(Part 1 of 2)
This image raises many questions for me. The first relates to the maker of this image, Nathan Weber, and his role in this situation. He has captured this band of photographers looking like vultures but why is he there? There is more than implied judgement in this image but isn’t he a colleague of theirs? Is taking this shot, from this standpoint, meant as a critique of photojournalism and his very own practice? It’s not clear to me that he has consciously implicated himself in this questionable scenario; he seems to be standing outside of it but I don’t see how his action is different than theirs. What other photographic possibilities exist that could have preserved Fabienne’s dignity and humanity? His choice to include her in this way, as well as the lingering shots of her dripping blood in the video on his website, makes me believe he is just one-upping his competitors.
