kevin carter and the photo that made the world weep
March 7, 2007
there is a very real ethical dimension to photography which i feel is too often neglected by people behind the lens. i am not just talking about media photographers. i am talking about anyone who has a camera in general.
this photograph showing a starving sudanese child being stalked by a vulture won kevin carter the 1994 pulitzer prize for feature photography. the photograph, raised a lot of money for relief agencies. the photographer, on the other hand, came under very heavy criticism by the public and agencies alike. in a time and place where 20 people die of starvation every hour, could the photographer have done something to save the child?
the photograph was taken in march 1993 near the village of ayod in sudan. according to time, the photographer heard a whimpering which attracted him to the toddler who was on her way to a feeding center. she had stopped to rest when a vulture landed nearby. the photographer had waited 20 minutes for the vulture to spread its wings, but it did not. so he shot this photo before chasing the vulture away.
this photo was first published in the new york times on 26 march 1993.
the criticism which falls photographers is obvious. our commitment to our job versus our moral obligations. is some way or another, we are sometimes faced with the dilemma of helping or photographing.
according to the national association of press photographers (america), it is a good idea to think about these issues in advance because when the hour comes, it will come suddenly and we will be asked to make a choice quickly. maybe it won’t be famine. but it might be an accident or a fire. would you be the one who captured the explosion of the fire, or be the one to rescue the victims of the accident?
i personally believe in moral obligations. but that is not for you to agree with, but for you to make up your own mind. in defense of kevin carter, the photo he took did raise public consciousness of the famine conditions of sudan. but that is his contribution to the world. the weight and responsibility towards what he owed the child would be something he carried in his soul for he rest of his life.
several months after receiving the pulitzer for the photo that made the world weep, kevin carter returned to africa, where he committed suicide.
at what point do you put the camera down and help? at what point does your humanity become more important than your journalism?
March 8, 2007 at 8:26 am
yar..i know about this..it’s quite a story.then apparently he committed suicide because he was so haunted by this…..or depression.
March 8, 2007 at 6:57 pm
who are we to judge him?
March 9, 2007 at 12:30 am
what a sad pic
March 10, 2007 at 1:57 am
tihtahpah: it is a combination of both, i think. the suicide was just months after receiving the pulitzer. he is not the first and won’t be the last photographer to do this.
aw: you’re right, we aren’t. but we need to judge ourselves for what we would have done given the same situation.
bengbeng: that is the same reaction the photo received by thousands of people worldwide. the emotions invoked by the photo is what makes the photo special… and controversial.
March 28, 2007 at 3:39 pm
I’ve seen this picture earlier somewhere (I’ve forgotten) but I didn’t know that the photographer actually went back to Africa and committed suicide!! Oh my..
May 28, 2007 at 2:26 am
I think is a karma. Look our self?
November 14, 2007 at 1:00 am
I see nothing wrong with taking the picture. He ran off the vulture and I am sure he helped the child get food. He raised money for the starving with the picture and went back to Africa. You people make him committee suicide by telling him what a bad person he was and he believed you.
I do believe a photographer has an ethical obligation to help. At a certain point they should put down the camera and do something. But they should not be criticized for taking the picture first unless it harms someone.
November 14, 2007 at 3:46 am
How do images like this not shake us to our very souls? After seeing the hunger and the death in Africa I believe every man woman and child would have to rethink every bit of themselves and what they have/have not in their lives. Who are we, in many cases, fat Americans/Europeans who have all the comforts of family and home that these dying children will never know even once in their lives!? We were born with all, they were born to suffer and die?
I’m going to stand on my soap box and say … this is why christian groups should spread education about birth control and alternate ways to grow food … not bibles and grewl kitchens! These are children who are born to nothing. Some reproductive education and hydroponic plant growth could help these people beyond all the money these christian groups steal to push their religion. It’s just evil .. and I can imagine this photographer saw these things close up. I weep for every child lost … and for this man. Our humanity seems to be lost in so many ways. Think about that.
November 22, 2007 at 5:13 am
this really moved me. i am writing about this image for my thesis which is on the photography of a poverty stricken society.
i really have respect for kevin carter after taking this picture, as it is a way of notifying people on what they may not know is going on. The same as Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange informs and educates us and might help these people in the future. shame on the people who look down on kevin carter for this. I congratulate him for this difficult achievment
December 13, 2007 at 2:33 pm
,,,,apparently Kevin did not help the poor kid !. The pic hunted his soul so much so until he committed suicide.
Question ,,,,,,what would you have done ?. Easy to comment yaaa BUT really ask youself,,,What have I done to-date to help the helpless !.
The poor can still survive but the helpless will die if left to themselves.
Answer ,,,,,,,,just visit your local hospital and see what you can do to help cas. there are many helpless soul there !. Again, trust me,,,,many needs HELP !!!!.
December 24, 2007 at 5:50 am
how do you know what kevin did after the phot was taken?, maybe he helped the child? i dont see you doing anything to help by sitting on your computer. raise awareness.
December 26, 2007 at 7:51 pm
this was featured in National Geographic magazine long ago. Carter told others many time he regretted not saving the child and would go back time to save the child. Apparently he committed suicide because of stress. Nontheless its a great picture, very emotional.
Come on guys Kevin Carter is already dead. Let him RIP. There’s another photo similar in terms of expression but I forgot who it was. She also committed suicide.
December 26, 2007 at 10:16 pm
who then pity the poor vulture ?,,,,,nothing else to survive on,,,, but the skinny kid. normally eating zebra-lah or whereinsoever the lion had brought down.
so little value in life nowadays. killing, murder, rape ,,,you name it. war everywhere,,,life so cheap, no meaning whatsoever, who strong win. poor kid,,,poor vulture. who really cares for crying out loud ?. bUT we all should. be human again,,,,CARE,,,LOVE,,,FORGIVE.
February 29, 2008 at 4:51 am
i think it an important aspect we should all consider is what hypocrites we all are, there is suffering in Africa, and suffering in Palestine, and suffering in countless tiny forgetten corners all over the world, some caused by circumstance, but most caused by elected tyrants and multimillion dollar corporations who have no regard for anything but money and power. indeed, even the medical and pharmeceutical industries have sold their souls for money and power!
we all are quick to work ourselves into a froth of emotion about a photograph of just one tiny tragedy that occurs along with how many thousands of others on any given day…and yet the sun goes down each night and nothing changes, no one challenges the tyrants or demands they stop, no one quits their jobs and flies off to somewhere where people need them, no one really DOES a god damned thing except fling their ill-thought out opinions and irrational conclusions at anything they can target, the internet mostly. and when the sun comes up tomorrow, we will all suckle our breakfast from the teats of Mammon, & then the whole sick dance begins anew.
if we are to have any hope of salvaging our humanity, we must realize that complacency and non-confrontation are just as much sins as the ones being commited by all those we are so quick to accuse.
every time a mother cries for the death of her child, every time a man is made to be so miserable that in desperation for something, anything, to change, blowing himself becomes a good idea to his traumatized mind, everytime wives are told their husbands won’t return from an unjust war we are as much to blame as anyone and the karmic debt is one we will all be made to pay…
March 10, 2008 at 7:37 pm
I don’t understand. So you mean he took the pic, chased the vulture away and then left the child there?
March 19, 2008 at 10:41 pm
We should not take anything in life for granted.
I hope he carried the child to the feeding center.
April 24, 2009 at 11:37 pm
i agree with you
April 23, 2008 at 5:58 pm
Kevin Carterlived in Johannesburg South Africa where he later took his own life arter living with depression. the pictre does present questions of morality, as do the works of Joel Peter Witkin who positions Corpses into arb postions in order to create art. I think these pictuers force us to face questions of human dignity and respct. Kevin carter did not help the child to the shelter, but instead wollowed in pity, sat under a tree puffed away on a few cigarettes and weeped. I think we are not allwed to judge, but we are forced to question our values and morals by putting ourselves in his shoe.. so i asl you, What would you have done?? made history through your ‘art’ or made a difference to onr little girls life.
May 13, 2008 at 5:41 pm
I remember the image well. It would still rate as one of the best images about our indifference to humanity. Carter was responsible for awakening our conscience. The chances are that he would not have been able to save the child even if he had taken her to the nearest aid station. As I understand it , the little girl died within an hour of the photo being taken.
June 7, 2008 at 2:34 pm
i have promised 2 mah self dat i will neva waste food. i am still thinkin about d picture!! its started 2 haunt me! and i seriously dont know what 2 do. 4 d people who think its a joke!CAN JUST SIMPLY FUK OFFF!!! understand!! u may b d spoilt 1s!
u get everthing dats y!
GET LOST!!!
July 8, 2008 at 6:22 pm
I knew Kevin Carter personally and was always taken aback by his intenseness. We were at that time all pretty tense living in South Africa. The (now tarnishing) miracle was unfolding and Kevin was as chuffed as the rest of us. He did remain somewhat cynical and sceptical (as any good journalist should), but when this disturbing picture became the one to define a time, place and era Kevin could not handle the constant refrain of “but couldn’t you do something”. What astounded us was the level of vehemence at times displayed to him by stupid people. The one that I think really was the last straw was “was the Pullitzer worth her death?” to which Kevin would just stare uncomprehendingly. Then one day Kevin was gone and we were left with memories of an intense friend, a brilliant photographer and a bitter photograph that had stripped us all naked and left a friend and colleague dead.
This is one of the greatest photographs ever taken.
July 9, 2008 at 9:47 am
dear walter,
thank you for sharing your insights on my blog. i believe that kevin carter’s greatest contribution to the world – for better or worse – is the ethical discussions intrigued by the photograph. ethical discussions whose realities not only make us aware of the state of the world i.e. poverty, famine, war etc, but also how ignorant and quick we are to judge other people.
this photo reveals that while we are sympathetic over devastations that occur around the world, we tend to unload these emotions onto others. in my opinion, it is because we feel our own helplessness to do anything about the scenario shown to us and blaming others is the easier thing to do.
instead of asking carter if he could have done something, maybe we should explore our own emotions evoked by this photo: scenes like these play out in the world everyday. can’t we do something about it?
i echo your sentiments: this is one of the greatest photographs ever taken.
my heartiest condolences over the loss of your friend.
April 24, 2009 at 11:36 pm
i would put down my camera the moment i saw that little girl and i would help her i would be sad if she died when i was trying to save her but i would feel horrible if i did not even try to help her and she died
December 16, 2009 at 5:57 pm
it was good of Kevin to give this pic to the New York Times to print. Irrespective of what caste, creed or colour, we must come together as one and help those in need. Kevin did the right thing by getting this pic published. i kept reading many articles about the same issue to find out if Kevin carried the little child to the feeding centre. Having the strength, that’s the least he could do for that child, taking into consideration that the feeding centre is only a kilometer away.