An Indian boy stands rigid in front of the camera; there is anger in his eyes and sadness covers his face. His misfortune is exposed because a loved one just died. A bald man squats behind him, looking back at what was, too distraught to give any attention to the camera. They are both in torn rags and the buildings in the back are crumbling away from destruction. This is a photo of deterioration.
Mary Ellen Mark captured this photograph. She is one of the most respected and influential photographers today. Because of her and many other photojournalists, we see the brutality of this world. One of the most powerful photography books that she has created is Photographs of Mother Teresa’s Missions of Charity in Calcutta. The black and white photos are assiduous and potent. Mark developed a friendship with most of the people she photographed. She wanted to show them compassion
Mary Ellen Mark’s photographs have touched people deeply and have motivated them to do something about these situations. She demonstrates the power of photography to communicate the events of the world in a most poignant manner. She remarks, “ I’m a documentary photographer. That’s what I’ve always wanted to be; that’s where my heart and soul is.” Admiration follows her, for her passion, motivation, and perception.
We see her photographs of the dead and those who are days away; their skin sagging off from their bones looking at us with dark, empty eyes. We see the mentally disabled in insitutions, laying in their own pee, with hundreds of scars on their skin. Or the retarded children at Prem Dan, where six little kids lined up one after another, picking at each others hair like monkeys. These photographs distort the mind. They force you to sit down and take in the anguish.
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