1. Tragedy of Omayra Sanchez (Frank Fourier)
Frank
Fournier captured the tragic image of Omayra Sanchez trapped in mud and
collapsed buildings. The eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano in
Colombia 1985 triggered a massive mudslide. It devastated towns and
killed 25,000 people.
After 3 days of struggling, Omayra died due to hypothermia and gangrene. Her tragic death accentuated the failure of officials to respond quickly and save the victims of Colombia’s worst ever natural disaster. Frank Fournier took this photo shortly before Omayra died. Her agonizing death was followed live on TV by hundreds of millions of people around the world and started a major controversy.
After 3 days of struggling, Omayra died due to hypothermia and gangrene. Her tragic death accentuated the failure of officials to respond quickly and save the victims of Colombia’s worst ever natural disaster. Frank Fournier took this photo shortly before Omayra died. Her agonizing death was followed live on TV by hundreds of millions of people around the world and started a major controversy.
2. Operation Lion Heart (Deanne Fitzmaurice)
Pulitzer
Prize award winning photojournalist Deanne Fitzmaurice won the highly
respected award in 2005 for the photographic essay “Operation Lion
Heart.”
“Operation Lion Heart” is the story of a 9-year-old Iraqi boy who was severely injured by an explosion during one of the most violent conflicts of modern history – the Iraq War. The boy was brought to a hospital in Oakland, CA where he had to undergo dozens of life-and-death surgeries. His courage and unwillingness to die gave him the nickname: Saleh Khalaf, “Lion Heart”.
Deanne Fitzmaurice’s shocking photographs ran in the San Francisco Chronicle in a five-part series written by Meredith May.
“Operation Lion Heart” is the story of a 9-year-old Iraqi boy who was severely injured by an explosion during one of the most violent conflicts of modern history – the Iraq War. The boy was brought to a hospital in Oakland, CA where he had to undergo dozens of life-and-death surgeries. His courage and unwillingness to die gave him the nickname: Saleh Khalaf, “Lion Heart”.
Deanne Fitzmaurice’s shocking photographs ran in the San Francisco Chronicle in a five-part series written by Meredith May.
3. Bhopal Gas Tragedy 1984 (Pablo Bartholomew)
Pablo
Bartholomew is an acclaimed Indian photojournalist who captured the
Bhopal Gas Tragedy into his lens. Twenty-six years have passed since
India’s worst industrial catastrophe injured 558,125 people and killed
as many as 15,000. Because safety standards and maintenance procedures
had been ignored at the Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticide
plant in Bhopal, a leak of methyl isocyanate gas and other chemicals
triggered a massive environmental and human disaster. Photographer
Pablo Bartholomew rushed to document the catastrophe. He came across a
man who was burying a child. This scene was photographed by both Pablo
Bartholomew and Raghu Rai, another renowned Indian photojournalist.
“This expression was so moving and so powerful to tell the whole story
of the tragedy”, said Raghu Rai.
4. After the Tsunami (Arko Datta)
One
of the most representative and striking photos of the aftermath of the
Indian Ocean tsunami was taken by Reuters photographer Arko Datta in
Tamil Nadu. He won the World Press Photo competition of 2004. Kathy
Ryan, jury member and picture editor of The New York Times Magazine,
characterized Datta’s image as a “graphic, historical and starkly
emotional picture.”
“After the Tsunami” illustrates an Indian woman lying on the sand with her arms outstretched, mourning a dead family member. Her relative was killed by one of the deadliest natural disasters that we have ever seen: the Indian Ocean tsunami.
“After the Tsunami” illustrates an Indian woman lying on the sand with her arms outstretched, mourning a dead family member. Her relative was killed by one of the deadliest natural disasters that we have ever seen: the Indian Ocean tsunami.
5. World Trade Center 9/11 (Steve Ludlum)
The
power of Steve Ludlum’s photos are astounding, and the written
description only tends to dilute the impact. The consequences of the
second aircraft crashing into New York’s WTC were devastating: fireballs
erupted and smoke billowed from the skyscrapers anticipating the
towers’ collapse and monstrous dust clouds.
6. The Power of One (Oded Balilty)
In
2006, Israeli authorities ordered the evacuation of illegal outposts,
such as Amona. Oded Balilty, an Israeli photographer for the Associated
Press, was present when the evacuation degenerated into violent and
unprecedented clashes between settlers and police officers. The picture
shows a brave woman rebelling against authorities.
Like many pictures on this list, “The Power of One” has been another subject of major controversy. Ynet Nili is the 16-year-old Jewish settler from the above picture. According to Ynet, “a picture like this one is a mark of disgrace for the state of Israel and is nothing to be proud of. The picture looks like it represents a work of art, but that isn’t what went on there. What happened in Amona was totally different.” Nili claims the police beat her up very harshly. “You see me in the photograph, one against many, but that is only an illusion – behind the many stands one man – (Prime Minister Ehud) Olmert, but behind me stand the Lord and the people of Israel.”
Like many pictures on this list, “The Power of One” has been another subject of major controversy. Ynet Nili is the 16-year-old Jewish settler from the above picture. According to Ynet, “a picture like this one is a mark of disgrace for the state of Israel and is nothing to be proud of. The picture looks like it represents a work of art, but that isn’t what went on there. What happened in Amona was totally different.” Nili claims the police beat her up very harshly. “You see me in the photograph, one against many, but that is only an illusion – behind the many stands one man – (Prime Minister Ehud) Olmert, but behind me stand the Lord and the people of Israel.”
7. After the Storm (Patrick Farrell)
Miami
Herald photographer Patrick Farrell captured the harrowing images of
the victims of Haiti in 2008. Farrell documented the Haitian tragedy
with impressive black-and-white stills. The subject of “After the Storm”
is a boy who is trying to save a stroller after the tropical storm
Hanna struck Haiti.
More photos of Patrick Farrell: A People in Despair: Haiti’s year without mercy
8. Thailand Massacre (Neil Ulevich)
Neal
Ulevich won the 1977 Pulitzer Prize for a “series of photographs of
disorder and brutality in the streets of Bangkok, Thailand”
(Pulitzer.com).
The Thammasat University Massacre took place on October 6, 1976. It was a very violent attack on students who were demonstrating against Field Marshall Thanom Kittikachorn.
The Thammasat University Massacre took place on October 6, 1976. It was a very violent attack on students who were demonstrating against Field Marshall Thanom Kittikachorn.
9. War Underfoot (Carolyn Cole)
Los
Angeles Times photographer Carolyn Cole took this terrifying photo
during her assignment in Liberia. It shows the devastating effects of
the Liberian Civil War.
Bullet casings cover entirely a street in Monrovia. The Liberian capital was the worst affected region, because it was the scene of heavy fighting between government soldiers and rebel forces.
Bullet casings cover entirely a street in Monrovia. The Liberian capital was the worst affected region, because it was the scene of heavy fighting between government soldiers and rebel forces.
10. Kosovo Refugees (Carol Guzy)
Carol
Guzy, the first woman to receive a Pulitzer Prize for spot news
photography, received her most recent Pulitzer in 2000 for her touching
photographs of Kosovo refugees.
The above picture portrays Agim Shala, a two-year-old boy, who is passed through a fence made with barbed wire to his family. Thousands of Kosovo refugees were reunited and camped in Kukes, Albania.
The above picture portrays Agim Shala, a two-year-old boy, who is passed through a fence made with barbed wire to his family. Thousands of Kosovo refugees were reunited and camped in Kukes, Albania.
