The art of photojournalism.

"A picture is worth 1,000 words."

I remember growing up and looking at both Life and Look magazines. The photos attached to the stories had as much, or more, impact than their partnered words. I don't believe I will ever be able to forget the picture of the piled high corpses (human bodies) from the concentration camps of World War II. Nor do I feel I ever should forget this image. Does anyone remember the inspirational photos of Dr. Tom Dooley in Africa?

What brought this all back to mind for me was ML's recent return from Haiti. As I poured through her photographic images, suddenly I realized it was as if I were looking through a Life magazine. Through, ML's artistic photography, the human situation in Haiti has been captured for me. If I had never read an article previously about Haiti, these pictures told me the story of Haiti from the human perspective.

One photo which particularly stirred me was one she took of a third grade class in Carissade, Haiti, a very rural area, west of Hinche. When I look at this photo, I'd swear I have seen this same photo when I was ten years old (that would be 1959) in a Life Magazine. But wait, this photo I'm going to share with you isn't from 1959. It was taken in March, 2011. Last week.

What's the story behind this picture? I ask you to study this picture. Look into each student's eyes, as they strain to look into Mary Lynn's. Yet why isn't the student in the front looking at Mary Lynn? Instead she seems to be staring off into the distance. What is she thinking about?

There is the bespectacled teacher. What's in his brief case? Where does he live and how long did it take him to ride his motorcycle to school? What is he going to teach the students today?

Then the bigger questions, what will become of these students? What does the future hold for them? Is what they will learn in class today, help them in their world of tomorrow?

I only ask in your very busy United States day, take at least a moment to study this photo closely. Ponder it. Allow yourself to ask the difficult questions. But whatever you do, don't turn away.

(Click on photo to enlarge it.)