Iraq by Johan Spanner (April 15, 2010) 
(22 votes, average: 4.09 out of 5)
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War Feels Raw
Danish photographer Johan Spanner’s photographs do not only show the shocking images of human tragedy but also a side of war that we are seldom able to feel.
His photographs of the Iraqi juveniles bring up a very contradictive issue: these convicted young men seem fragile and innocent, as they most probably are. Spanner says they are more likely to have been picked up for minor offenses.
The non portraits Spanner took in Iraq between 2007-2010. He has become a war photographer who doesn’t underline nor point out. He doesn’t choose the most controversial, shocking images, yet his images tell much more than the usual shots of Iraq. Here we are able to use our senses to feel the war that touches mostly the civil society.
War is always a big, frightening word and for some people a reality they have to tolerate and live with. Spanner delivers this message.
This week is curated by Hannamari Shakya, chief editor of PhotoRaw magazine, a bilingual photo magazine from Finland.
Next / Yes, I Believe Objectivity Is An Illusion / Previous / An Average Salary Here Is One Thousand Hrivnas /
Our poll "A photo essay always needs a great written story" closed. 267 people voted, 28% agrees, 72% disagrees. 233 people answered our follow-up question "Are you a photographer?" 82% indicated they are, 18% said no. Initially, negative answers to question #1 were almost 100% as was the pecentage of photographers among respondants. Then, when the level of non-photographers started to rise, the percentage of people indicating good text is always essential started to rise too. This seems to indicate that non-photographers think that adding good text to your photo essays is essential. In my opinion: if you want non-photographers to dig your work, you know what to do...
These two series were selected from work made in Iraq.
The first is from the Al Ahlam compound in Khadamiyah, Baghdad. It was shot at the juvenile detention centre in early 2007, when the so-called surge by American forces was going on.
Iraqi security forces, highly sectarian at the time, were also busy asserting themselves.
These children are almost exclusively Sunni, and had seemingly for the most part been picked up for minor offenses, or simply rounded up in whole-sale sweeps of Sunni neighborhoods.
Only one of the kids seemed to have been involved in really bad stuff: kidnappings and IEDs.
The other half is a more general edit of pictures taken in Iraq between 2007-2010.
I have covered the war since the beginning and am in the process of editing through years of work.
Johan Spanner has covered life and war in Iraq extensively, with side trips throughout the Middle East and Africa. He is currently working on a personal project in the Balkans.
Johan Spanner (1974) lives and works in Denmark.
Click weblink johanspanner.com or browse our archives
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