The Burning Monk, Malcolm Browne, 1963. In June 1963, most Americans couldn’t find Vietnam on a map. But there was no forgetting that war-torn Southeast Asian nation after Associated Press photographer Malcolm Browne captured the image of Thich Quang Duc immolating himself on a Saigon Street. I selected this image cause the black and white filter caught my eye and what’s going on in the photo is interesting to look at.
Tank Man, Jeff Widener, 1989. It was a day after the Tiananmen Square massacre, when Chinese troops attacked pro-democracy demonstrators camped on the plaza, and the Associated Press sent Widener to document the aftermath. As he photographed bloody victims, passersby on bicycles and the occasional scorched bus, a column of tanks began rolling out of the plaza. Widener lined up his lens just as a man carrying shopping bags stepped in front of the war machines. The tanks tried to go around the man, but he stepped back into their path, climbing atop one briefly. Widener assumed the man would be killed, but the tanks held their fire. This picture was chosen because it takes bravery to be able to do this and I can tell the guy standing Infront of all those tanks was probably scared in way but wanted to accomplish something.
Falling Man, Richard Drew, 2001. The most widely seen images from 9/11 are of planes and towers, not people. Falling Man is different. The photo, taken by Richard Drew in the moments after the September 11, 2001, attacks, is one man’s distinct escape from the collapsing buildings. I chose this image cause it’s heartbreaking in a way. With this image you can just imagine how many more people had to go through this.