A Sarajevo rose Photo

Photographer’s Note

They can still be seen here and there in the streets of Sarajevo, the scars of mortar shells that killed civilians during the siege of the city by Bosnian Serb forces in the 1990's. Where several people were killed by the same shell, the scars in the paving were filled with a red resin, making them look a bit like roses. This one was very near the hotel where I stayed.
More than 10 500 people, including 1 600 children, were killed from early april 1992 until late August 1995 by Bosnian Serb artillery or snipers, deliberately targeting civilians from the mountains surrounding the city.

mikolaj_kawa, Gessle, Buin, saxo042, ManuMay, francesav, dareco, jalab_temen, noborders, Glint, rasto1893 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

mikolaj_kawa (31287) 2008-09-23 2:40

Hello Gert! Original picture. Very sophisticated work. Good capture. Good luck!

Gessle (70) 2008-09-23 2:52

Hej Gert,
for me it looks like stains of blood...
Very touching and sophisticated as Mikolaj wrote.
Great job, makes think...
Thank you for sharing,
Anna

Buin (38280) 2008-09-23 4:00

Hallo Gert!
A very thought provoking picture and title as well. What an insanity in this war ... and men do learn nothing! (I add no points and I think you'll understand)
Greetings from Germany!
Frank

dArpAn (490) 2008-09-23 4:25

Gert- Your story is sad, but great. I like how you've visualized this rose- life coming out of deadly times. Very original thought. Gr8 shot.

Rgds,
Darpan

omerozden (1241) 2008-09-23 6:25

hello gert,
there are still many roses on the ground you may see throughout the city.
the one i saw the biggest were somewhere close to parl'ament building.
this one also very nice captured.
tfs,
regards

saxo042 (16298) 2008-09-23 7:41

Hej Gert,
Not a particularly good photo but a valuable TE contribution. Your note says it all, I have nothing more to add.
Hälsningar
Gunnar

ManuMay (11421) 2008-09-23 7:43

Hello Gert!!
Very hard, impressive, sorpresive, well done, minimalistic... really a short story!!
Very well done.
Thanks for sharing your imagination...
Manuel.

francesav (622) 2008-09-23 7:44

Hi Gert,
I opened the picture just because it was very strange, but after reading the note I understood its meaning. Very interesting shot and note.
Regards.
Francesco.

dareco (17104) 2008-09-23 8:35

A very strong message in both your note and the image you've presented. Well done! Thank you.

nirvana73 (8844) 2008-09-23 9:49

Hello Gert
thought provoking and meaning ful shot
thanks for sharing and explanations
regards
Ozhan

fanni (8879) 2008-09-23 10:52

Hej Gert,
I was surpised to see this unusual thumbnail photo in TE Gallery. Indeed, very unusual, very symbolic and very thought-proviking... it really looks like blood on the old pavement. Simple but excellent composition and an apt note to go with the photo!
Kind regards,
Elena

molla (6891) 2008-09-23 14:55

hejsan Gert ,
It is indeed both horrifying and very beautiful in the same way and IMHO a very good way to keep the memories from the dark ages of the 90's and to bee a statement so it doesn't happens again.
Anders

SteveH (3997) 2008-09-23 15:49

Hi Gert, this is an interesting way to deal with the problem which also serves to remind. Composition is interesting. Must admit that I don't know if I would have seen the possibilities offered by the white line, it works well. cheers, Steve

mesutilgim (37304) 2008-09-25 1:36

Hi dear Gert,
A capture with great graphical value and a great message !
I normally do not like to keep reminders like this for longer time. But this is on the other hand necessary in order to give to the people right messages. Otherwise, that what happened in Bosnia in nineties, can happen today in just another part of our world.
Good capture , good story.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

Waylim (11157) 2008-09-25 21:02

Gert,
Another look at the evidence of historical event that took place, very well documented along with good note to inform. Not the most attractive image, but it depict an event. Thanks
Way

smarcell (14653) 2008-09-26 2:24

Very interesting. A picture with a strong message. Giving points might sound strange for such a shot. With the hope that these things will never occur anymore
Regards Stefano

noborders (14201) 2008-09-26 13:17

Yes, terrible recent history there and I met people who were very eager to tell their personal stories without even being asked... Very moving and so is your photo !
Best regards,
Cath.

Glint (3076) 2008-09-30 11:47

hello Gert,
a very strong image with an imformative note.These reminders are necessary...lest we forget.
regards
Bev

pastadog (12821) 2008-10-01 1:19

A very strong and shocking shot, Gert, that left me shivering... You certainly found a very efficient frame to carry the message, esp. the inclusion of the white line (so we better understand this is a street)... rgds, Daniel

rasto1893 (1803) 2008-10-01 2:25

Hello Gert,
Good colour and composition, good presented - I see here in your photo White line on the left side like - Peace and red like a blood of War, Decisive moment ...
My best regards
Rastislav

mpetrovic (1479) 2008-10-02 4:12

interesting shot. I think you could try to find better POV to avoid this white line, and to kind of, have whole rose within the shot. Or to find a rose with less shells spread around? I dunno, here, the pic is powerful, but to me, feels unfinished.

I just hope authorities of Sarajevo will never repave them, this has to be saved, not all of them, but some considerable number.
It happens here in Nish that all of them have already disappeared by repairing/repavements, which is a shame, they were probably the last reminders of NATO war crimes against civilians dropping United Nations forbidden cluster bombs on civilian targets such were city's marketplace, couple of highschools and a city's hospital.
So hope there's some public awareness in Sarajevo that they should be saved.

and btw, it is always hard to write notes about certain topics like yours. I noticed brief explanation of Sarajevo siege with that statistics, but you could add numbers of Serbs ethnically cleansed from the city itself, you would be amazed to find how many digits that number has.
So I dunno, I wouldn't write such notes anyway, they can never be too right.

marko