The photo above received the Pulitzer Prize in 1980 given to
an unknown photographer, to me it depicts the stages of life. The victims are
in varying positions, some are dead as they have hit the ground, some are just
being shot, and some men are awaiting their death. The moment being captured is
of religious persecution, an idea that continues to plague humanity.
My
favorite part of this photo, is the fighter that becomes the center of the
photo and creates the line that goes through the center of the photo. He stands
out being the last shooter in the line, the only one not wearing a head piece
of some sort, and his gun is very clearly seen and standing out. Yet he is not
the focal point of the photo, it is too strong of a message and photo for that
to be true. The horizontal lines of the guns to the victim, lead your eye to
the victim. There are the two most obvious lines, the line of victims and
killers.
The
tone of the photograph is very balanced. The upper right of the photograph has
more luminosity than other areas but it is not the brightest, and it does not
automatically catch the eyes. There is a balance between dark and light areas
within the photograph. There is no color in the photograph, the black does not
have brown undertones, and it is gives off a muddled gray. There is not zoomed
in texture in the photograph, however the sand in motion gives the viewer an
idea of the action taking place, the dry area, and the texture of the sand. The
most deceiving part of the photograph is the background, the mountains and
terrain seem as if they can be beautiful, but in the photo they simply serve as
the background to death. The angle of
view is excellent in this photo because the viewer sees both lines, yet the
photo’s angle is skewed so the viewer perception is almost that of the
rightmost gunmen. The row of victims and gunman serves as the repetition in the
photograph, yet the stances of the gunman and stages of death that the victims
are in serves as a reminder of individuality. The victim that is standing
straight, has yet to be shot, but his death is pending and the gunman looks
ready to delve out the punishment.
The
most important aspect of the photos is the lives being taken away within it,
the photo’s purpose is to show the gruesome death of individuals at the hands
of social, political, and religious injustice. The photo Firing Squad in Iran,
was taken on August 27, 1979 and published anonymously for fear of punishment,
in the Iranian daily newspaper Ettela’at. The photo circulated and appeared in
newspapers around the world. The victims in the photo are Kurdish militants,
charged with murder and inciting riots, they were sentenced to death. The photo
is depicting the turbulent times Iran faced during Ayatollah Khomeini’s Islamic
Revolution, when he imposed Shiite Muslim beliefs on the country, attempting to
remove Western influence. The rejection of Khomeni’s beliefs and rule came from
the country’s millions of Sunni Muslims. In turn Khomeni send his revolutionary
guard to slaughter Sunni Muslims, his very of justice and trials.
This
photo is what photojournalism should be, capturing a moment that truly conveys
a message. It is meant to make the viewer see, understand, and make them a
little angry, this photo does just that.
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