Powerful Portraits Of Soldiers Before, During And After War

Anna Randal for Art-Sheep

We Are The Not Dead is an 8-month-long project by photographer Lalage Snow, who photographed British soldiers before, during, and after their deployment in Afghanistan. Through her powerful portraits, Snow captured the states of innocence, wretchedness and desperation these men underwent.

These triptychs create an emotional state for the viewer, who is allowed to observe the physical changes a stationed soldier in a war zone goes through. Their skins, features and expressions have severely changed after the adversities they went through. Each triptych is accompanied with quotes of the soldiers that gives insight into their physical, mental and emotional state. Sergeant Alexander McBroom’s portrait before deployment, features him bravely saying, “I am not worried about going out – it is my job after all.” After three months servicing, he is quotes, “It has been an eye opener.” And, finally, another four months after, he says, “It is always that fear, that apprehension, what is going to happen if I get blown up?”

The photographer’s intention with this series is not just to honor these men and their bravery, but to also start an open dialogue regarding soldiers’ psychological transformation, “It was a very personal project and stemmed from having embedded with the military on and off for 4 years in Iraq and Afghanistan and bearing witness to how many young men return as shadows of their former selves and, in many cases, with deep, psychological scars. As the body count of British servicemen killed or wounded rose and the political ramifications of the British army’s presence in Afghanistan became increasingly convoluted, more and more soldiers felt like they didn’t have a voice, or at least, weren’t being listened to. We Are The Not Dead is an attempt at giving the brave young men and women the chance to explain how it really is.”

via mymodernmet