— Chris Steele Perkins
(Source: duckrabbit.info)
Tom Noytuna using a newly installed telephone in Arnhem Land, Australia. Photograph by Penny Tweedie © Alamy
I know it’s a little late, but I just read about it. A moment’s silence to a great, Ms Penelope Anne Tweedie, 1940-2011
“Penny considered herself a working photographer to the bitter end. She coped resolutely with professional slights but it seems despair at the world’s lack of use for her craft finally induced her to take her own life. Behind the exterior of the intrepid international photographer – cameras over her shoulder, bandana round her neck, wry smile on her face – was a sensitive and compassionate soul, loved and admired by a wide circle of friends across the world.”
An Afghan mujaheddin fighting with the Northern Alliance fires at Taliban positions near Charikar on the Shomali plains, Joao Silva is taking pictures on the right. Photograph by Greg Marinovich, September 1999.
This piece of news has been in circulation for a few weeks now, however the latest news makes the situation more compelling. October 23rd, 2010, brought the news that photojournalist Joao Silva was severely injured after stepping on a mine near the town of Arghandab, Afghanistan. Joao was embedded in a US military unit with the aim of clearing Taliban insurgents from the surrounding area, in a larger effort to secure the approaches to Khandahar. The latest news to be heard on his condition stated that he lost his legs below the knees.
Not all of you may know who Joao Silva is, but many of you will have seen his images. Joao, a contract photographer to the New York Times, is one of the most successful contemporary conflict photographers, having covered assignments in South Africa, the Balkans, Central Asia, Russia and the Middle East. Winning numerous awards including the coveted World Press Photo Awards.
Having discovered photography while assisting a friend, he immediately knew he did not want to be involved in fashion or architectural photography. Instead, I quote, he wanted “to be on the edge of history”. Joao’s big break came during this period, wherein having moved to South Africa from Portugal, he was surrounded by a collapsing apartheid government, political activity and the resulting violence. It provided him with a perfect training ground.
Silva is a man with a unique ability, with the capacity of producing powerful photographs while not being overly aggressive, at the same time giving his subjects the respect they deserve. 2004 presented Joao the possibility to cover the Shi’a militias of Najaf who were in direct combat with US troops, allowing him to show the world both sides of the story. Some branded him a ‘traitor’. What those people don’t understand is that, as a photojournalist, he has a mission to provide his audience with the reality of the situation. If it means showing the conflict from both sides, he will. The results can be seen in the photobook ‘In The Company of God’.
Nevertheless he remains a humble man, his friends and colleagues stand by his side and have nothing but good things to say about him. In an interview I read on the New York Times Lens blog, he is quoted saying “You might not necessarily change the world with your images - in fact, I don’t think I’ve seen one image that’s changed the world - but if you have changed one single person’s mind, I think you have accomplished something”.
His good friends and colleagues Greg Marinovich and David Brabyn have since set up a website in aid of Joao. So far they have been overwhelmed with support. You can donate to the Joao Silva Fund at Photoshelter, leave a comment or even buy a print.
Click on any of the highlights to view the links.
