Comments on: Ami Vitale

Ami Vitale

tboz — Tue, 14 Jan 2003 19:57:35 -0800

Ami Vitale, a photojournalist takes some incredible pictures of Africa, Europe and India. Her still images convey so much raw emotion and context. Case in point, a picture from the Gujrat communal violence shows undiluted fear in the eyes of the man being dragged away by the police.

By: mosch

mosch — Tue, 14 Jan 2003 20:30:39 -0800

Truly spectacular! My only complaint is that I'm certain I can't afford archival prints of her work.

By: biscotti

biscotti — Tue, 14 Jan 2003 20:38:34 -0800

Beautiful pictures, she even manages to make the obvious, seen-it-before images (grief at funerals, cracked earth with single plant, etc) look fresh. She's got a really nice eye, most impressive. Thanks, tboz, nice link.

By: madamjujujive

madamjujujive — Tue, 14 Jan 2003 20:47:31 -0800

Wow, thanks tboz - loved this site. Some photos are sublime, some are disturbing, but what a window on the world and the human family she presents. The juxtaposition of violence and beauty is quite striking in some of her essays, like the Kashmir. I was also really intrigued with the camel fair at Pushkar - hard to believe that this is contemporaneous with e-bay.

By: VelvetHellvis

VelvetHellvis — Tue, 14 Jan 2003 20:50:06 -0800

The female circumcision photos are chilling. Nothing like seeing a closeup of a hand holding a dull knife and a little girl's severed clitoris. Now I know how men feel when they remember John Bobbitt. To view, go to www.amivitale.com, select Launch Portfolio and choose Guinea-Bissau from the menu. I'll be sitting with my legs crossed for a while and won't soon forget the tears of five-year-old Awa Balde.

By: EmoChild

EmoChild — Tue, 14 Jan 2003 22:05:42 -0800

This is so GodDamn fucking disturbing. .... Words can't describe...

By: arielmeadow

arielmeadow — Tue, 14 Jan 2003 22:09:10 -0800

VelvetHellvis, thank you for summing up my horror.

By: jonson

jonson — Tue, 14 Jan 2003 22:52:54 -0800

No thanks. As powerful, impacting, what have you as the photos may be, photodocuments of children being tortured is not something I'll seek out...

By: VelvetHellvis

VelvetHellvis — Wed, 15 Jan 2003 09:06:56 -0800

I'm in agreement with you, Jonson. I wish I hadn't seen those photos. The trite phrase "indelibly ingrained in my psyche" comes to mind. It's your choice not to look. My motives in explaining how to find the images weren't out of some sick desire to gawk at the human horror show. Ami Vitale's site is all Flash and there's no way to link directly. I believe it's common courtesy to link to the the thing you comment on whenever possible. Simple as that. I was browsing the portfolio and found those photos. Viewing those images was akin to having a cold bucket of water tossed on me and a sucker punch in the stomach. I wish those photos and atrocities that happen to young African girls never existed

By: letitrain

letitrain — Tue, 21 Jan 2003 09:25:50 -0800

What an incredible image maker... Her photos run the gamut from horror to hilarity. Don't miss the Prague photos — the police guarding McDonald's is classic.