Eddie Adams, a Pulitzer Prize photojournalist, once observed, “The most powerful weapon that we have in the world is a still photograph.” A great photograph speaks volumes. It captures events, emotions, people and life. A great photojournalist will get in the midst of it, no matter the circumstances. They keep themselves acutely aware and attuned to their environment. Their cameras are constantly clicking. They know that their job – their duty and purpose – is to capture compelling moments in time that tell an incredible story for all to see. No matter how joyful, dangerous or horrific it may be.
The Pulitzer Prize Photograph “Freight Train Migration, 2003,” taken by Don Bartletti, is one such moment in time. He was documenting children trying to immigrate to the United States from Central America.
Bartletti recalled trying to show readers just how fast the train was going, “I laid my head down flat on the train. I took the camera and in what I call ‘mash the shutter’ (clicking repeatedly) as branches zipped over my head.”
In the photograph, the three children, who look about to be teenagers, are shown clinging to the top of the train. All of them are trying not to get whacked with the overhanging branches with their bright lush leaves. The one on the right is leaning off to the side. The child in the foreground is crouched down as far as they can get. A group of leaves skims their back. The one on the left is lying flat against the train, with their head down. What can be seen of their faces shows how hard they are trying to avoid injury. The tree branches with their leaves, in the center of the picture above the children, are blurred. This resulting effect shows just how fast the train was moving. Bartletti was willing to put himself in harm’s way to document the perilous journey of migrating children.
Photojournalist Annie Wells’ “Water Rescue, 1997” is another Pulitzer Prize winner. Wells had to get remarkably close to the raging flood waters to capture her amazing photograph. Firefighter Don Lopez is desperately trying to save a teenage girl from drowning. Wells recalled that this was the final chance for him to do so. The girl was going to live or die, and getting the shot was necessary to reflect the dire situation. Lopez, in his bright red life jacket and brown and yellow straps, grasps with both hands to the overhanging branch above him. His face shows determination to rescue this girl. There is also a hint of worry. He is lying with his back down against the angry water. The brown- hair girl is stuck in the grips of a whirlpool. The rapidly moving water is a mix of muddy brown and foaming white. In this moment, the water looks remarkably still as it encases the girl. The girl will be taken in seconds if not pulled out. Her face is one of mixed emotions. She is weary and fearful with an almost acceptance of her situation, yet hopeful and relieved at the prospect of being rescued. Wells managed to freeze an intensely emotional second in a life-and-death situation. She got the shot because she knew she had to.
The photograph “Kent State, 1971,” by John Paul Filo, won the Pulitzer Prize due to its powerful message. It’s a black–and-white photo depicting the grand campus in the background. The trees have small leaves on them, as they are still coming into bloom. Several dozen university students are walking and standing about the lawn dressed in clothes from the era. Only one is looking at the camera. In the forefront of the photograph is a student lying face down on the pavement, his head turned away from the camera. There is a trail of blood flowing from him down to the curb where it pools. Kneeling beside him is a dark-haired girl dressed in a dark shirt, small white neckerchief, pants decorated with flowers and sandals. She is the focal point of this photograph. She frantically cries out in grief, her face displaying shock and disbelief. Her left arm is held straight out, as a fellow student is standing right next to her, looking away. Her right arm is held up with her hand asking “Why is this happening? How can this be happening?” She is horrified, traumatized and confused as to why this student had to die. This photograph was taken when the young people of the U.S. were starting to question their country’s involvement in the Vietnam War. This one photograph showed the answer to that question in a stark and grim reality.
Speaking of the Vietnam War, the photograph “Saigon Execution, 1969,” taken by photojournalist Eddie Adams, was also a Pulitzer Prize winner. This is a chilling picture of the moment someone’s life is taken. There are a few South Vietnamese army men in the frame. The street they stand on is laced with buildings on either side. There is a skinny, dark-haired North Vietnamese man in a plaid shirt that had just been taken as a prisoner of war. To his right, there is a handgun pointing at his head, being held by a general in the police force.
Adams said his job as a news reporter was to keep taking photos of prisoners of war as they are captured. This instance he recalled, “Someone came in from my left. As soon as he raised his pistol, I took the picture.”
Adams would also go on to admit that it was the reality of war, and he didn’t think much of it till later. Adams’ quick reflexes forever immortalized the exact second a bullet took the life of this prisoner of war. The face of the man is winced in pain and terror, as he is being hit with the bullet. His right eye, the side the gun is pointed to, is almost shut, while the left one is partially open. A closer look at the photograph shows what appears to be blood coming from his mouth. His body, although standing up, looks eerily limp and lifeless. The New York Times had reservations of running the photograph. They did and it gave the world a glimpse of just one of many of the atrocities of this war.
In a final look at Pulitzer Prize winning photographs, Stan Grossfeld’s “Ethiopian Famine, 1985” is a haunting depiction of this developing country’s devastating famine.
