COOPH Video Director, Matthew Rycroft, continues to make my job easier by sending me engaging content to share with the Fstoppers' community. Their latest video focuses on the ability, we all have as photographers, to capture unique, iconic, and fun moments. Watch "The Power of a Photograph," as it highlights twenty-two iconic photos that depict loss, depression, defiance, bravery, triumph, love and respect. How many of these photos have you seen and how many of them do you know the stories of? If your answer isn't "all of them," then consider spend a little bit of time with these images. Get to know what makes them so impactful and then do what this video encourages all photographers to do. Pick up your camera, shoot and inspire the world.
In the mean time, let's be honest. We all know that the twenty-two images picked for this video are only meant to serve as examples of powerful photography, and can't cover everyone's favorites. So, if you feel like there is an image or two that absolutely must be held up with this list, then share what you think is missing. Leave your choices in the comments below and be sure to include their back-stories too.
The COOPH (Cooperative of Photography) is a community-focused online mag about photography which also produces stylish and functional clothing specifically designed with photographers in mind. If you want to learn more about the COOPH follow them on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
Many believe this image to be just a well captured art shot, but....
PBY Blister Gunner, Rescue at Rabaul, 1944
This young crewman of a US Navy “Dumbo” PBY rescue mission has just jumped into the water of Rabaul Harbor to rescue a badly burned Marine pilot who was shot down while bombing the Japanese-held fortress of Rabaul. Since Japanese coastal defense guns were firing at the plane while it was in the water during take-off, this brave young man, after rescuing the pilot, manned his position as machine gunner without taking time to put on his clothes. A hero photographed right after he’d completed his heroic act. Naked.
Photo taken by Horace Bristol (1908-1997). In 1941, Bristol was recruited to the U.S. Naval Aviation Photographic Unit, as one of six photographers under the command of Captain Edward J. Steichen, documenting World War II in places such as South Africa, and Japan. He ended up being on the plane the gunner was serving on, which was used to rescue people from Rabaul Bay (New Britain Island, Papua New Guinea), when this occurred. In an article from a December 2002 issue of B&W magazine he remembers:
“…we got a call to pick up an airman who was down in the Bay. The Japanese were shooting at him from the island, and when they saw us they started shooting at us. The man who was shot down was temporarily blinded, so one of our crew stripped off his clothes and jumped in to bring him aboard. He couldn’t have swum very well wearing his boots and clothes. As soon as we could, we took off. We weren’t waiting around for anybody to put on formal clothes. We were being shot at and wanted to get the hell out of there. The naked man got back into his position at his gun in the blister of the plane.” ~Horace Bristol
Wow. I've never seen this photo before. It, and it's story, are fucking great. Thank you for sharing Craig.
Photo taken by Horace Bristol (1908-1997) and supplied by rarehistoricalphotos.com