W. Eugene Smith’s series is a 23 day photo story showing a country community through the work life of a country doctor. The images are action shots of the doctor applying medical care to his patients. The series are factual snapshots and the emotion is conveyed on the faces of the patients and the doctor.
Briony Campbell’s photo story is a hugely emotional and personal piece showing the latter stages of her father’s life. The set includes abstract images of objects such as an empty glass placed on the grass in addition to shots of herself, her mother and her dying father.
Both series include accompanying text which adds information and feelings of the authors. The main difference is that Smith is detached from the main subject of the piece. His images are factual and real but carry none of the personal emotion of Campbell’s series.
Campbell says that her series has ‘an ending without an ending’. Although most viewers would read the ending as the death of her father she has included an image of her father’s colourless hand hours after his death. Maybe she does not see it as the end of the story as she continues the story with her own life and future death.
Martyn Rainbird 