50 years on - How photographs told the story of the Vietnam War (some graphic)

[dinners]

50 years on from the Vietnam war

BBC link....

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-24992606

Historians argue over exactly when the Vietnam War started - but in the United States, events to mark some of the conflict's 50th anniversaries have begun.

US news agency Associated Press has chosen some of its most powerful images, taken by photographers embedded with US troops fighting the Communist Viet Cong.
David Willey - who covered the American military build up in South Vietnam for the BBC between 1965 and 1968 - has been speaking to former AP chief picture editor Hal Buell. Hear their thoughts on the conflict as they looked at some of the most memorable and striking images from the time.

 

[vRSG60]

Thanks for that, some fantastic images there. I remember seeing the news reports every night on TV growing up in the late 60s & early 70s.

The 1st "television" war. It really brought the conflict into people's living rooms.

 

[TVRTim]

Good link, thanks.

For those of us/you that are interested in the Vietnam war try reading "Chickenhawk" by Robert Mason, one man's tour of duty and probably the best book written about this particular conflict.

 

[MartynK]

Powerful, and brings back memories. I grew up in the 60s too and remember some of these photographs when they were originally published.

It was the first television war, yes, but I think war photography dates from the Crimea in the 1850s (http://www.allworldwars.com/Crimean-War-Photographs-by-Roger-Fenton-1855.html). There are a lot of photographs from the American Civil War period, and cine coverage dates from the Second Anglo-Boer War which, sort of, takes us into into the modern era.

Granted, quite a lot of the early coverage was staged or reconstructed after the events for various reasons, but I think photography, and the development of comparatively fast communications, must have had a major impact on public perceptions of war right from the start. There's an enormous difference in seeing actual images of conflict zones, rather than artists impressions, and getting news 'from the front' in hours rather than days or weeks.

 

[MartynK]

Good link, thanks.

For those of us/you that are interested in the Vietnam war try reading "Chickenhawk" by Robert Mason, one man's tour of duty and probably the best book written about this particular conflict.

Agreed. 365 Days (Ronald Glasser) is also good.

 

[foto-paul]

As others have thanks for posting the link

 

[simonblue]

The only problem is AP had a very bad rap during the Vietnam conflict,of ripping of photographer money wise,one very famous French photographer ender up owning AP.
The great photographer Philip Jones Griffiths,said it was mad,he did some of the best work to come out of Vietnam,in a book called Vietnam Inc well worth getting.

 

[simonblue]

Good link, thanks.

For those of us/you that are interested in the Vietnam war try reading "Chickenhawk" by Robert Mason, one man's tour of duty and probably the best book written about this particular conflict.

For me the best book written about Vietnam is A Bright Shining Lie by Neil Sheehan its very long but its a great piece of work.

 

[shaylou]

Thanks for sharing. I just came across this the other day. This was a truly moving documentary for me being an American that has seen how this war effected people that I was close to. I recently went to Cambodia and photographed S21 (the killing fields). Towards the end of the tour I approached a tree that was used to kill infants by holding them by there feet and swinging them head first into it. The emotions were overwhelming, as I framed the shot I felt as if I were having an outer body experience. I really don't remember much about shooting that tree but I do remember wanting to get as far away from it as possible when I was done. I also had no desire to review the pictures. That was a month ago, I came home and watched this the other day. I can only imagine what it must of been like for these photographers. Well worth the watch.

http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/vietnams_unseen_war1

 

[dinners]

Thanks for sharing. I just came across this the other day. This was a truly moving documentary for me being an American that has seen how this war effected people that I was close to. I recently went to Cambodia and photographed S21 (the killing fields). Towards the end of the tour I approached a tree that was used to kill infants by holding them by there feet and swinging them head first into it. The emotions were overwhelming, as I framed the shot I felt as if I were having an outer body experience. I really don't remember much about shooting that tree but I do remember wanting to get as far away from it as possible when I was done. I also had no desire to review the pictures. That was a month ago, I came home and watched this the other day. I can only imagine what it must of been like for these photographers. Well worth the watch.

http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/vietnams_unseen_war1

Thanks for the link