Service: Platón

by Platón (Photographer), Sebastian Junger, Elisabeth Biondi

In this powerful, evocative, and moving collection of images—many never-before published—Platon, one of the most acclaimed contemporary photographers, focuses on the effects of war on soldiers and their families. Having created over 25 Time magazine covers and succeeding Richard Avedon as a staff photographer for the New Yorker , Platon has become a household name. His evocative portraits of world leaders comprised a hugely successful previous book, Power . Now Platon has turned his lens to military service, embedding himself outside the battlefield in places where so much occurs that is so rarely mentioned. Given unprecedented access to U.S. military training facilities, Platon photographed soldiers preparing for battle in a staged Iraqi village. Aboard the USS San Antonio, he photographed soldiers the moment before they set sail. Platon’s images capture both joy and grief, strength and vulnerability, support and a young man's t-shirt that reads "Iraq veteran against the war"; an African American woman stands proudly in full military regalia; a double-amputee stares directly from his wheelchair; and, in arguably the most important image of the 2008 U.S. presidential election, an American Muslim mother cradles the grave of her soldier son. Together, these photographs speak volumes about the lives and families of those who their physical and psychological wounds, their extraordinary valor and often modest backgrounds, and the fierce emotions that surround their service.

Genres: Photography

208 pages, Hardcover

Published April 15, 2016

About the author

Librarian Note: This is an alternate name variant profile. See primary profile: Plato.
There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database. For more information please see Platon.

Reviews

[Dr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

In photography, timing matters more than mastery; an eye and personality to draw out expression matter more than perfect detail. In my experience, this is significantly evident in Platon’s work, though that statement indicates he is not a master of his craft, which is incorrect, he is. The point is that the images would not be given “A’s” by a High School photography teacher who is focused on beauty in art by the Numbers. There is something raw in Platon’s work, which draws the observer in, holds the attention, and leaves one feeling a bit voyeuristic at the personal intimacy of his photographs.

[Ami Neiberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful photographs of our service men and women and their families, all in black and white. I took a photo at Arlington National Cemetery for this book with Platon not long after my brother died, and my picture is included in the book. I have a framed copy of the image on my wall in my office. It captures the sadness I felt but also our close relationship as I'm sitting in the image near the headstone with my chin leaning against it, almost like I am hugging it. I know some of the other families featured as well.

[Matthew (Skip) Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

very moving

[Susanna J · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Service Plalon partly because I am a Photographer, but there's amazing pictures too!!! It's a great book for photographers and others to see great pictures from a war