Photo by Eddie Adams/AP via “Vietnam, 35 years later” at The Big Picture

The Big Picture’s Vietnam, 35 years later is a collection of 47 Vietnam War photos. As would be expected there are a few iconic photos in there and in particular two. The first is Eddie Adams’ photo of the summary execution of a National Liberation Front guerilla. The other is Nick Ut’s photo of naked and napalm-struck nine-year-old Phan Thị Kim Phúc running down a road.

What is particularly interesting, though, is that The Big Picture also has photos taken, by the same photographers, before and after the moment shown in the two world famous photos. Seeing a three photo sequence (starting at #13) makes the event photographed by Adams seem more drawn out and therefore even harder to look upon. The three photos tell little more story than the one, though, and I doubt Adams himself would argue with that.

I wonder how the third photo, or “after”, of Nick Ut’s sequence (starting at #30) would stand on its own but it’s pretty much futile. Knowing the back story to the picture of naked and running Kim Phúc focuses my attention on her horrible wounds in the thirds photo. Otherwise the surreal scene in the photo might weigh heavier. As it is the third photo is like a second chapter of horridness.