Today it's three years ago the tsunami hit South East Asia. Let me state in the first lines here that I don't ancourage people to indulge in sorrow or regret over things that have happened.
It's not a post about lighting candlelights and sit around and cry about stuff.
Also, I'm not a fan of the way photographers and the press cover catastrophes. They happen to be good business for the media why "professionally" they love them, but as humans, they of course "feel for the victims."
Thus we get this weird duo-pole business of "one year after," "five years after," "ten year after" media coverages of September 11, tsunamis, hurricanes, bombs, wars and stuff.
It's not easy to pinpoint what exactly is wrong with media coverage of catastrophes. It's the focus on the worst parts, the photograph of the dead kid – which may very well have happened and have happened in exactly the way covered – but at the same time omitting all the ones that survived and all the places where nothing dramatic happened.
I know of war photographers who really want to put the worlds attention on the things happening in Darfur, and in doing so they try to provide strong, artistic photographs that will really become history, perhaps even photograph of the year.
Those photos in them self seldom change things on a broad scale.
In short, I think this year World Press Photo nailed our current society:
It's the latest winner, the 2006 winner, Spencer Platt (Getty Images), showing young Lebanese drive down a bombed neighborhood in southern Beirut in their cabriolet car, wearing 'the Paris Hilton gear,' with disgusted expressions, taking photos with their cell phone.
It's the best press photo of the year I've seen for many years. Perhaps the only one I ever agreed with, to put it that way.
Sometimes the media coverage of catastrophes (putting video and photo and written word into context) starts something constructive instead of just creating apathy about how terrible the world is. The coverage of September 11 did that, so did the coverage of the hurricane Katrina in the US where even celebrities left their Bel Air neighborhoods to go and do something personally.
Not as a PR stunt, but because they really felt they had to do something about it.
For my own part, the coverage of the tsunami in December 2004 made me feel I had to do something. I remember sitting in my kitchen early morning at 04.00 December 27, looking at a photo that just couldn't leave me.
In the next days I had friends leaving to help and I remember walking through my just then renovated new offices, the sun shining in, thinking what a striking contrast between ideal world and catastrophe.
I should go. And so I did.
The rest is history. The plan was not to go there and photograph and document but to help in any way that was needed. When I arrived it turned out documenting was in high demand. People worked day and night, mostly financing it themself, and for me it was easy to see that no one in the world would believe these efforts was being done – or would later be able to believe such efforts had ever been done – if it wasn't being documented.
For the short run it was a matter of being able to rely the story to people elsewhere in the world that something was being done about it, show them the scope of it. So that some would come and help, others would fund it.
When I came home and tried to let others use my stories and footage, I learned they just didn't get the story. So I did slideshows, a website, a DVD and a book myself. And the book I decided to give away as a free eBook.
I learned a lot in the month I was in SE Asia. About photography, but more interestingly about some proud people who wanted to be called survivors rather than tsunami-hit. They hated to hear people refer to their temporarily tent homes as 'refugee camps' because they were not refugees.
They were survivors.
And all their efforts were aimed at bringing back life to the nornal for the survivors. Get the kids to school, get the train running again, get houses rebuild, etc.
Anyway, the story is on the website and in the book. If you cry when you see it, hopefully it's because it is not a demonstration of how cruel and hopeless the world is, but on the contrary how good it can be when someone decide something can be done about it.
For my part, I believe an aesthetic picture of survival brings about a better person, able to help others, instead of a terror photo that puts the viewer in a state of apathy.
Both have impact, which is what we, from a limited view of a photographer, want to create.
One just have to make up ones mind about the desired effect one want to create.
Posted by cassie.a.c... on December 26, 2007 3:09 PM
There aren't enough of you. It is wonderful to think that so much good can come of something bad and to be apart of the happy times these people have now is a blessing for everyone involved especially for you to be able to see it and make it happen. Screw the photos, really, though they are beautiful. Life makes photography wonderful, so all our wonderful moments create it. Excellent work, Mr. Overgaard! -CAC
Posted by Martin Bri... on December 26, 2007 2:34 PM
I really think that most good PJ's have the heart in the right place and are not in it for fame. If you don't, I think it'll shine through the images. Great stuff from Jan Grarup! I really like many of the danish PJ's and I also like Paolo Pellegrin and Alex Majoli a lot.
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Your work is profound. It was a delight to come across your page suggested to me by uber as 'similar pages' to my own, although my page is in its third day of infancy, so I really have nothing to show for it, however I look forward to seeing more of your excellent eye for detail. Cheers.
It has been, i confess, long overdue. But i have been procrastinating this simple task of leaving you a comment for weeks. I've been busy and only comment when commented. I do admire your work and your blogs are quite the read. congratulations on a wonderful page. And. xoxoxox :)
I just wanted to say hello and compliment you on your gallery. You've got a really great selection of pictures here, I really like your natural style and your use of light. Lots and lots of interesting stuff to read too! I reckon I'm going to be a regular reader. Take it slow... Mark
Heeeeey... You're another one on here who I see has fanagled a way around (what I thought was the max) of 16 "Top Friends." How'd you manage that one, if you don't mind me asking? Whatever the case, very best of regards to you...CCx
Thanks for the comment on my first post- nice to know I'm not alone in my technological woes! Love your photography- really beautiful shots you've got here.
thnak you. I'm just collecting all the art i see in San Francisco... check out the new slideshow on TINGLETANGLE and WEMARNY sections on the nav bar menu of http://ozcillator.com. peace, franz
Hello Thorsten. I've been doing a lot of uber-diving, and I must say that yours stands out as one of my top five blogs. It's so diverse and interesting! Keep up the good work! All the best, Stewart
Hi Thorsten, Thanks for the great idea for a blog posting on how a designer comes to dress a star at the Oscars. I will have to write it! Continue to check my blog, I'm going to continue to add great stuff in the next few weeks. xoNick
