PULITZER ANalySIS
Winning the Pulitzer Prize is one of the most coveted awards a photojournalist can achieve. With its conception in 1942, the Pulitzer Prize has strived to award prizes for distinguished examples of breaking news or feature photography in black and white or color, which may consist of a photograph or photographs, a sequence, or an album. In 1968, the award expanded from one category to two, Feature Photography Prize and Breaking News Photography (“The Pulitzer Prize Photographs”). Photos eligible for a Pulitzer must have been published in a U.S. newspaper, magazine, or news site, and winners are awarded 15,000 and a certificate.
“The Vulture and the Little Girl”. It's a photo you may have seen before now. This Pulitzer-winning photograph was taken by South African photojournalist Kevin Carter in 1933 while traveling to document the apartheid and famine in Sudan. Kevin Carter grew up in a middle-class white-only neighborhood in Johannesburg, South Africa. At a young age, he witnessed police raids after black people illegally living in such white neighborhoods. Throughout his life, he witnessed many atrocities committed against black Africans, which in addition to witnessing the church street bombing of 1983 in Pretoria, led him to be a photojournalist.
Kevin Carter's haunting iconic image depicts a vulture stalking a small, struggling child who collapsed on the ground trying to get to the United Nations care center. Carter received an enormous amount of criticism for not helping the child but claimed that he followed his instinct as a photographer before his duty as a human being later saying “It may be difficult for people to understand, but as a photojournalist, my first instinct was to make the photograph. As soon as that job was done and the child moved on, I felt completely devastated. I think I tried to pray; I tried to talk to God to assure Him that if He got me out of this place I would change my life.” Shortly after this image was published an enormous amount of acquisitions into whether the child was okay and how to help flooded in. In the long run, this image helped thousands of other people suffering and informed people of this reality. Carter battled with the memory of a haunting situation and his criticisms and soon, after receiving a Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography, committed suicide.
Carter employed basic photography skills and techniques to create such an iconic, devestating and timeless photo. The rule of thirds is very prevalent; we can see the vulture and the child both placed on intersecting third lines. Another concept shown in this photo is imaginary lines. A line is directly from the vulture's eyes to the struggling child giving us the sickening feeling that the vulture will soon prey on the helpless child. The vulture and child are the focus of this image and the background of the image is very bare, sparse, and simple, perhaps reflecting the famished Sudan. In addition, images of children tend to pull on our heartstrings, in a way that adults don't, due to the helplessness and innocence of children.
In conclusion, the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph, "The Vulture and the Little Girl" by Kevin Carter, stands as a haunting testament to the power of visual storytelling and the moral dilemmas faced by photojournalists. This iconic image serves as a stark reminder of the complex role that photographers play in capturing and conveying the harsh realities of the world. Carter's instinct as a photographer, though criticized, ultimately helped shed light on the dire circumstances faced by countless individuals in addition to the girl depicted. His use of fundamental photography techniques, such as the rule of thirds and the use of imaginary lines, contributed to the image's enduring power. Sadly, the burden of bearing witness to such hardships took a toll on Carter, leading to his tragic end. "The Vulture and the Little Girl" stands as a powerful example of the enduring power of images showcasing the potential of a single shot to provoke change and reflection, even at the cost of the photographer's own well-being.