Photobombed

We went to Oradour-sur-Glane today. 

Came home very tired and emotionally drained. There were tears - even before we got as far as the village (and more thereafter.)

Interestingly, I felt a chill as we passed through the gate. I wasn't thinking about it, it wasn't conscious... I just felt it suddenly. It is a dark, dark place.

Should I have taken photos? Many people would say "no" but it didn't feel wrong to me. Obviously there were subjects that were not suitable but others, approached in a documentary frame of mind rather than a prurient one... well, I shot many frames.

I did decide to draw a firm line at the cemetery, but the odd non-massacre-related detail did get the better of me. In fact I am not sure it was the right decision not to record some of the memorial detail. Do we perhaps have a duty to disseminate to those who are unaware of what happened there? The impact of a list of names over 600 long is great indeed, most sobering. We certainly have a duty to ensure that nothing like it ever happens again - and yet we go about re-erecting borders and barriers that have previously been removed, surely not the best way to ensure that Europe remains in peace and harmony.

Sorry, don't mean to be political here, just thinking out loud. I have much processing to do, and am not referring to digital negatives!

The thing that first brought me to tears was just past reception, a photo in a display on the wall. It so clearly demonstrated the power of a good photograph to affect the emotions. I would put it right up there with the "Running Vietnamese girl" image, I couldn't photograph the photo and the only copy that I have come up with so far has been brutally cropped so as to lose the context and the power of the image. Will add a link if I can find it. The point of this rambling is that I was excessively humbled at the thought of my paltry skill and also reminded of how important photography can be.

I wiped my eyes and moved on, only to be reduced to tears again by the wall(s) of faces - a memorial to the villagers who were slaughtered. It represents every one of them by name and photos are included where they have been found/made available. Real people, real faces and on a scale that would be unimaginable if not laid out before the eyes. Once again, the importance of photography. These people are remembered and seen to be real no matter how removed in time we become from the awful events.

In need of some levity and gentle humour, I picked this shot from the cemetery for today's blip. From a grave dated far earlier than the horrors in '44 - I loved the faded colours in this artificial bouquet. It was only when I cropped it down that I realised that the shot had been photo-bombed. See it large and look to the bottom right.

I have quickly picked out a  few extras:

Memorial statue
A lovely Art Nouveau planter in the cemetery
Cars
Bicycle

There are many more. If anybody is interested in seeing more of the village, I'll blog it at some point - let me know and I'll send you the link when it is done.