AN OPINION ESSAY - DOCUMENTARY FILM: “NO ME LLAMES FOTÓGRAFO DE GUERRA”

The other day in class, we saw a documentary film called “No Me Llames Fotógrafo De Guerra” in which the principal issue was the most relevant Spanish war photographers  and the right and wrong consequences of this job.

The documentary film starts presenting the Spanish photographer Samuel Aranda, who has been passionate about photography since an early age. He won The World Press Photo with a picture that took in Yemen during a demonstration, which shows a woman protecting her son from snipers. Moreover, the documentary film shows other important photographers like Manu Brabo, who had been kidnapped on 6^th April of 2011 by the Libyan Army; Emilio Morelanti, who lost a leg during the Afghanistan war when he was with the US Army, and Álvaro Yabara Zavala.

I think that the job of these type of photographers is important and very valuable because they go through struggle so they can take those photos for us. Also, they are risking their lives and taking away their family and friends to keep on their job and let us informed in the best way: with pictures. However, I believe that we should not stay observing and ignoring these terrible situations; we have to do something against them. In the documentary film, the photographers said that many people have faith that if they are photographing them, the ONU or something will save them, but they don’t. Even though many photos come to us, there is no change and this has been happening throughout all history.

In short, I think that if there are photographers risking their lives and leaving their homes to keep us informed with the best photos and arguing what is going on, we must help those innocent people and do something to stop those misfortunes. As the  photojourlanist Fernando Moleres said: “You have to talk about this situation, publish it in the best and strongest way to be able to get the information to the high estates that can intervene”. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Evtijdt6Ihg