Shooting the old warriors

I hate the Christmas holidays! It’s a time when there is usually no work and expenses seem to rocket.
It’s also a time of immense boredom, so when my son suggested we visit the military museum next to the Johannesburg Zoo, I eagerly agreed.

Over the years South Africa’s military museum has grown and expanded and is well worth a visit. Unlike other South African museums, it has thankfully not become politicized and has on display the full gamut of the military conflicts in which ALL South Africans were involved -- including that by the participants of the freedom struggles. It offers an unbiased, honest look at South Africa’s history.
On display are many exceptionally rare pieces of military equipment, the most notable of which is the World War II ME262 jet night-fighter, the only example of its kind in the world!
But museum exhibits can be difficult to photograph and make look interesting. The lighting is often poor, other people somehow always seem to find their way into your shot and backgrounds are usually cluttered and intrusive.

Isolate

To overcome these obstacles I decided I would isolate pieces of the equipment in a way that would hopefully evoke some sort of emotions. You’ll have to be the judge of whether or not I succeeded. All images were taken with a Nikon D40 and either an 18 - 55 mm zoom lens or and old 50mm/1.8 prime.
The first two images I got to take were of an old ambulance and 5,5 field gun, both quietly rusting away in the car park.
Both are familiar objects to me as they are to hundreds of thousands of other South African Defence Force veterans.
In a way they are symbols of a generation of men and women that gave much but is now forgotten.

Document your history

In a previous post I talked about how history is being lost. In South Africa, this is particularly true.
It is said that one of the spoils of war is the victor gets to rewrite history and that certainly is the case in this country.
There are many examples where our current government has removed statues and icons dating from a previous era and the history text books are all being rewritten but I came across an example in my own little town.
A few years ago I was commissioned to write a book detailing the history of this town and, in doing so, I took photographs at the local war-memorial park.
Recently I revisited the park and was horrified to see the that plaques containing the names of boys killed in South Africa’s border war have all been removed. The wall stands empty, those soldiers’ existence expunged.
No matter what anyone’s particular beliefs or political leanings may be, history and it’s symbols should be left intact.
If we adjust or modify the past to suit ourselves there can never be truth.
But the fact is, like it or not, it is going to happen. Today’s government will massage history and perceptions to suit itself and the government that follows will set about wiping out what this government has done.
In the end, it is going to be up to ordinary citizens to document -- and the best way is by taking photographs -- the life and times in which we now live. Get out there and photograph those monuments, statues, paintings and buildings -- the things that are important to you -- because, if history continues to repeat itself, in all likelihood, the things you record today will soon no longer exist.