The power of Photography
This photo from The Times really wowed me the other day. I would dearly love to have a print of it.
It is reminiscent of those Renaissance portraits where the positioning of the Pope and his Cardinals, and their badges of office, and hence power were precisely posed and placed for the audience to read.
We see Nkunda seated, looking cool and laconic with a beatific attitude a bit like a hip-hop celebrity with his shades artfully arranged in front of him. The shades are too far away to comfortably pick up without leaning froward, so they seem to be there as a sign, an indication that the openness can close whenever he, Nkunda, decides. His head, with its black cowboy hat (with all that signifies) inclined in a challenging and intelligent looking way that shouts “fuck you” and at the same time encourages engagement - ask me it seems to say. His steepled hands suggest a man both comfortable with what he is and where he is and conveys his powerful feelings of being in complete control, we are clearly on his home turf. It seems significant that he is not seeking our approval.
He is surrounded by his trappings of power, and in a change from times past it is not in displays of conspicuous wealth or power, almost the opposite,, the simple unpainted wall, the two soldiers, one with head bowed, both very comfortable with well worn AK47s. The one on the left in a state of readiness, leaning slightly forward, as if waiting for the signal to raise his rifle to do whatever his leader asks, as much accolyte as protector. The other seems closer to Nkunda and is defiantly staring at the lens almost as a portrait in its own right, Nkunda’s pose opening up to him in a collaborative way It is as if Nkunda is saying power (the fighter on the left) and communication (the officer on the right).
And communication is a key theme in this photo.
The slogan on the wall is written not centre stage, but off to the right behind and partially obscured by the officer. This means that we have to make an effort to read and and decipher the slogan, La Justice est rend(u) au nom (des pe)uple it seems to me, “Justice is rendered in the name of the people”. The partial obscuring of the slogan makes it all the more memorable and effective.
And on the table in front of Nkunda are two examples of the most powerful of modern weapons, the mobile phone, which bring with them previously unheard of levels of instant, always on communications by voice and text. Their placement at the corners of the table means that it isn’t clear whether they are both Nkunda’s or whether they belong to the standing figures, either way they are powerful symbols.
What we are not party to, is who posed this photo? Was it the photographer (I can’t find any attribution on the photo either in print or online so I don’t know who shot it) or Nkunda, who is after all trained in Psychology and Divinity and who will I am sure be very aware of how this plays. Interestingly, the version of the picture used by The Times online is heavily cropped and as a result, for me, loses a lot of its meaning, have a look at www.timesonline.co.uk and see what you think.
Tags: creative, Photography