The Fading Battlefields of World War I (The Atlantic)

[TGM]

The Fading Battlefields of World War I

Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, May 28, 2018. 

Includes some wonderful photographs.

 

Snippet:

Edited 29 May , 2018 by TGM
punctuation

[Beechhill]

Thank you. How beautifully doesn't mother nature caress and soften the scars of human folly?

Lest we forget. 

[TGM]

18 minutes ago, Beechhill said:

Thank you. How beautifully doesn't mother nature caress and soften the scars of human folly?

Lest we forget. 

Yes, and so poetically put.

[17107BM]

5 hours ago, Beechhill said:

Thank you. How beautifully doesn't mother nature caress and soften the scars of human folly?

Lest we forget. 

 

Yes, very well put. 

Thanks for posting TGM. 

[Fattyowls]

Excellent find. This isn't the first time the Atlantic has published some excellent images, thanks for posting the link.

 

Pete.

 

P.S. I think the quality of the poetic post is top too.

[Beechhill]

You're all making me blush! But I think the true poetry is in the photos. My own ramblings probably owe more to the repercussions of a session at the pub last night than anything else.

/Dan 

Edited 30 May , 2018 by Beechhill

[Fattyowls]

Dan, you are quite right about the photos but don't stop going down the pub to avoid becoming lyrical. As long as the repercussions don't involve your wellbeing or possible criminal proceedings of course....

 

Pete.

[horrocks]

Very odd that there seems to be no photographer credited with the work. It appears to be that of one person.

 

They are undoubtedly very beautiful, but I can't help but notice that they are remarkably similar, often in specific subject and also in their very high technical and artistic proficiency, to the now well known work of Michael St.Maur Sheil, but they are not Sheil's work. Someone has been traipsing around in his footsteps.

 

I know about these things. I have form (but I work in Black & White!) :-)

 

http://www.westernfrontphotography.com/main.php

[gordon92]

I will join the applause for this fantastic photography.  Even though I have visited many of these sites, the immense beauty was never so apparent as is brought out by these photographs.  Thank you for posting.

[Jools mckenna]

Beautiful and horrendous at the same time. 

Here is quite interesting video on Beaumont Hamel.

 

[TGM]

On 30/05/2018 at 11:49, horrocks said:

Very odd that there seems to be no photographer credited with the work. It appears to be that of one person.

 

They are undoubtedly very beautiful, but I can't help but notice that they are remarkably similar, often in specific subject and also in their very high technical and artistic proficiency, to the now well known work of Michael St.Maur Sheil, but they are not Sheil's work. Someone has been traipsing around in his footsteps.

 

I know about these things. I have form (but I work in Black & White!) :-)

 

http://www.westernfrontphotography.com/main.php

I note each have photographer/copyright notices bottom left of each photograph. Not sure Getty Images photographers Peter Macdiarmid and Sean Gallup need to be 'traipsing' around in Sheil's footsteps, but I'll defer to your superior knowledge!

 

 

Edited 3 June , 2018 by TGM

[horrocks]

9 hours ago, TGM said:

I note each have photographer/copyright notices bottom left of each photograph. Not sure Getty Images photographers Peter Macdiarmid and Sean Gallup need to be 'traipsing' around in Sheil's footsteps, but I'll defer to your superior knowledge!

 

 

 

Oh, yes, missed the credits. Several photographers, mostly Getty, some AP. Ah! well.

 

As a body they are certainly stylistically pretty similar, maybe that's a something required by these agencies for stock photographs, I don't know. I might be wide of the mark, but I suspect they were packed off to the Western Front battlefields to build the agency portfolios in anticipation of demand around the centenary commemorations. And yes, if so, Mike Sheil's very comprehensive portfolio would have provided a very nice location reference resource.

[michaeldr]

On 29/05/2018 at 16:06, TGM said:

Includes some wonderful photographs

 

Stunning photography!

Thanks for sharing

[TGM]

On ‎03‎/‎06‎/‎2018 at 23:26, horrocks said:

As a body they are certainly stylistically pretty similar, maybe that's a something required by these agencies for stock photographs, I don't know. I might be wide of the mark, but I suspect they were packed off to the Western Front battlefields to build the agency portfolios in anticipation of demand around the centenary commemorations. And yes, if so, Mike Sheil's very comprehensive portfolio would have provided a very nice location reference resource.

I totally agree on both counts. Some by Gallup etc. were taken at various centenary events this year and last...