15 Man casually stands near lighthouse barrier while waves crash against it.
This photograph can leave many a courageous person absolutely speechless. This picture shows a man casually standing very close to the lighthouse barrier with wild waves crashing all around against the lighthouse. While his expression cannot be seen in the photograph, maybe he is one daring and fearless man, for whom working in the light house under trying circumstances is just a job and a routine. It is also highly likely that from where he is standing he cannot see the huge waves on the other side, which the photographer was able to capture from a different higher place! If the man did get to look at the photograph we wonder what his reaction would have been!
14 Konstantin Pronin
Tenacity and persistence are two very rare characteristics. But history has proved time and again that some of the war veterans are full of resolve, persistence and discipline. This picture shows a World War II veteran completely dressed with every medal he has earned, sitting on a bench. This veteran is from Belarus and is Konstantin Pronin. He is 86 years old and here he is seen waiting for his comrades. This is at the Gorky Park, Moscow on Monday the 9th, in the year 2011 during Victory day celebrations. Every year Konstantin makes sure he is present in full uniform. It is believed that this year he was the only soldier to show up from his unit.
13 Ignorance is bliss – Homeless man sleeps outside a diner in Milwaukee.
This picture shows two women enjoying a good dinner at a restaurant. They are perhaps celebrating some special occasion. May be it is their birthday or one of them has got a raise perhaps. It is also possible that they have simply worked hard for that special dinner. While no one can blame them for enjoying the fruits of their labor, it is hard not to miss the homeless man who is sleeping just below their window, outside. This picture has been taken outside a diner in Milwaukee. The diners are probably not aware that the man is so near them as they are blissfully waving at the photographer. The homeless man is perhaps hungry too. Ignorance is truly bliss!
12 Nazi rally at Nuremberg in 1937.
This picture of the Nazi rally held in 1937 at Nuremberg has historical significance. The annual Nuremberg rallies were considered the high point of the Nazi era. They took tremendous efforts to produce a spectacular showing every year. It was meant to be impressive not only for those who attended but also for the rest of the country and perhaps the world too. This picture shows their swastika flags and the huge contingent of people supporting them. It looks like a show of strength preceding the World War II. This particular rally is said to have also celebrated the decrease of unemployment in Germany since the rise to power of the Nazi regime.
11 This photo was taken by astronaut Michael Collins. When he took this photo he was the only human to ever exist that wasn’t in the frame of this picture.
This picture was taken by the astronaut, Michael Collins. He took this photograph from the shuttle in which he was circling the moon. The vehicle Eagle with the other two astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, is seen about to land on the moon. Our Planet, Earth is also seen in the picture besides the surface of the moon. This has to be the only picture where every human that existed on earth at that time (together with the two astronauts in the Eagle) are present in one particular frame, except of course the photographer, Michael Collins! Perhaps if he had a smart phone he could have managed a selfie with everyone else in the background.
10 Man in shock after accidentally hitting and killing an eight year old.
Some photographs can be heartbreaking and this is one such picture. The picture shows a man sitting in the middle of the road in a state of shock. He has accidentally hit and killed an eight year old child. No wonder he is in shock. Accidents occur sometimes due to human error. Some car drivers can zone out for a few seconds and it takes only a second for an accident to occur. This could be one such incident. The man is seen sitting and weeping into his hands. Maybe he is a father and has a child that age waiting for him at home. He is going to find this moment very hard to put behind and move on.
9 Turkish official teases starving Armenian children by showing them a piece of bread during the Armenian Genocide in 1915.
Some photographs can be incredible to behold, others could be heartbreaking. Some photographs can render one absolutely speechless. This photograph is appalling and horrendous. It is difficult to imagine something like this happening. It is also difficult to imagine how someone could take a picture of this. Probably the message is for the future generations not to resort to such atrocities. This picture shows a Turkish official teasing starving children in Armenia with just one piece of bread. This is said to be during the Genocide in Armenia in 1915. The children look too starved to even get up and are looking so pitiable, that one wonders if the official was sick.
8 A Filipino politician took this photo of his family just moments before being assassinated.
Some photographs are very heartrending. This photo looks like a regular photo by the look of it, if you fail to see the man with the revolver. It has a tragic story to it. This is the photograph of the family of a Filipino politician. This was taken by the politician himself, just a few minutes before being assassinated. That’s what makes this photo different. We do not know if he knew that he would be assassinated although the revolver appears to be pointing at him (photographer). The faces of the family members have been covered, for anonymity, so we cannot see their expression. It is almost impossible to imagine a situation like this happening to regular people.
7 Two engineers died when the windmill they were working on caught fire. This might be the last picture taken of them alive. Picture was taken on October 29th, 2013 in the Netherlands.
This photograph will make most people very sad. Two engineers were killed (or rather they died) when they were repairing a windmill. It caught fire apparently while they were working on it. This is a terrible tragedy to take place, as there would have been someone who knew that they were high up there and the fire is clear for all to see. Then, it is a wonder why they were not rescued. This happened in the Netherlands, as recent as the 29th of October 2013. This would have probably been the last picture taken of them alive. They are seen standing close to each other probably holding hands as they wait to die! It is always difficult to comprehend that there is time to take a photograph, but not enough time to help people in distress.
6 A monk prays for a dead man in the station hall of the Shanxi Taiyuan Train Station, China. The man died suddenly of natural causes while waiting for a train.
This photograph is overwhelming and enough to restore faith in humanity. Irrespective of religious beliefs it is always wonderful if everyone remembers that the biggest religion one can follow is the Religion of Humanity. This picture shows a monk praying for the soul of an unknown dead man. This happened in the station hall of the train station, Shanxi Taiyuan in China. The man seems to have passed away while waiting for his train. He probably died of some natural causes or an illness, one will never know. The monk, who rendered this service, did it as a duty, as the religion of the dead man really does not matter in this case.
5 The orange Sossusvlei sand dunes in Namibia. This is not a painting, it’s a real photo! It looks like a bright orange sky but it’s actually the sand.
This picture looks more like a painting and less like a photograph. In fact what looks like a bright sky that is orange in color, is actually the sand. This is called the Sossusvlei sand dunes. Sossusvlei is a clay and salt pan surrounded all around by red dunes in Namibia. This particular pan is the Deadvlei clay pan. This was an oasis with many acacia trees. But when the river changed its course, the pan was slowly filled with the dead acacia trees. These blackened trees in contrast to the shiny white of salty pans and the intense orange of the dunes, creates this fascinating landscape. No wonder this photograph looks more like a surrealistic painting.
4 “The last Jew in Vinnitsa”
The atrocities carried out by the Nazis and their supporters are well known and documented. But every time we come across a photograph like this, the atrocities committed are back to haunt us. In this picture the member of a Nazi death squad is just getting ready to shoot, possibly the last Jew in Vinnitsa. He is seen kneeling before an almost filled up mass grave in Vinnitsa in Ukraine. This is in 1941 and all the Jews in the surrounding areas with a head count of 28,000 were massacred. This iconic image was found in a German’s Photograph album with the words, “The last Jew in Vinnitsa”, written at the back. The man’s eyes are haunting and he does have a defiant look, even during his last moments.
3 Man uses the suicide hotline on the Golden Gate Bridge.
Some photographs are incredible and depict humans at historic moments. The significance of this particular one is that it is absurd but looks like it is true. This picture shows a man using a suicide hotline on the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge. He appears suitably dressed for the chilly weather complete with his hood on. Maybe he is mentally ill and had planned to take his life when he first arrived at the Bridge. Something or someone might have changed his mind and he decided he needs counseling. Either that or he is calling on behalf of someone else, not seen in the picture. The authorities have installed this helpline on the Bridge with such individuals in mind. Brilliant thinking!
2 This was taken moments after Jewish refugees realized they weren’t being sent to their deaths at the horrible concentration camps and were in fact being saved.
This is one incredible picture with the expressions of relief written all over the faces of everyone in the picture. This was taken in April 1945, just a few moments after the Jewish prisoners realized that they were indeed being saved. The look of relief is more significant because most of them thought just moments ago that they were being sent to the concentration camps and inevitable death. This photograph was taken by Major Benjamin at the moment the first of the refugees became aware of their liberation. Their body language clearly depicts the extreme sense of reprieve, as they begin to move up the hill from the train, towards the troops who have liberated them.
1 And finally…
Donna Ferrato began photography as a hobby and for pleasure. But she ended up being confronted by pain and agony of her subjects. In 1987 she rode with the Police in Minneapolis as they were responding to a 911 call. A little boy Diamond had called to say that his father was attacking his mother. Ferrato had never seen a small child stand up for his mother. She said this was a first because most children would generally be too frightened of violent fathers. The image of this rare courage and bravery is depicted in the photograph. This is one of the most influential pictures and hailed so by the Life Magazine. This image left a lasting impression on the police and the photographer, Ferrato as well!
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