WW2 Pics taken by a German

[juxtaman]

I have a great oppertunity, but the content is questionable, lets see what you guys think.

My friends grandfather was in the german army during ww2, naturally by default he was a Nazi, as was every other young man in the german army during that time.

He was never a war crime guy, he moved to canada after and lived here till he died.

So when he died they found over 100 unexposed rolls of film that no one knew about.

Every picture was taken by him while he served. Amazingly it captures some of the greatest battles during that era from a german perspective, normandy etc etc.

BUT, the context of the pictures are that they were taken by a nazi and he does have some pics of dead soliders who are allies.

I've been asked to make a web site to showcase this photography to remind people what war is really like, and the fact that all these shots are from the perspective of one man, a quite talented photographer at that might be intriguing.

Any ideas?

(Naturally what makes it to the web will be highly scrutinized)

[aversion]

I wouldn't worry too much about presenting the war from the german's perspective, it has been done many times before. There was a book last year that presented newly discovered photographs of the vietnam conflict taken by viet cong and north vietnamese soldiers. It showed not only american casualties but also served to humanise the 'enemy' in a way not seen before. Even in school I remember seeing footage of allied casualties and defeats, I don't think it's something you should worry about.

I also wouldn't worry about your grandfather being a german soldier, I think most people are savvy enough these days to discern between proper nazis and ss and regular soldiers. These days any new or different perspective on history is welcomed. The first thing you should do and use front and centre in your presentation, is a bio of the photographer, no history is correct without proper context.

You have a great opportunity to present something very interesting. I think you could generate a lot of interest if you're clever with it. Take a look at second story who produce some of the best online documentaries and presentations I've ever seen. You might even want to get in touch with them, they might know people who would be willing to help you with the project, professionally, financially or simply with good advice.

I would also contact people at your local university, find out who specialises in history from the period and ask them if they would be interested in writing some content for your presentation. If it's someone prominent in their field (check out their publications and reviews) you might be able to generate more interest thru them too.

It sounds like a fascinating project, I iwsh you luck with it, let me know if you need any help with it!

edit - also check out the BBC's WW2 resources, they have some fantastic stuff which might be able to give you more ideas.

[juxtaman]

The only financial aspect of the project would be the web side (development and hosting) which is not much. and the other hard part is to find someone who is capable to getting that many pictures on to web media like jpg, gif. over 2000 pictures.

And then there is concern of designing a site in a respectful manner that shows the pictures in the most accesable way.

I'm in conversation with my friends father who has them now to get him to be comfirtable with the idea. The main stumbling point is that people might take offense and he doesn't want his father portrayed in a negative manner. Considering the Nazi thing.

I like that idea of getting someone in history to help catalogue and add commentary or text to acompany the pictures.

I know someone at school who could be capable doing that.

When i get closer to it i'll contact people who have done this in the past and see if they have ideas.

If the project is succesful i would like to see the best shots get published which would be great for all parties concerned.

Any ideas on how to showcase that?

[caseywhitcher]

Well, I for one would love to see this site when you get done with it. Those pictures sound like they would be an awesome piece of history.

[teow]

Like I said to my photographer friend who is making his portfolio website, keep the design absolutely simple.

Black and white I think would work well as the design colors for the site. It should look clean, but definitely not take any aspect away from the content.

Let the pictures and the commentary do the talking.

[tonytryout]

how about you contact one of the history website channels like BBC -- I am sure they would be interested in doing some kind of deal with you.

I would love to see these photographs too. let us know when it is up.

[hollywood]

I am very interested in those pictures. I have relatives who fought in world war 2 and in Korea for the Americans. They both took pictures, but none of them are of combat. Please keep us informed with what happens with those photos.

[juxtaman]

It's certainly going to be an undertaking... and the pics are a bit hard to look at, even for my and i'm so fazed.

So it's sorta questionable if the family want their name associtaed to such violent acts.

I mean there's a picture of the photographer actually shooting an american who is bound, a few shots, sorta before, during and after. So you see my aprehension in this, but i think shots like that will be left out.

I'm sure i'll post something if/when it goes online.

[BlueSamurai]

No way man put them all up, if the owners of the pictures will permite it. I am I WW2 history buff, and would love to see these pics(all of them no matter how grosome)

[tonytryout]

I have to agree with BlueSamurai -- most of us had already seen the "horrors" of war, e.g. Vietnam (the girl running away from napalsm), Palestine (boys being killed and buildings brought down by bulldozers), Iraq (US and British soldiers with "Post-Gulf war" illness and the Baghdad Road of Death) etc.

[j4mes]

i would love to see them, what we have seen will be so biased this will be new for everyone. If the sentiment is right then i don't see why you shouldn't go for it.

[miyagiofflash]

Originally posted by juxtaman
I've been asked to make a web site to showcase this photography to remind people what war is really like

I can see and understand your apprehension to post pictures showcasing certain material but i dont fully agree with your idea to pick and choose what to show and what to hide. I feel that to give people an idea of what war is "really like" you have to be brave enough to show them exactly that. To hide some of the pictures you have would negate the point of this project and the message you are trying to convey. It wouldnt be the full truth.

Originally posted by juxtaman
all these shots are from the perspective of one man

My idea to protect the family is to just leave the soldier's name out of it all together. Give some background on him (a decent bio)so we know the situation and can understand what we are looking at but, since all of the pictures are clearly from the same photographer let them tell the story. It would focus less on the man and more on what the man went through. With the sound of these photographs the man himself isnt what important but rather the experiences he had and what we can learn from them. It might prove to be a good way to allow your viewer to place himself in the shoes of the soldier and get a better understanding of it rather than try to think through the mind of a character.

P.S. I would love to help out with this project, if you want any flash design i have some ideas and would be happy to help (without pay.)

[juxtaman]

Originally posted by miyagiofflash
I can see and understand your apprehension to post pictures showcasing certain material but i dont fully agree with your idea to pick and choose what to show and what to hide. I feel that to give people an idea of what war is "really like" you have to be brave enough to show them exactly that. To hide some of the pictures you have would negate the point of this project and the message you are trying to convey. It wouldnt be the full truth.



My idea to protect the family is to just leave the soldier's name out of it all together. Give some background on him (a decent bio)so we know the situation and can understand what we are looking at but, since all of the pictures are clearly from the same photographer let them tell the story. It would focus less on the man and more on what the man went through. With the sound of these photographs the man himself isnt what important but rather the experiences he had and what we can learn from them. It might prove to be a good way to allow your viewer to place himself in the shoes of the soldier and get a better understanding of it rather than try to think through the mind of a character.

P.S. I would love to help out with this project, if you want any flash design i have some ideas and would be happy to help (without pay.)

if i go through with it i'll let you know.

[BlueSamurai]

Go through with it! and I would also be willing to help you out with this project as well.