HISTORY OF THE PHOTOGRAPH „NAPALM ATTACK IN VIETNAM“

INTRODUCTION 

In 1972 this picture of the Napalm attack during the Vietnam war spread across the world like a bushfire. This kind of documentation is more than a simple photograph to show an event - it’s a symbolic image that shows the tragedy and stupidity of war. Kids are crying and running away from a war they didn’t start. Through this image the girl Kim Phúc Phan Ti, who is portrayed in the center of this picture became a symbol of the Vietnam war. Hereby she initiated a movement amongst the US population regarding the ongoing killing in Vietnam. A war thousands of miles away from their homes.

For many years she has been committed to reconciliation and established a foundation for children coming from war zones. For this, she receives the Peace Prize in Dresden, endowed with 10,000 euros.

"My dream is to help make the world a better place to live." As a UN ambassador, she travels a lot, although her scars sometimes burn like fire. She tells her story and speaks for children "who have no voice"

CROPPING VS. REALITY

When we look at a photo, we see the final work - one that has gone through various processes. From taking the picture, to making a selection, to cropping. The photo we are looking at has been cropped to fit a story that shows us a reality that may not even exist. We may be missing important information that would have shown us a different understanding of the reality than tho one shown on the current photo. The reality and perception of a photo is subjective. Information may have been intentionally removed or added from the image.

In the photo by Nick Út, which has become a symbol against the Vietnam War, the focus of the viewer is on the naked, crying girl who is obviously fleeing from the war. But there is another truth in this photograph, that cannot be seen; soldiers and photographers are calmly documenting this scene. Here too, the question arises as to how far documentation should go. Does one dismiss the thought of humanitarian aid to get the "best" picture? In this case, the photographer first took the photo, then helped the refugee children and took care of medical aid. The photographer and the girl in the photo are still friends.

Also, this photo shows an honest and at the same time hideously gruesome moment, even if a part of the photo was cropped. Here it is important to note, that the photographer who is not on the photo would not have influenced or changed the facts or the war. In this case, the cropping was used to serve the aesthetics of the photo and not to tell a different story. It is a raw and truthful photo of US war crimes during the Vietnam War.

CHANGE IN PERCEPTION

Nick Út’s photo is so powerful that it became a deterrent against the Vietnam war; a photo that describes the catastrophic dimensions in Vietnam so strongly and compassionately that it is been reproduced countless times. Large companies and campaigns use the photo, whether in it’s original or an isolated form. It is mainly "used" for good and influential purposes, maybe occasionally for „bad“ campaigns.

Nevertheless, it is trivial to discuss to what extent this type of change of a captured moment still has to do with documentation. We are talking about changing a photo and its original story. Something new arises, something called art, which opens new spaces for thinking. The actual documentation of an event, in which case the war crimes of the US forces are revealed, is thereby lost. At the same time, it is an opportunity to create something new from documentations of events, that happened a long time ago. As long as the original truth of a work is not falsified, a new reality of events can arise.

Reality and subjective consideration will always face each other and somehow compete with each other. The events captured in a photo will never coincide 100 percent with all viewers. There will always be different and sometimes controversial opinions. It is precisely the differentiated view that makes the documentation so interesting. Therefor, it is of great importance to maintain dignity and to deal with the concerns and needs of the person portrayed.

DOES POSING DIMINISH THE DOCUMENTARY VALUE OF A PICTURE?

Dorothea Lange often made people pose for her pictures. Does this type of staging produce a falsified representation of the events or is it simply another form of documentation? In my eyes, there is no clear answer. 

Every situation and every event in one’s life is different. If you have the time to arrange people or objects to document a story, it doesn’t mean that the truth is missing. On the contrary, perhaps it is precisely this detail that is decisive. In exceptional situations, such as war, you will hardly have the opportunity to intervene in the events or even put people in the right light. Clearly, the truthfulness of the moment is more important.

Both are forms of documentation and both are justified. Each photo has its own truth and that is what makes it so important to document events, in whatever way. The viewer of a photo will always find his own interpretation of truth.

MG