Photographing War

When looking at Gerda Taro’s and Tina Berman’s work, I reacted very differently to each body of documentary style photographs. Both collection of photographs speak to issues of war and the experiences of those fighting but distinct differences exist. Taro’s work, in some respects, mirrors similar “war-action photos” and for that reason, seems somewhat ordinary. I feel as though we as viewers are inundated with comparable war photographs that capture soldiers abroad, in the midst of violence and fighting. Emotions, injuries, and fleeting moments are conveyed through a single snapshot and are presented to convey the atrocities of war and the activity of soldiers overseas. Since Taro photographed during the early 20th century, I suppose that viewers who were exposed to her work as it was being produced responded differently than I, a 21st century viewer, did. I really enjoy looking at her photographs but my reaction is not as strong as when looking at Berman’s work. Her work, on the other hand, captures the injuries and disparities of soldiers after returning from war. The majority of these images are incredibly jarring and provoking, and present viewers with an often overlooked reality. We know that young men and women are abroad fighting, that they are risking their lives, but we rarely consider or are presented representations of what life after war is like for these people. Had I been presented with both types of photographs in the early 20th century, perhaps my response would have been different. Interesting that time seems to play such a huge role in how viewers react to photographs…