For my research assignment, I chose this WWII Russian photographer. He was born to a Jewish family in present day Ukraine. He built his first camera out of his grandmother's glasses. He first started working at a Russian broadcasting company named TASS as a press photographer. He shot in World War II as a Red Army photographer from 1941 to 1946, recognized for shooting multiple famous events such as the capture of the Reichstag and the Nuremburg Trials. He also shot many of the great Russian leaders such as Stalin, Gorbachev, and Yeltsin. His images are war camera quality, and they have very good composition giving off very strong vibes and powerful images.
This is the image which made Yevgeny famous. It is Russian soldiers raising a flag atop the newly captured Reichstag building. This is actually a recreation of the flag raising. A flag was raised the day before, but it was taken down by Nazi fighters in the building. Sound familiar? Iwo Jima, anyone? Anyway, it is also very strong in the composition and the message it gives. It gives a "We have fought long and hard for this place, and it is now ours" through very symbolic means. It was also an image which was ridiculously photoshopped for content. Just like the cigarette in one of the Beatles famous album covers. They took out a looted watch to make it look like they had not been looting the place, replaced the flag with a more dramatic one, added smoke for effect, all courtesy of the Russian FCC. All in all, it is a wonderfully created image, and my favorite of the bunch.
I like this image because it gives a vibe of reconstruction and a return to the normal. The three people are just sitting there, possibly on a beach, relaxing even with the remnants of the war sitting right behind them. It shows how people can adapt for any situation, any time, and make the best of it. Not my favorite image of the bunch, but it is still nice.
This is three political leaders lounging around, from left to right: Churchhill, Truman, and Stalin. This image is a famous one taken at the Potsdam Conference in Germany during July 1945. During a small break of the meeting, the leaders settled down for an impromptu photo session. It shows how the war is fought on two fronts. The commonly seen army front, but also the political front with the world's leaders battling with words. The focus is perfect, but it is hard, at first glance, to see the faces and distinguish who they really are. I could see Stalin in an instant, but Truman and Churchhill are a bit hard to make out. Might be just me.
I like this image because of the amazing composition and the strength of the image. It shows an officer with only one leg and a civilian , possibly his wife. He shows how everybody is a casualty of war, not just the armies. The armies lose massive amounts of men, and the civilians lose their cities, economies, and production capabilities. He shows these losses through this image, the lost leg, the rebuilding in the background, the bleakness of the people, but also the light of rebuilding.
