“I want a great person.
Somebody who gives something to humanity.” – Tony Vaccaro
Tony Vaccaro is a world
renowned war photographer who came to prominence with his photography during
World War II. The photographs he took between this period were in Europe of
soldiers of the Allies during war time. After this period he became a renowned
photographer in the areas of fashion and lifestyle.
He was born in
Greensburg, Pennsylvania to Italian immigrant parents with the name Michelantonio Celestino Onofrio Vaccaro in
December of 1922. However in the year of 1926 he and his family moved back to
Italy to the city of Bonefro.
With the outbreak of World War II Tony left his home in Bonefro due to
the Fascist regime and the conscription the Italian military had put in place.
Tony, at the age of just seventeen, decided to travel back to the United States
and finish his education in high school at New Rochelle, New York. However this
was not to be the end of his involvement or understanding of military service
as in 1943 Tony found himself drafted by the United States Military and subsequently
he was deployed in 1944 to Europe as the war was coming to an end, despite
anybody at the time knowing that
and of course another year of
Hell to witness.
This time at 1944 was still a very turbulent time and Tony found himself
in many battles and skirmishes, including being part of the Normandy Landing serving
as a private, and later in Germany, as part of the the 83rd Infantry
Division of the United States Army. His position at the time was that of a
scout which allowed him enough free time here and there to take photos which
was something he was always interested in and had a passion for. With his
talents being displayed across the camp, with many fellow soldiers
complimenting him, Vaccaro was then installed as an official photographer for
his companies newspaper. For this paper Vaccaro was asked to photograph what it
was like for troops and to try an show case how hard their struggle was.
Vaccaro was officially discharged in 1945, however he stayed in Germany,
getting his first job as a photographer, out of the army, for American officials
who were stationed in Frankfurt and he then got a job with a United States
newspaper called Stars and Stipes which was a Sunday supplement of an American
army supplement.
Vaccaro left Germany and Europe in 1949 and went to work for the
publications Life, Look and eventually Flair. Having spent numerous hours,
days, weeks and months photographing his time in the war more than 4,000 of his
pictures were ‘lost’ or destroyed because his
superiors did not want the honesty of his images getting out, much like
how years later the images of soldiers bodies returning from Vietnam damaged
Richard Nixon’s presidency.
Despite this being a huge problem it also highlighted the ingenious of
Vaccaro because it was revealed how he developed his photographs at the time.
He was shooting with an Argus C3 and what he did was mix the solution of
chemicals for developing photographs in the helmets of soldiers in his platoon.
It was not only ingenious then but to this day people view it as inspirational.
One of Tony Vaccaro’s most influential works as I have already mentioned
in terms of time is his work during World War Two and his work entitled ‘Entering
Germany 1944-1949’ is really a staple of his career. It is not a look at just the
beginning of war, the aftermaths of war or the parts that happen in between. It
is a collection of images that capture everything of war, the service, the
death but also and more importantly the reality. The hardships, the loss, the
heartache, the devastation and everything in-between. This is not a look at war
from every angle, as that is so hard to do but rather it is a haunting look at
war and its cost through the eyes of one man and realistically a man who is an
outsider.
This work, ‘Entering Germany’, really was a glorifying moment not only
for photographers but also for Journalists because it showed how people need to
capture moments in history. It was perhaps the start of what we see as common
sense in journalism. It gave us the idea of showing what was really going on
rather than putting a spin on the story and how despite the awful material
sometimes people just need to know the truth. War is not all about the
victories of those who won the battles and wars but the sacrifice that those
who fought the skirmishes and melees.
Tony has captured some of the most famous people on camera and yet still
holds such a sense of modesty. He has snapped Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and
Jackson Pollock, all of whom were widely renowned people who would detest a
photograph. It was his sterling work however during World War II that brought
so many to his door to be photographed rather than the other way round.
Despite his most famous picture arguably being ‘White Death’ Tony has
been one of the most constant photographers of any generation, He has never
turned away from an unsettling topic and also has gone through more than many
would ever believe could be possible for his work.
You know this is the second photography module I have taken, I say taken
but I mean had to take, but I enjoyed both. My lecturer was great but I had no
interest in taking this module again. However when given the option to explore
an artist on our own I really found something great. Tony Vaccaro was one of
the most interesting figures I have come across in photography. He is clearly
one of those guys from a certain era, much like Oliver Stone, who try to tell
you of a story and a true tale yet the ‘youth’
or more accurately the ‘now in power’ try to to tell you that time is over.
The reason I picked Tony Vaccaro was because not only did his photos
speak to me in a simple form of just being good looking photos but it came from
the fact that his photographs told a much bigger story. His photographs
told a story about how each was far
deeper than what I was seeing when I saw their images on a video. He was capturing
a momentous occasion.
Why Tony Vaccaro holds such a great place in today’s youth is because for
me personally, everything he captured, despite it being from years ago, still holds
a truth which needs to be remembered today. He captured the hate, hatred,
destruction and loss of humanity.
Tony shot some of the most important images, in my opinion of World War
II, but he still sits as one of the greatest photographers ever. It has nothing
to do with how or where he looked at the war but it came down to how he captured
it. And honestly for me he captured it like no one else. He was able to show
the beauty and horror of war in the same shot and it was not only magical but
soul destroying at the same time.
Honestly the reason I love Tony Vaccaro’s photography is very simple. It
is the honesty he portrays in his shots. He never pulls any punches or holds
back. He is honest and makes people question their own reality and the reality
in which they live. I never thought photography could be this interesting but
Tony made me sit up and take notice.
My views on Tony are that he was one of the best social documentarians on
life, mainly for a soldier and civilian during World War II. His photography
was able to capture such a huge riff in
social class and to this day it continues, He was able to show the torment many
went through while others sat at home home talking about what what was really
happening.
My final Photo-Book was in fact very influenced by Mr Vaccaro. It was his
look on human nature and human devotion which drove me to my book.
I guess my real inspiration for Tony Vaccaro comes from his honesty and
ability to just not give a blind ‘F**K’ about anybody else. I find that most admirable
than anything else, the ability to not worry about others.
My own Photo Book idea sort of came from Tony because he saw such a travesty
and was part of it. I guess mine was a
little bit wrong because he was part of a war which defined history and
mine was just a war I am battling with myself.
REF:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1649130.Entering_Germany
http://www.theglobalist.com/shooting-germany-1944-1949/
http://museemagazine.com/art-2/features/photographers-speak-out-on-the-digital-takeover/
http://queenscourier.com/2013/tony-vaccaro-an-incredible-life-in-photography/
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/04/viewing-world-war-ii-through-a-soldiers-camera-lens/
http://www.military-history.org/articles/war-photographers/tony-vaccaro-war-photographer.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Vaccaro
