when looking through McCullins collection for most I think this is probably one if not the most well-known images of his if you were to asl some people. Some may give you other images. This one for me sparks many points to consider in my own eyes and personal experiences in my career path. When McCullin talks about this image he mentions that he could have taken the portrait of his career of a dead dying soldier but shows a moral side of his and refrains from taking it when the soldier is asking him not to.
The images below show different side to war in which I believe are fully justified to show. If a scene like this is not shown then the general public will know no different to what they have read or seen other images. Showing different side is key to documenting war. This has been seen as far back as to Roger Fenton’s days in the Crimean War.
The Shell shocked Marine is an image I’ve seen first hand in young soldiers after confronting the worse fears when a friend of fellow comrades has been injured or killed during combat. The eyes do not lie in these circumstances. The Marine isn’t looking at McCullin, the point of view creates and adds drama to the picture. Asking the question to the viewer.
“what has he seen”?
Bibliography
US, S., Battle, T., & of, B. (1970, January 1). Shell-shocked US Marine, The Battle Of Hue. National Galleries Of Scotland. Retrieved April 26, 2020, from https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/130204/shell-shocked-us-marine-battle-hue?search=Don%20McCullin&search_set_offset=11 [assessed 20200426]
(n.d.). Don McCullin On Shell Shocked US Marine | Tate. Retrieved April 26, 2020f, from https://www.tate.org.uk/context-comment/audio/don-mccullin-on-shell-shocked-us-marine [Assessed 2020426]
Part Two Context and Narrative BA HONS in Photography OCA 