National Geographic photo response

Shekhar Deshpande makes a claim about the photographs in the National Geographic magazine: “[b]ut while it covers or represents such issues or situations, it can sanitize and even beautify the blood and the gore of the conflict” (Par. 12). While in small groups, my group chose a photo that followed along with Deshpande’s claim and how National Geographic can make horrible situations into beautiful pictures. The photo was of a boy standing in a field of crosses, almost like a graveyard but the crosses were a foot maybe two feet apart. The boy had a sad yet glaring look on his face, staring directly into the camera. He was positioned in the middle of the photo, and while there are others in the photo, you cannot see their faces, it is below their faces but high enough to see the boys face. There are many white crosses which the boy is leaning on, almost holding his hands as if he was praying, and there are also a few red crosses. By reading the description below the picture, I found out that the white crosses represent citizens who have died fighting ranchers from clearing land and the red crosses represent people who are still alive, but have death threats upon them. Poverty is most present in this area, the boy’s shoes are torn and his clothes are dirty. It is a dark and morbid photograph that is obviously posed. Yet at the same time one can see the beauty in this picture. It is well posed and emotional to the viewer. A sense of sympathy is almost overwhelming just from seeing this picture. That is why National Geographic has made a horrible situation into a beautiful picture. The complex claim I have developed from this photograph is: Even as beautiful as the Amazon forest is, there is still tragedies occurring to the people inhabiting it.