky is another unique photographer, who limits the production of his images to six copies. There are two main reasons behind this, first being the fact that each photograph is printed on a large scale (meters by meters) and secondly because this would inflate the price of each photograph.

• How are Seydou Keita's photographs different to mainstream African photos?

Keita's photograph are all taken inside his own personal studio, in contrast to other African photographs that are taken outside, whether to show the marvellous landscape or the devastating conditions of the people. However, what really differentiates them is the fact that he includes many crops, including cars, bikes, dresses, gowns etc, which are used by the figures in his photograph in order to set a sense of social ranking. Africans who usually attended Keita's studio were mainly middle class people, therefore by adding a car in the background, it was an entity used to convey wealthiness; a contrast to the sad truth of their daily lives.