In Salgado’s Workers place a new wellhead in an oil well that had been damaged by Iraqi explosives, we get to see a very uncommon side of what some would consider a prestigious field of work: oil rigs. I have not before seen a photo of the process of installing an oil well, and being that this image is of one in Iraq that was damaged in a war zone makes it even rarer and one of a kind. Military and war photography must already be respected and appreciated because of the courageous people that risk their own lives to capture instances of atrocities, but to capture this somewhat “side effect” of war is completely original and interesting. This image shows some of the lesser thought about consequences of battle and shows the glory that the workers, in this case the oil riggers, deserve.
Salgado, Sebastião. Workers place a new wellhead in an oil well that had been damaged by Iraqi explosives. ICP, https://www.icp.org/browse/archive/objects/workers-place-a-new-wellhead-in-an-oil-well-that-had-been-damaged-by-iraqi. Accessed October 2, 2023.
In Robert Capa’s work, the piece that especially stood out to me amongst the vast array of World War II photos was of the allies reaching Normandy beach. As we all know, this was the final straw of the war where fascism was defeated but the few images I’ve seen of this strike have always been from the beach with the troops coming off the boats were in the background. However, this angle is very interesting because it depicts the troops departing the landing vessel from inside the boat with the troops’ backs facing us as they rush ashore. This is an extremely dramatic point of view because you get the sensation as if you were there on that day, not spectating but participating in the war. It’s gives you the feeling like you’re a soldier going into battle. At the same time, it’s very contemplative because you don’t see any of their faces, partly making it seem as if they are just machines doing their job, and unfortunately could have been seen as expendable in the line of war. It makes you sympathize with the piece and the overall topic in a totally different way than observing their actions would. For the reasons of interesting point of view, Capa has other intriguing pieces which depict subjects from unexpected angles.
Capa, Robert. The first wave of American troops lands at dawn, Omaha Beach, Normandy, France, 1944. Magnum Photos, https://pro.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=CMS3&VF=MAGO31_10_VForm&ERID=24KL535353. Accessed October 2, 2023. (Must scroll to the right in the changing thumbnail panel to view image).