24 of the Most Powerful Photographs Ever Taken
Sisters pose for the same photo three separate times, years apart.
A Russian war veteran kneels beside the tank he spent the war in, now a monument.
A Romanian child hands a heart-shaped balloon to riot police during protests against austerity measures in Bucharest.
Retired Philadelphia Police Captain Ray Lewis is arrested for participating in the Occupy Wall Street protests in 2011.
A monk prays for an elderly man who had died suddenly while waiting for a train in Shanxi Taiyuan, China.
A dog named “Leao” sits for a second consecutive day at the grave of her owner, who died in the disastrous landslides near Rio de Janiero on January 15, 2011.
The 1968 Olympics Black Power Salute: African American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos raise their fists in a gesture of solidarity at the 1968 Olympic games. Australian Silver medalist Peter Norman wore an Olympic Project for Human Rights badge in support of their protest. Both Americans were expelled from the games as a result.
Jewish prisoners at the moment of their liberation from an internment camp “death train” near the Elbe in 1945.
A North Korean man waves his hand as a South Korean relative weeps, following a luncheon meeting during inter-Korean temporary family reunions at Mount Kumgang resort October 31, 2010. Four hundred and thirty-six South Koreans were allowed to spend three days in North Korea to meet their 97 North Korean relatives, whom they had been separated from since the 1950-53 war.
A dog is reunited with his owner following the tsunami in Japan in 2011.
Navy chaplain Luis Padillo gives last rites to a soldier wounded by sniper fire during a revolt in Venezuela.
A mother comforts her son in Concord, Alabama, near his house which was completely destroyed by a tornado in April of 2011.
Pearl Harbor survivor Houston James of Dallas is overcome with emotion as he embraces Marine Staff Sgt. Mark Graunke Jr. during the Dallas Veterans Day Commemoration at Dallas City Hall in 2005. Sgt Graunke, who was a member of a Marine ordnance-disposal team, lost a hand, leg, and eye while defusing a bomb in Iraq in July of 2004.
Phyllis Siegel, 76, left, and Connie Kopelov, 84, both of New York, embrace after becoming the first same-sex couple to get married at the Manhattan City Clerk’s office in 2011.
A 4-month-old baby girl in a pink bear suit is miraculously rescued from the rubble by soldiers after four days missing following the Japanese tsunami.
PoW Horace Greasley defiantly confronts Heinrich Himmler during an inspection of the camp he was confined in. Greasley also famously escaped from the camp and snuck back in more than 200 times to meet in secret with a local German girl he had fallen in love with.
A firefighter gives water to a koala during the devastating Black Saturday bushfires that burned across Victoria, Australia, in 2009.
Robert Peraza pauses at his son’s name on the 9/11 Memorial during the tenth anniversary ceremonies at the site of the World Trade Center.
Tanisha Blevin, 5, holds the hand of fellow Hurricane Katrina victim Nita LaGarde, 105, as they are evacuated from the convention center in New Orleans.
A girl in isolation for radiation screening looks at her dog through a window in Nihonmatsu, Japan on March 14.
“La Jeune Fille a la Fleur,” a photograph by Marc Riboud, shows the young pacifist Jane Rose Kasmir planting a flower on the bayonets of guards at the Pentagon during a protest against the Vietnam War on October 21, 1967. The photograph would eventually become the symbol of the flower power movement.
Pele and British captain Bobby Moore trade jerseys in 1970 as a sign of mutual respect during a World Cup that had been marred by racism.
Greg Cook hugs his dog Coco after finding her inside his destroyed home in Alabama following the Tornado in March, 2012.
Earthrise: A photo taken by astronaut William Anders during the Apollo 8 mission in 1968.
source: http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/most-powerful-photographs-ever-taken
Please support us so that we can continue to bring you more Dharma:
If you are in the United States, please note that your offerings and contributions are tax deductible. ~ the tsemrinpoche.com blog team
Looking at those amazing picture paints a thousands words of sorrow, joy, happiness disheartened and so forth. Each and every pictures were captured at the right moment of an important event. And its rare as not every time we could see these pictures of the past events. I loved looking at it ,whereby I could see those involved face expression and how they felt at that very moment. All these pictures we do not see it often, a collections of the past history.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing such amazing pictures.
Pictures are really powerful in capturing the important moment and expressing a lot of messages. Above pictures are very touching , while some are sad and some happy. The camera captured a different kind of moment and just like everything in life, nothing is permanent and things keep moving and changing. Understanding this, we should strive to be a better person and lead the right path.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing the 24 powerful photographs. A picture paints a thousand words. These pictures captured the different emotions and expressions of people’s lives.I like pic 4.A monk prays for an elderly man who had died suddenly while waiting for a train in Shanxi Taiyuan, China. And pic 5. A dog named “Leao” sits for a second consecutive day at the grave of her owner, who died in the disastrous landslides near Rio de Janiero on January 15, 2011.
The thought that hit my mind after viewing all these photos was death is so unpredictable. People can just get what they have been fighting so hard for today, and die tomorrow. Death is very uncertain, I’m saddened by the first picture, I could imagine how were the other 2 sisters feeling, its very sad. Life is short, we must not procrastinate to do what we want.
These are some of the most memorable and powerful photos taken capturing the essence of the human spirit, triumphs, tribulations and tragedies.
Thank You for sharing Rinpoche
I like these news photos. They recorded either an incident, event or a historical moment. These kind of photos are powerful in telling a story, a war, a disaster, a country’s policy, a new development of human history.
These are not only good photos that tell a news story with images, human expression and color. They tell me natural disaster and death can bring about sadness and separation; as well as human made disaster such as war and racism.
However, we can also create joy and happiness, bring warm and care to strangers in time of difficulties. Photos that have more impacts on me are:
. A monk who says a prayer to a man died at the train station
. Leao, the dog stays at the grave of her owner
. Jewish prisoners liberated from internment camp
. A North Korean man says goodbye to his temporary reunite relative separated after the Korean War
. A 911 victim father at his son’s name on the 9/11 Memorial
. Pele and British captain Bobby Moore trade jerseys
We will always separate with our loved ones, we will die one day, we will have sad moments in life, that is the nature of our samsara world. However, we could always make our not so good days/disaster/sad moments better and more meaningful by sending care with gesture and words. Or we could always choose not to create more disaster to our world by being a less self-centered or a more humane citizen, minister, soldier, prime minister…
These pictures are a snapshot of life as we know it. To me, the central theme that I can get out of these pictures in general is gratitude. To appreciate the moment that we have at the present.
Moments come and go and to see these powerful images is to remind myself of it – and to appreciate them even more.
These pictures perfectly captures all monumental moments in life, the first picture reminds me of death is inevitable. People comes and goes in life, we are not immortal. Today we are here breathing who knows what’s going to happen the next minute, just like the fifth pictures, old man died suddenly in the airport and fortunately a monk is there to do the last rites. The second picture reminds me as we aged, we ought to have regrets in life, do good deed and abandon negatives action that harms others.
Thank you Rinpoche of sharing these pictures that tells a million words.
These are moments of individuals who took a stand, held fast onto faith to create a historical moment of hope that we get to witness in these images. I am especially moved by the images of individuals who stood against racism because it is their sacrifice and commitment that paved way for a better future for many people.
Pictures are the diaries of our lives, sad or happy and pictures does carry on and on to remark our history, many of the history we know of and clear about is because of the pictures.
Looking at these pictures, it’s really a great teaching on impermanence, whatever things that happened during that time, it’s only a picture left to remember and when the people involved has passed away, things will get cooled down and people will slowly forget about it. After many years later, even these remarkable pictures will be abandoned one by one from time to time. So what more are important?
War, fight, greed, jealousy, enjoyment, everything will become meaningless once we passed on. The most powerful pictures are present, the current moment that we are living. Let’s not wait until we regret one day in the future by looking at the picture taken today.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing the 24 powerful photographs. These photographs are showing the true human emotions and expression that depict their very moment of their life. i hope everyone and all living beings who are inside the photograph may get much blessings from Rinpoche.
A picture paints a thousand words. These pictures captured the different emotions and expressions of people’s lives.
I like the picture of A dog named “Leao” who sits and waits patiently at the grave of her owner. She is loyal and faithful…. Her face showed so much sadness…..
Well taken photos over time depicting life and death, memories and love, triumphs and freedom, bravery, compassion, joy and sadness and much more. Yet the last photo shows only one Earth but filled with so much sufferings. I reckon that’s why these are titled 24 of the Most Powerful Photographs Ever Taken.
These pictures are very sad, some of these people have very bad misfortune and some are in relief. The picture against racism is very touching and happy. Thank you Rinpoche for sharing these pictures.
Wow! I love all of these pictures. They are indeed powerfully raw with emotion and deep meaning. Like what May had said, these photographs reveals the realities of war, violence, death, sacrifice, loyalty, life, sadness, joy and the universal quality of human emotions. Each picture evokes a different set of emotion and because of the power of the subject matter, one cannot help but feel one emotion or another. They remind us of our more sublime human qualities and above all compassion for others. And if I had to pick 3 pictures, I would pick the picture of the Chinese monk holding the hand of the person who died and saying last prayers, the dog loyally mourning and sitting next to the grave of its owner and the placing of a flower on the bayonet picture. Powerful pictures!
The pix that i like
( A monk prays for an elderly man who had died suddenly while waiting for a train in Shanxi Taiyuan, China. )
( A Romanian child hands a heart-shaped balloon to riot police during protests against austerity measures in Bucharest. )
( Tanisha Blevin, 5, holds the hand of fellow Hurricane Katrina victim Nita LaGarde, 105, as they are evacuated from the convention center in New Orleans. )
( Navy chaplain Luis Padillo gives last rites to a soldier wounded by sniper fire during a revolt in Venezuela. )
( A 4-month-old baby girl in a pink bear suit is miraculously rescued from the rubble by soldiers after four days missing following the Japanese tsunami. )
( A firefighter gives water to a koala during the devastating Black Saturday bushfires that burned across Victoria, Australia, in 2009. )
Love and Care are showed in the pictures.
Thank You Rinpoche for sharing all the meaningful pictures.
Best Regards : Eric kksiow
Wow, all these photos are truly powerful in the story and lessons behind each one. My favourite ones which had an impact on me were photos: 1, 2, 7 and 9. It is so heartwarming to see some justice in their faces, relief and true happiness, but also some photos showed real sadness in their hearts. Its amazing how photos captured at the right moment lives on for a long time still affecting some people who could relate to it. Thank you for sharing these photos Rinpoche, they really are powerful photographs.
Thank you Rinpoche sharing to us. This 24 pictures are very touching and meaningful. Its remind me that nothing is impermanent and long lasting, be kind to everyone and do not hurt anyone.
The photos show that love and compassion is inherent in all humans. There is a Buddha in each of us. There are times when it will reveal itself if we let it be, or we push it out that we become evil and the result is war, famine, disaster.
These are an awesome pictures that show every moment in life! Complicated emotions but its touches our heart. The ppl and animals in the pics shows so much emotional in individual, Sad, happy, joy, peace, love, care…Its really heartwarming in a way that it show life can be pretty fragile sometimes.
In these pictures and in life I understand to live happily and being respect, we must care and respect all beings HEARTS. Thank you for sharing Rinpoche.
Shelly tai on 10 Aug 2013 at 9pm
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing these photo with us. Photo do bring us a lot of memory when I look at all these it remind me about all this pass events and all these photo also inspiring us.
Dear Rinpoche,
I definitively have to agree to agree that the 24 pictures above are really the most powerful photographs ever taken!
Though i did not get what the meaning was there was plenty of the photographs that i did understand the meaning of it.
Great picture and also a great meaning!
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing!
Love
Jutika
A picture says a thousand words. Really nice that these photographers managed to catch these great inspiring pictures. These pictures is really something we should continuously share with others. I like how these photos capture humanity and the emotions that people have.
Meaningful and incredible images!These are not mere pictures but stories.These photos are a really impressive collection,very emotional and touching.It is amazing that we see a part of ourselves in some of these pictures.
Thank you for sharing Rinpoche.
many emotions ran through my mind, so real and so surreal. But such is the nature of life. In its course, there’s happiness, sadness, kindness, wars and celebrations. It’s not what happened and when, but living in the moment.
Powerful pictures with various facial expression, time, event gives us knowledge and gratitude. Thank you for sharing Rinpoche. 🙂
24 of the Most Powerful Photographs Ever Taken – Why?
Look at the:
* Expressions on their faces
* Reflections of the various time taken
* Youth & Aging
* Display of Happiness, Sadness, Regret, Joy
* Corruption
* War, Brutality & Peace
* Blessings
* Loyalty & Separation
* Fear
* Natural disaster
* Kindness, Love, Compassion
* Hope
That’s very interesting May, I hadn’t noticed that! The photographs cover a large range of human emotions, which makes them so powerful because we can all identify with at least one of the emotions in there.
These are lovely snapshots of emotional moments…. my favourite is “A monk prays for an elderly man who had died suddenly while waiting for a train in Shanxi Taiyuan, China.” – among the chaos of the train station, the monk notices that the elderly man has passed on and says a prayer for him. I find that very touching.
I also like the photo of Greasley looking defiantly at Himmler and the photo of the elderly lesbian couple who could get legally married finally after years of not being able to.
The highlights of people’s lives are all about emotional moments… moments of kindness, joy, sadness, pain… all captured in these photos. Thank you.
It’s so therapeutic – looking at the pictures brought on a range of feelings which i could relate to, spiritually. Then, amazingly, i felt a sense of relief. It’s like, the pictures helped me to connect meaningfully to the spiritually, when viewed in the right perspective. Thank you, Rinpoche.
These are the most touching and meaningful photos I have ever seen in my life. I couldn’t help myself but keep staring at the photo of a fireman giving water to a Koala, so much love and compassion in the photo, the Koala seems to know that the fireman was there to help him/she, that’s why it accepted the man’s help.
Thank You for sharing Rinpoche.
Some pictures are quite sad. If there were no natrual disasters and wars, i guess all of of this will not happen but we cant blame this on the wars and disasters all of this we also have a part where we create all if this. There are also picture that are heart warming like the firefighter giveing the koala bear a sip of water. If there were more people like this, maybe the world would be a better place to live in .
These are the most powerful images indeed Rinpoche. I enjoyed seeing all of them, but i have to say, the one where the fire fighter is giving the Koala water was so touching. So much compassion in the fire fighter. He could have kept that water to himself after a long day of fire fighting, but instead he choice differently.
Indeed such powerful photographs which invoke so much emotions within myself. Such frozen moments in time are precious and teaches us that time really waits for no man and that we have to embrace each moment as it comes and also that just because we were not there, it does not mean it did not happen.
Everything around us happens independent of our own existence, hence appreciate what we have in the now and acknowledge that there is suffering and happiness all around us if we choose to see!
It could be me in any of these pictures…
It is true that a picture does paint a thousand words. These are some of the most memorable and powerful photos taken capturing the essence of the human spirit, triumphs, tribulations and tragedies. Thank you for sharing these photos, Rinpoche. My favourite is the photo that eventually became the symbol of the flower power movement. It’s a good reminder that compassion is the way to go and not violence.
Dear Rinpoche, these 24 pictures are very sad. Some of them cried because of reliefs and some of them are just pure sadness. The pictures that I like are number 6,7,15,17,22 and 23. I like the 22th picture because the picture itself is against racism.