By Amanda Froelich at trueactivist.com
War changes people. Lalange Snow’s photo series is a testament to this.
Credit: Lalange Snow
filmmaker Lalange Snow might be.
For her “We Are The Not Dead” series, Snow decided to make a series of photos portraying fourteen British soldiers’ faces over a period of seven months, before, during and after their operational deployment to Afghanistan.
Thinking Human reports that the photographer’s purpose was to show how these peoples’ faces started changing and how their expressions transformed into something completely different.
What was captured is a physical change, which is directly connected to the emotional burden experienced by the men. To be a soldier, men and women must learn how to not only be brave but how to be cruel as well. Oftentimes, a person on active duty is required to detach emotionally, and this is why rates of depression, alcoholism and suicide are high among those who have been deployed.
Lalange’s intention was not only to honor the soldiers’ courage but to also make the public aware of the psychological and emotional changes every soldier goes through.
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This article (14 Soldiers Were Photographed Before, During, And After War. The Result Is Disturbing… ) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and TrueActivist.com
The only thing I see is that they look more handsome during war.
Thats what i see
damn! I thought the same and actually at first thought it was only…coincidental!!!
the problem is only the most violent come home anyone who calls em handsome says they like violent abusive men.
That is such bullshit. You are incredibly uninformed. Wow, simply embarrassing.
That not true and unfair to those that come back . . . Show a little respect, they didn’t chose to fight just to serve their country. Nick
Or it could be that while they were in peak physical fitness, they were kinda hot.. 🙂
Ignorant comment.
No, not all are violent, therefore you are very wrong, my dad came home without shooting or hurting a single living thing.
No……that is the most ignorant comment I have ever heard…..violent and abusive……and you are one of the cowards which hides behind these great men
Come sai that to my face. I can’t believe I lost my best friend and a arm for you to have the right to say that.
Super ignorant comment, a huge portion don’t even see combat.
Silly comment evaaaa: “they didn’t chose to fight just to serve their country”, if you are a fucking soldier is to serve your country fighting!. All my friends that are soldiers knows that shit, even before listing, just an idiot will think to be a soldier to spread love and peace with pink kisses!.
Bullshit.
You’re a fucking idiot.
Violrnt and abusive. Where are you basing such informed statements bud? The same place you got the “dr”sound like the “dr” proceeding your name is quite the joke.
“That not true and unfair to those that come back . . . Show a little respect, they didn’t chose to fight just to serve their country. Nick”
Wel Nick,
They DID chose to fight, because ‘serving your country” these days means “fighting other countries”,..
You are a ignorant person! These men did a honorable thing and you are trying to verbally take it away. Its people like u that vote for our 2nd amendment to be removed or vote for idiots like Obama and Hillary. Lol, shameful. Go brush your teeth with a brick, please
BULLSHIT
All of these young men volunteered their souls
There was no arm twisting.
If they had been fighting for our freedoms,we would feel a debt to them.
But,as all wars since 9 11 have been based upon lies and trumped up intelligence,my offering is that they get real jobs,and produce things of value to their communities instead of burdening we the people with the cost of stealing sovereign nations,and the natural resources within
This is just because there is more light on the second picture.
look à the iris of the eyes, it’s smaller on the second one than the two other.
Brighter light, lighter shape. Photographer technic 😉
I agree, I think lighting really shows how the shape of the face looks
I agree with that comment as their eyes look a total different colour in the middle picture.
I’m pretty sure you are all just noticing the natural light being much brighter in the photos shot in Afghanistan. That’ll make most anybody look brighter. So I get it. But I also see a transition from photo to photo in their eyes and mouths. Most of them begin looking a little nervous, not knowing what to expect. The center photos all say, “I’m right here in it.” Most look hardened for self preservation. In the last photos what I see is a mixture of relief, regret, fear… Maybe fear that they’ll never forget.
Exactly what I saw. The eyes are the window to your soul and in the 3rd photo in each set they have sadness and regret in their eyes.
I think it’s the third picture that we should be focused on, they do not look vivacious. And the Handsome comment during the war is psychotic and insolent!
Their eyes look dead and considering them HOT is an insult to what they were there to do.
Not sure how a compliment is an insult.
It’s because suffering builds character.
I agree. It either makes or breaks you if you leave the option.
It seems the war just burns off any extra in their
face and eyes.
Therefore it must be an another US Army propaganda 😉
“…series of photos portraying fourteen British soldiers’ faces over a period of seven months”
You’re ignorance is showing … Read before you comment.
Proud of my American Military Family!
Proud of those that are killing people abroad for the greedy murika? LOL!.
At least 1 good comment. Well said..
Proud of those that are killing innocent ppl in siria? Not everyone there is innocent but a lot of them are and you “Military family” kills them anyway
Nothing to be proud of! Really. The difference between them and serial killers? They are paid by a state, not to “serve a country”, but to protect corporations and billionaires (and to kill and be killed by the same weapons sold by their state. How ironic!). Nothing to be proud, I repeat.
And do yourself a favor, stop repeating world order propaganda and stop swallowing your soma! Time to think by yourself!
If we didnt have this country’s military, you probably wouldn’t be alive to bitch about them.
Hahahahahaha
I agree mind. Somehow healthier looking during war time. Also their eye colour changes too
I noticed the eye color looked darker as well. I also thought they looked best during. After it almost seems like the life is gone in their eyes.
Agreed. The third photo looks as if they are looking right through the lens. Like they aren’t there anymore. Sad.
How about when they’re sad, after war, their eyes get bigger. I think you need to be sent to war to see what they saw, smartass.
I think the editing of the photos was done according to what the photographer wants us to believe. The during war shots are more appealing.
These are unedited, you try sleeping 5 hours a day at most for 7 months in the desert, in the brutal sun, dehydrated malnourished, and that look, you can’t escape the emptiness of someone’s stare after they’ve seen horrific death up close. They don’t all have that look, but you can pick out who has been through the worst shit by their eyes
My nephew has been for two tours in Afghanistan, he said it’s like home once you get used to the fighting being much more violent… I thank god for brave men like him every day… OOH RAH!
That’s the funny twisted thing of war and interests. Those are brave for you, for me and for those who are invaded for a greedy country like yours, those you call brave, are coward murderers and terrorists!.
Brave? Killing other people for oil and geopolitics is like home? We don’t have the definition of courage! News flash: your nephew is just moron and a plain killer. period.
The mention of ‘god” in your comment proves that you also share something with him: low IQ. Damn genes that runs in your family.
It is so obvious yet not a single one of you commented on it –
Look at the freaking eyes they are not full of terror or hopeless, or devastation or any other purely logical emotion that would show on your face if you were a soldier in a war zone as we picture them in our fancy movies.
These are most likely real pictures most likely edited as you can see from the colouring, however, the important part is not edited. Look properly into their eyes during war time, these are the eyes and looks of people under the influence of various drugs, such as cocaine MDMA and LSD mainly cocaine.
War is hell, no matter where when and by whom.
Drugs during war is still an actual practice!
That is a uneducated comment. You don’t know what your talking about. Most of the comments on here are so off point. First it says British not American soldiers. And all you anti military cowards hiding behind your insults wake up you are the delusional ones.
I agree once you have seen death up close it changes every thing especially in the manner they are killed..Must people don,t every have to see this in their life time be grateful thank God….As Soliders they go in as Boys and Girls come out As Man and Women ask any one of them…..War is Hell that’s why the third picture shows that humbor look….The mind is at work in a way that is not calm….
I agree. Drugs during war… Still actual practice .
=either photoshop but eyes don’t lie
Look real close to the eyes . The eyes tell the whole story those of us in the service call it the thousand yard stare . My grandfather had from WWII and he seen it in me when I returned from Iraq. Thank you to all my brothers and sisters for their service .
thank you Steve, this is it. You can see in some that they have suffered unimaginably, but stayed somehow human, and you can see in others that they have broken in full.
I’m an empath, I could never go to war, I decided to fight peacefully by coaching, mentoring and supporting people around our world to find their inner calling and get in touch with their true inner self to life an empowered and fulfilled life after their own making.
I feel horror and sorrow for these men, women, and souls that have to go under such a violent journey. And I wish, that we all stop fighting each other, in the and war isn’t good for anything and there are no heroes.
What you see as handsome-I see as trauma.
This has got to be the most inconsiderate thing I have ever heard.
You must not have heard much in your life then O_o
It’s a trick of lighting. If you look, you can tell by looking at the color of their eyes. While there are absolutely total differences, the source/color temperature of the light emphasize those differences incredibly heavily.
It looks like a better camera was used for the in war middle pics, they look like better quality.
Obviously these guys have been in a sunny country doing a lot of manual work. That will make you look good. But more importantly, if you look at the before and the after picture and focus on the eys you can see a clear difference…
Their eyes are forever haunted. The one thing you can always see is inner trauma in the eyes of a soldier. But in order to see the pain, you have to live pain of your own.
it’s the lighting. there’s light in their eyes.
its the lighting if you really look at the pictures i saw the same thing as shallow as that is but in the pictures they all look their best their is a light on or near or photoshoped . Either way there is no damn way anyone can go through what they go through and come back being the same person unless they were just plain crazy to begin with . If that dosent effect you I don’t know what would .
Its because they are in battle shape. The best condition of their life at that point. Nothing more, nothing less.
I see the sadness on their eyes after war.
I see that too.
It is ignorant, but being gay, I can agree!
The middle pictures all show the confidence, this courage, the vitality that they have being a soldier.
What I see in these photos are a sense of overwhelmingly wishing to be a force enacting change along with fear and worry in each soldier’s first photo. In the second, I detachment from the rest of the world in their eyes as they have begun to realize the sad truths about our world.. And finally in their last photos what I see is a scary aftermath of what such truths can do to ones soul.. They may not be broken, but neither are their souls still as pure as they were in the first.. War is a great evil that only we ourselves have the power and ability to prevent by becoming a more understanding and caring society.. That’s just my opinion, but their eyes tell me stories you may not be able to discern yourself.. Bless these men and may they find peace along their travels..
Holly this is the comment I made
Yes I noticed that as well, most of them look more present and alive in the middle picture. Very disturbing and worrying.
That because of the testosterone boost and adrenaline.. That is easy to see in their eyes. But it have a side effect, you can’t handle that often large amount of adrenaline whit out ending up looking old fast.
you can clearly see the horror and guilt and control on their faces. war is good for nothing.
they look like they lost part of their soul
The eyes are brighter during war times (better lighting in the middle east? certainly a more front-on light source). Also the before and after seem to have a softer filter whereas the wartime photos appear to have been sharpened or taken with a completely different lens/camera.
So much of what we perceive in photography is in the method, to do this experiment correctly so that we can examine the actual emotions and not the photo magic “selfie” factor would require a “sterile” environment to photograph in, perhaps a shipping container or something which can be relocated to the war zone easily with a fully controlled self-contained studio environment.
look the eyes it’s about that there’s a big difference btw before & later
It’s not that they look more handsome 1st pic they’re bored, 2nd pic they are in sunlit countries (look in their eyes, they’re quite different), 3rd pic aware and sad… well… choices….
That’s because the lighting is different in the middle picture. It is straight ahead and reveals the eye more, while flushing out skin imperfections.
I thought it was just me
Their eyes are all lighter during. That’s called being frosty. It a chemical change in the body during extended periods of fear and stress.
@Grant Richardson: can you give a link to some sort of source that backs this up scientifically? I can’t find anything about it if I google it.
Look closely at there eyes the first picture they look like normal everyday people the second one looks like they wanna just jump out of there skin the third one looks like its still not over for them that they are still fighting and they are tired
It’s because of all the training, good nutrition, and mental conditioning the military does. 11B 25th ID, 3rd BDE, 2-35th INF BN, C Co & HHC
Getting older..
look at there eyes O.o
they are getting more and more screwd in the head.
there eyes change color, doing extreme stress
I’m glad I’m not the only one who noticed their eyes! It has definitely had a bad effect on them. They are trained not to think for themselves but to follow orders, but afterwards reality sets in and they have to live with what they were ordered to do, people don’t realise this and think they’re weak for not just getting on with life. So sad, especially most comments saying the only thing they noticed was that they looked more hasome during war WTF !!!!!
Those comments about looks are from people who have never served or known someone who has served! They should try having to ask a parent why their own sister won’t sit in the same room as them and get the answer “She is scared of the look on your face”. Those are men are forever changed and it goes a lot deeper than the eyes!
Yes they are under a lot of stress of course. But the most disturbing part to me is not if they look good or not, it is how lifeless they look in the first picture and how alive they look in the middle picture and depressed in the last. I lived with a soldier and he had severe PTSD but I think many soldiers hates being deployed but they miss the friendship and structure of army life. I can be totally wrong here it was just what crossed my mind. I have the deepest respect for any man or woman who serves their country.
good observation, totally agree
Respect for killers? We don’t share the same values.
I absolutely see and get what you mean!
There are so many facets to the complications and effects that war brings to a soldier’s mind I believe… and not all of them may be the hardships most of us will respectfully only think of. But in the end I am afraid that the conflicting feelings make all of it only much worse.
I can also see the life, dedication and piercing eyes along with their strong, handsome and masculine faces during service in some of them. This makes the photoset inconclusive in the end I think since their are so many facets to their looks and expressions and they all differ for each and every face. Some faces I saw crying and pleaing out of their eyes during service while others looked like perceptive, able and strong men you would happily hide behind if you were on their good side yet with an everlasting frown of worry on their faces. And these contradictions between faces go for every stage depicted. And you can see so much going on also in the set of photos of each soldier alone if you look closely that, without a backstory and/or psychological evaluation, just doesn’t make much sense on first glance.
What is confusing and misleading and makes them look attractive must be that deep sense of purpose they also get from their strict services. I imagine a regular day at a basis (without war-activities) to be filled with alot of manual labour in the open air which ultimately is kinda what the human body was built for instead of sitting at a desk/office all they looking at a screen all day so that will simply do their physique good as well which naturally expresses itself through their psyche to (hence once more the overall attractiveness of men during service).
However I think it’s so said that these positive features ultimately will be overshadowed, clouded, spoiled and distorted by the horrible realities of war. I wish we could give these men with surely many good intentions that long for physical activeness, practicality and action as it fits their very nature (I speak of the decisive doers in contrast to the contemplative thinkers such as myself) great and wonderfully uplifting and constructive purpose in the form of arbeit and that there was no need to occupy their wonderfull qualities with the destructive actions of horrendous wars.
Showing aging in 7 months I think is the idea
So, they get older as the years go by?!:O
This wasn’t years. The article states that these pictures were taken over the course of 7 months.
If you bothered to read the 2-3 lines of the article, it states the photos are taken over a period of 7 months
They all just got a couple years older and lost some face fat
except that it is only over 7 months, not the 5-10 years it looks like
You can also see which ones have seen death up close, and which were lucky, all are sleep deprived, dehydrated, malnourished, and ready to go home. If you don’t see the seriousness in this then you are ignorant to what war really is.
They weren’t forced to sign up. Most soldiers love active duty, it’s what they train for and they can’t wait to get over there. Nothing heroic or tragic in that…it’s a job,with deadly risks…one that they chose.
Also people look like that with a serious hangover! The number 3 pics are nothing special.
They look young, to “on alert”, to varying expressions from weary , tired, lost…
Their eyes look dark on the first picture, then light and then darker than ever.
Looks like the lighting you can see reflection in middle pic opposed to others
The problem that I have with this is that she didn’t control the conditions of each stage’s environment to be the same. The men do look more handsome in the photos from during war, but that’s because they are more well lit and there is light hitting their eyes, making their pupils smaller and their eyes appear brighter and more alive. The pupils are dilated in both the before and after pictures. I’m not sure if this was intentional, but I don’t feel it portrays an accurate comparison.
Agreed!
I agree, J9. The lighting is much brighter and differently sourced in the “during war” pictures. Almost all of them have dilated pupils in the “after” pictures. I wonder if that was deliberately done?
agree
Agreed, being a photographer I know how easy it is to “create” a shot or mood by something as simple as flash/light direction. For an honest shot and as a credible experiment I think as many extraneous variables should be removed. I’m not saying artistic influences are a bad thing but in this case it works against the desired point.
Being a photographer also it’s not just the lighting, there is something else. I can’t put my finger on it but in the third photograph each man looks aged, like 5+ years. I read some postulate about manipulated lighting and the third photograph is, in fact, softer lit. But diffused lighting would do the opposite of aging a subject. If I photograph someone I want to look younger or prettier, I soften the light as was done in the third photo. So, if anything the photographer did the complete opposite of what most are asserting.
Wys
Totally agreed!
the point of this wasnt to look at their fucking looks, you idiot. it was to see the effect war has had on these people. if you cant see it then you are a fucking moron!
They all seem disturbed and exhausted on the middle picture, ans 11 out of 14 seem to be on some kind of drugs after the war, just look at the pupils.
Poor guys, I wish them well and hope they can recover..
It is trauma and it causes the “thousand yard stare” after they return from war. Emotional detachment, and eventually the affects of PTSD will set in for most of these guys. It isn’t drugs, it is emotional shutdown. These men have been through hell.
All I’m seeing is weight loss, aging, and a couple thousand yard stares in the middle column.
shouldnt really see ageing over a 7 month period
Not talking about physical aging idiot. The point is to highlight mental aging as a consequence of war…
1st : Full of expectation
2nd : Sorry I have to do this
3d : Can’t touch me anymore
From open,curious expressions to hollow, dead eyes..
To everyone saying that it’s “no big deal” that they aged a couple years:Did you even read the article? This project took place over the course of SEVEN MONTHS.
THANK YOU!
Their eyes say it all. Look at their pupils. Regular, to extremely small, to dialated. That’s so sad to see.
yeah, maybe because of the FREAKING LIGHTING EVERYONE FAILS TO NOTICE
I wondered if it was the lighting also
Is it me or do most of them have more blue in their eyes during war??????
The lighting is very different in the three sets, especially in the middle one (during war). In my opinion that’s the best lighting.
So it’s really hard to compare the three sets.
Age changes people as well
i did my own experiment on before during and after marriage and they were the same as these coincidence? i think not
Not 1 in 1000 Americans can explain why Hitler hated the Jews or why Britian got involved in. War between Germany and the USSR.
their eyes………..it changes colour after the war
They look like they have less emotion, like they turned inward.
While these pictures show the story some dont have even the same nose. Didnt know the mil docs were performing plastic surgery over there for our troops. Quick all the uglies in the military, we will fix you up.
not all of them but some, they are angry in the second..maybe somthing happend, but all of them in the last have seen enough
It seems like theyv seen some dark acts, looking into their eyes, and now dont have a glow they once had.
The burden of their duty is clearly seen in the last photo.inward change has taken place which is visible to see.
anyone else notice their pupils are dilated in the 3rd shot?
It is normal, scared or sad, and thousand yard stare.
What you see is trauma. Handsome? These men are changed and I don’t see how “Handsome” has anything to do with it. Broken, tired, angry, worried… Don’t make this shallow.
ummmmm. the one guys (about 7 lines from the top) eye colour changes? I call bullshit on these photos. Since when does war change your eye colour lol. Goes from green/grey to blue
Um my eyes change color regularly, sometimes multiple times a day. They can range through greys, blues and greens.
Alien detected!!!…reptilian!!! LOL
the pictures i saw of those young men are the transformation brought about their experience.. War change everyone…. War change Everything.. War destroyed everything.. War Destroyed even our inner soul.. Behold the eyes that shows the duality of sadness and anger.. those eyes witness the brutality of unjustified war…. They are not just mere soldier of a battle.. but finger on the trigger decisive for resistance.. ..
I would simply like to say thank you to these men for serving (period)
For serving your greedy country? YES!.
don’t forget that a picture never tells any truths.It only cuts a part out of reality. The war photos have different technology, light and filters. And the title tell you that “the result is disturbing”, that makes us try to find something disturbing in the photos, connecting it with the statement “war is bad”, we try to find the middle one disturbing, or the post war one disturbing. This world lacks of critical thinking, this is one of the reasons that wars continue, and this article does not forward critical thinking, it just tell you what to think and how to react, based on some images that are not objective.
What’s the amount of photoshop in each photo? I’m not saying the differences aren’t clear, but they all seem photoshopped to enhance pre determined differences,,,
If you can’t see the change in the eyes, you are blind.
How many are now victims of big pharma?
It’s called aging?
I think a lot of the commenters are in denial. There is a definite hollow look in the eyes of the men in the post-war photos. It made me cry.
Yes, the lighting is different, and they could be directed…what I see though is that BEFORE War,a sense of apprehension in the training phase,rookies DURING fully trained and feeling they are part of something noble and righteous,fighting a good cause for Motherland etc (yeah right!)AFTER disillusioned and now aware that war is brutal,there are no winners, they have seen and been part of the brutal war machine,probably killed people, possibly innocent women and children too.
Their pupils during war are smaller …. Which indicates either drugs (which I wouldn’t be surprised by the military) or extreme stress. The lighting for the photographs certainly seems the same. Hmm.
Why do there pupils get bigger after war?
They were mercenary soldiers delivering democracy somewhere thousands of miles away from theirs homes . . .
They will look much better 100 % if they were defending their homes or countries.
Cursing from innocent people work, as we can see.
Its after the military removes your innocent!!!!
But where are the women? Do the same effects happen to them?
Every single one of them, their eyes are bigger in the After shot.
And jeezuss Christ there’s some serious flakes on this thread.
Stupid…
They are pretty young and grow a lot in that age, so faces changes a lot. No matter if they went to war or not.
I feel that this series -while moving – is somewhat deceptive.. I agree It appears the soldiers look more ‘full of life’ in the central portraits taken while at war, and their faces look worn by the experience of war in the later images too. While undoubtedly their experiences will have had profound psychological effects, which will most likely be somewhat apparent in their faces and expression, I think this series is deceptive largely as a result of the lighting which is so important in creating atmosphere and in dictating expression and it is obviously very different in each shot. In both the ‘before’ and particularly the ‘after’ shots, the background lighting/setting is much darker (probably taken indoors) and hence the individuals pupils are dilated. This gives the appearance/illusion? of “darker eyes” and might lead the viewer to the idea of “darkened windows to a darkened soul”, particularly in the ‘after’ shot.. The central images – clearly taken outside in natural lighting – appear to connote the idea that these soldiers ‘enjoyed’ a sense of purpose and heroism from fighting in a war zone. A striking series but not sure that the conditions under which it was produced create a true representation
Do you people not hear what you are saying?
You really think a photographer would go through all the trouble of staging photos of soldiers to make you feel bad..
I am 16 years old and I was without my older brother for three whole years of my life because he was out defending and fighting for our country.
I have witnessed first hand the trauma that war causes on someone, my brother is not even remotely the same person he was when he left.
He won’t even look me in the eye anymore, he blames himself for so many of the deaths he witnessed.
The brother I once saw as the strongest man in my life, now crys himself to sleep every night.
You say that in the post-war photos the soldiers look like they are taking drugs but I know that there are many soldiers out there that look and feel worse than this who are not on any types of drugs.
Some of you people really need to get a grip on reality and understand that this isn’t just some big scam that was made to make you feel bad, this is a big part of reality.
He is right about blaming himself, nothing to be proud. So stop repeating that he defended or fought for “you” country; this is this very propaganda who made him a zombie.
Speaking from experience as a serving soldier and veteran to 3 operation tours will add this:
Most soldiers will feel/look healthier during operations because of the lifestyle out there (not including the danger of course). You eat healhty, catch sun, exercise on many levels, drink mostly water and you are generally more aware of your surroundings due to the environment that you’re in. Hence why most of the lads pictured look better during war/ops. If you’re lucky to come away unscathed PHYSICALLY the chances are that MENTALLY everything takes it toll. All dependent on what you went through. Simple as that.
An inside experience of a proud killer that tries to make killing foreign people for oil and politics looks like a fun trip at the Disneyland. When did your brain leave you? Was it before, during or after?
Why are there no women?
The eyes of all the men in the “During” photos, to me, really show the constant anxiety and fear of being posted in a combat zone…..relentless high stress punctuated by occasional moments of sheer terror take a heavy toll on the nervous system. There’s an essential wariness and vigilance that one must maintain at all times at war and if you really look at their faces, you can see that at work. In the “After” photos, in some of the men, it looks like they’re emotionally exhausted, like they’ve looked too long into the abyss and either can’t or are too devastated to find their way back home again. For the few who see too much combat, there’s a look in the eyes, frozen expressions, minds 20,000 miles distant…..reflecting on the broken puzzle pieces. We called it the thousand meter stare in Vietnam and those same eyes are now looking back at you 45 years later from Afghanistan.
I think the NEXT to.last one is starting her transformation
so upsetting, you can see the sadness in their eyes.
The photographer has used three different light sources which affect appearance and pupil dilation and skin tone change. This has been applied with artistic effect on the before, during, and after shots. These lighting techniques are deliberately used to create dramatic effect. I think it would have proved more telling if the lighting had been consistent on all shots, as it would be more revealing. I believe the truth in these men’s faces would be seen without resorting to lighting effects.
You can see the emotional burden. To the idiots who say it is only lighting I hope a disturbed veteran kicks your head in. AAs a returned serviceman myself I know the tolls of war and even for the hardiest of men the toll Is high. So keep your photoshopped and lighting comments to your self. It doesn’t change what these poor men have been through
You won’t get my compassion. The poor men and women are the civilians you and these morons kill because some corporate companies were greedy, and your brain was brainswashed by “serving your country” propaganda.
What I see is normal variation before, focus and adrenaline rush ready during, and the post-adrenaline rush crash and confusion after. It is in the eyes….
I agree that difference is noticable but you have to agree that the lightening and the general colour of the photo enhances it a lot. I do learn photography, and come on, you can see that pupils are blown on the most of “after war” pictures, the angle of the shots is also different, not by much, but to change the general idea. Of course they did get more noticable wrinkles etc. but I’m pretty sure that on at least few of them you wouldn’t really see the difference if not how the shot was posed.
I am a professional photographer, with my Masters Degree in photography and I work for an internationally known photography magazine. The images in the middle, the image of “War” has been photoshopped, and the lighting has been manipulated.
You could do the same thing with literally anything else. Anybody can smile, look neutral, and frown in a series of pictures. Then you caption it with whatever you want, but it doesn’t prove anything besides a HUGE lack in artistic creativity.
Alright. If anybody here knows anything about photography or art in general, it’s really easy to see that every single picture they change the lighting angles.
It’s the same face, but the lighting angle has been changed or made harsher to emphasize the shadows on the face and make them look more gritty.
Very rarely does their face actually change and when it does its usually like, their skin is tanner or has like two more wrinkles, or their hair changed.
They look exhausted in the third pic. Like they have not slept in days. I hope they can find peace.
The comments that state the photos are changed/altered or lighting was used to cause differences in the face, eyes, etc. have not lived in most cases with the actual aspects of this or other wars. I have pics, normally taken with a simple camera, no special lighting of the person, before and after a deployment from 4 months to 12 months (note some photos taken during the deployment from other cameras) with some minor to extreme changes of the person’s face/appearance. I will not share those photos due to the extreme bias of the comments, just that this photographer of British soldiers is no different from what I have photographed or seen in real time/life. The extreme stress, the orders given to be followed, the near and actual death of friends or enemy alike, and separation of family does take it’s toll on each soldier. That war brings this kind of misery into the souls and minds of each soldier, it is no wonder so many come back with issues of PTSD, sense of worth and guilt, anger, and in too many situations, suicide. For each soldier shown here and the ones I know, the only thing I can do is support them with what little means I may have. As a retired soldier, I can understand only what I may know or have done, and hope for the best for each one of them. We do not forget what war is, once experienced, and live it each day. With the help (positive) from family, friends, and others, we may be able to survive the war inside ourselves, we do not need those with negative or hateful comments. When you can walk in our shoes, maybe we will listen to for a better future. Retired soldier
During the war, everyone of them seem more focused. They have become more alert.
Try to think about what war has shown our soldiers, and ask yourself how can a person live the horrors of war and not be changed dramatically. So very sad to to know our children are new veterens in the twentyfirst century and mankind will never learn.
After the war, they look like ppl if you mess with u will get f**cked up
These guys are looking fine. Seen a lot of pictures of soldiers before during and after and mostly the after pictures the look horrible as seeing them on the crave yards arround the world.
Pic 1 they look uncertain, pic 2 they look alarmed, pic 3 they eyes seem darker and detached. Jesus. Bless them
If a god would exist, I’d ask this entity to give you a brain. How in your retarded mind, would you think that a god could bless these killers and endorse their killing?! Do yourself a favor, keep believing in Santa Claus, at least, the guy is harmless and gives presents.
Photography tricks! Light angle and shades makes people look different – this is like those pictures where someone gets his six pack shown in just 4 weeks with some fast burning pills.
That black guy almost changes his color in middle picture!
It makes me wonder how soldiers would look in earlier, more sever wars. What did they look like after severing in WW1, WW2, or even the civil war?
War is evil how dare anyone try to make it a good thing. If you all knew the truth behind why we fight wars you would all be as angry. The pupils dialate because of lighting which is different in every picture.look at their mouths and cheeks. The wrinkles in their foreheads and the rings around their eyes. How can a country wiling to do this to their people to be king of the hill ever deserve the blood that’s been shed without telling it’s people the truth. I respect the hardship but not the reason.
@Eyeballs, “I respect the hardship but not the reason.”
Because the rich deserve to get richer, right “Eyeballs”?
Try opening them.
Your own “eyeballs”, that is.
With all my respect to all those british soldiers! In my opinion the soldiers constricted pupils on the middle picture is related to the fact they are all high on Heroine. It is really easy for soldiers to score heroin in Afghanistan. Heroin, like other opioids and opiates, actually causes pupils to constrict (get smaller), not dilate (get bigger), after use. This constriction, called miosis, is a sign of opiate inebriation that law enforcement looks for in areas with high heroin and other opioid/opiate abuse.
Some of you people could make bird poop seem dramatic! It’s the way the pic has been taken…lighting, situation, mood etc. Stop making a mountain out of a molehill ffs.
If you say ‘thank you’ to a soldier, you’re condoning the things the government has done to them. Say ‘sorry’.
Yeah. They seen some shit, alright. Some bad, bad shit.
In the first picture, generally speaking, they appear as young boys with a bit of baby fat look. They look a bit innocent, naive and child like.
In the second, they look wide eyed and even a bit excited…but still a bit innocent, but up for the challenge.
In the 3rd, they look hardened, chiseled and mature. The innocence is gone. They look as if they have seen the reality of this world.
I would like to see a 4th picture…one over time after they have been home and are reminded of the freedoms they were fighting for.
Keep in mind these are soldiers…what if they ran a similar test of civilians who are being oppressed in these other lands?
Please understand, my mom is a WWII survivor and I am a product of the fact that our soldiers freed an oppressed people. As I served in the 80’s and 90’s, I would have Europeans hug me and thank me for their freedom. I did nothing, it was the soldiers before me who fought for that freedom.
I am humbled to have served and I am honored at the fine men and women serving today. These wars going on, there is a child being saved everyday in these other regions, someday they will have children who either thank our soldiers then, or who will grow up to defend the freedoms that have been fought for.
Thank you Veterans for your hard work and sacrifice!
You should read the book War Is A Racket. The author was, at the time of writing, the most highly decorated soldier in the US Army. The sad truth is that our soldiers aren’t fighting for freedom – they (and the taxpayer) are, usually unknowingly, supporting the war business. We went into Afghanistan for oil (the Taliban had turned down Unocal’s proposal to build an oil pipeline across Afghanistan) and heroin (the Taliban had essentially destroyed the heroin production that the CIA facilitated during the Russian occupation; production was back to record levels soon after the invasion). The fact that US intelligence told their Russian and Pakistani counterparts three months before 9/11 that the US would be invading Afghanistan proves that 9/11 was not the reason (and that’s before you even get to the ridiculous number of problems with the official “story” of 9/11).
Good people put their lives on the line in good faith, but they’re often ordered to commit war crimes. For obvious reasons, they’re not told during their training that it is not insubordination to refuse to carry out an order that would result in the commision of an illegal act.
It used to be the case that a leader would lead his or her troops in battle. That didn’t mean that all battles and wars were just or fair, but at least it meant that the leader put their life on the line, too. Since that practice ended, things have gone downhill, and fortunes have been made by some of the most despicable people imaginable.
just look into the eyes
If you turned the pictures around, all these comments would still be the same.
You can see their soul have been broken trough their eyes
those eyes are dead…
the 3rd photo is just sad. Look at their eyes! All hope, innocent from the first photo is gone. The eyes are hopeless, has to seen way to much. All innocent, hope gone
War….War Never Changes.
Aging, maybe ……
Geriontologists
this is so fucking stupid. This whole site is bullshit. To perform this study correctly the photos needed to be taken with the same light, while they were wearing the same clothing.
I agree they look their best during the war. But these changes are not unusual, one can spot weight loss and change in their skin color, more tanned, there is hyperpigmentation present as well and hence freckles are more visible.I can spot different lightning in the pictures, so one cannot really tell the real differences.
Peak fitness and a very good tan after being in the desert is why they look more handsome in the middle clearly
I just wonder… They are in the desert for years and still look white af.
All you have to do is look at their eyes? The eyes are a window to their soul. They have all seen what no man should have to see.
I actully dont think the physical appearance tells you anything… we all know, or at least have an idea what these human beings have been through. I would be more interested in having a conversation with each and every one of them to first of all find out if they are ok and 2 their opinions of how their experience has affected them… we are showing and promoting the importance of the “visual” aspect of our lives and how important this aspect is above and beyond our humanity .. and that quite frankly is disgraceful and disturbing
“James! Come on home.
You’ve been gone too long, baby.
We can’t let our hero die alone!
We miss you day and night…
You left town to live by the rifle,
You left us to fight!
But it just ain’t right to take away the light.
[…]
James! are you selling your soul to a cold gun?”
– Kate Bush(1987), James and the Cold Gun