#feb222016

While scrolling through endless clickbait on Facebook today, I stumbled upon several articles about the recently passed photographer Mary Ellen Mark. After reading the articles, staring at the photos and being transported to the place her photos were taken, I’m taken aback. 

I have looked at hard hitting portraiture in a while. I see a lot of nature pictures, a lot of happy pictures, and tons of posed family, or graduation, or wedding photos. But not too often story-telling photojournalism. 

So the links below really opened my eyes again to the problems the world was facing, problems that still occur now, and will likely continue in the future despite the numerous advancements that we prefer to talk about. 

http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/05/30/410521364/mary-ellen-mark-and-the-caged-prostitutes-of-mumbai 

http://www.npr.org/2015/06/27/417782675/what-happened-to-the-9-year-old-smoking-in-mary-ellen-marks-photo?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20160221 

http://www.maryellenmark.com/text/magazines/life/905W-000-021.html