Out of the Darkness

In a CNN exclusive, photos of a handful of holocaust survivors were taken and used to tell a story. Each individual picture is one of heartache and strength. Being that the holocaust did happen some 70 years ago, all of the survivors photographed have well entered old age. Each silhouette, of either a man or woman grips the audience by the heartstrings. With the use of black and white, light and dark the silhouette of the survivor stands bold against the darkness, while maintaining an element of reclusiveness. In the photos, you cannot see the complete faces of the victim. Which, implies that even though some part of them remains in this world, walking around living and breathing like you and me, a large part of themselves and their identity was taken from them during the Holocaust. Whether it is in the concentration camps, taking refuge in a foreign land during the war or seeing the countless lives lost at the hands of a great evil, their humanity was ripped from them. That could not be photographed. It has been long gone. Some of the elderly faces shown have hardened into hate, while most have settled into grief and acceptance. Each face showing a different emotion, different experiences different stories to tell. The use of color here is appropriate. Dark shadowing, and dim lighting make you feel as if you were there with them. Living in the darkness, hiding from the very bleak reality of what life was for them. Taking another look at the photos, you start to see the darkness as a metaphor for death. Many lives were claimed during the Holocaust, while most of us sympathize, only a true few can empathize. Their faces now seem to emerge from the darkness as if they single handedly escaped the hands of death. In some ways many would argue that they did. Having the strength to emerge from the darkness that is death and step into the light is the true definition of strength, and courage and resilience.  As the light is drawn to illuminate their faces, it highlights a deeper sense of bravery, and pride that - though many of them have fallen and many of them have been engulfed entirely by the darkness, a few remain. They have not forgotten the pain and devastation, known as the holocaust but they survived. Proud to show the faces of victory in a time of immense darkness. http://cnnphotos.blogs.cnn.com/2013/01/25/recounting-the-nightmares-of-the-holocaust/