Drone photography can reveal hidden patterns and create a sense of scale. But this week, I came across an aerial photograph so powerful that I had to stop and take a closer look.
This photograph comes from the lens of AFP photojournalist Jack Guez, shot with a DJI Air 3S.
The photograph shows a commemorative art installation on a beach in Tel Aviv on the third anniversary of the October 07 Hamas attacks on Israel. The day is recognized as the deadliest day for Israel, leading to the deaths of around 1,200 people, along with 251 people taken hostage.
The art installation on a beach in Tel Aviv turns the number of those lost into a physical representation of everything the country lost that day.
Photographing the memorial from the sky creates a sense of scale – both for the memorial itself and the number lost on that day. The silhouettes on black fabric create a pattern that demands a closer look – and only then, once I looked closer, did I realize that the closely cropped photograph is not even all of those lost.
A full aerial shot, also by Guez, shows the full art installation on the beach, shadowed by nearby buildings.
The photograph is a devastating reminder of the tragedy and the war that followed. But the photograph also illustrates why getting an unusual perspective can create a more powerful image. Photographing the scene from the skies creates a sense of scale that’s not fully apparent from the photographs taken on the ground.
A photojournalist's job is to tell the stories of the world's history in a way that transcends language barriers, and this work by Guez is an excellent example.
On the third anniversary of the attacks, memorials were held across Israel.
According to the BBC, an estimated 74,200 people have been killed in the military offensive sparked by the October 07 attack. Around 1,400 people have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire nearly a year ago.
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