Amateur Photographer - UK (2019-06-07)

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Final Analysis

PhotographerandjournalistDamienDemolderhasworkedin thephotographicpublishingindustrysince 1997 andis theformereditorofAmateurPhotographer. Hewritesregularly about photography for a
number of leading publications and has also been a judge on a number of prestigious international photo competitions. See his websiteatwww.damiendemolder.com.

DamienDemolderconsiders...

‘Faces of an Epidemic’, 2018, by Philip Montgomery

Photo Critique

A

bodycoveredwitha sheet
is enoughtoindicatethat
someonehasdied,butinthis
shotwearebeingtolda whole
lotmorethanthatsimplefact.Thepicture
is froma storyPhilipMontgomeryshot
forTheNewYorkeronthemisuseof
opioids.Thephotographertravelledto
MontgomeryCountyinOhio,USA,where
thelocalcoronerhaddescribedtherate
ofdeathsfromopioidsa ‘masscasualty
event’.Shockingly,atthetime,andmore
thanlikelystill,opioidoverdoseswerethe
biggestkilleroftheunder-50sinAmerica.
Ona basiclevelthispictureshowsthe
bodyofBrianMalmsburybeingtaken
awayona trolley.Brianwas 33 whenhe
wasfounddeadinthebasementofhis
parents’home,havinggonemissingthe
daybefore.Hehadoverdosedonheroin.
HisgirlfriendNaomihadoverdosedthe
yearbefore.
WhatMontgomeryshowsusis theeffect
Brian’sdeathhadonthosearoundhim.It
shows his mother, Patricia, devastated as

shelaysa handonherson’scovered

corpse,andthesupportinthehandof

hisstep-fatherDamian.Hisstep-sister

Brittanyhangsawkwardlybehind,full

ofemotionstoodifficulttoprocess.The

compositionis madepurposelytoinclude

her,aswellastothelocalsheriffonthefar

left– wholooksawayindistressunableto

watch.Thepolicestandbackinrespect,so

deeplyaffectedbythesceneinfrontof

them.Andfarright a man wipes tears

fromhisface.

Impactonthecommunity

Itwouldhavebeenveryeasytohaveput

thecorpseinthemiddleoftheframe,

butthecentralsubjectofthispictureand

thisstoryisn’tthedeadBrian,orindeed

opioidsthemselves.Thepictureis ofthe

impactopioidshaveonthecommunity.

Thesubjectisn’tjustdeath,butthe

hopelesstragedyofparents,brothers,

sistersandfriendslivingwithactive

addictionandtheconsequenceswhen

those dependent on opioids can’t get clean.

Thesettingis ordinary.Thecrude

electricalcablesandmetermountedon

theeverydayweather-boardedhouse,with

theslightlyun-cutgrassandthetrees

separatingonegardenfromthenext– it

alltellsusthiscouldhappentoanyone.

Thesceneis relatable,recognisable,which

makesthepictureabout‘us’andnotjust

‘them’.Thescenewasthereforanyoneto

photograph,butMontgomeryincludedall

theclues,allthehintsandalltheelements

thatwouldgetustofeelsomething.No

onecanlookatthispictureandnotbe

moved– if notfortheendofa helpless

addictbutforthelovingmotherheleft

behindandthesisterwhowillalways

missherbigbrotherBrian.

Theseriesthispicturecamefromwon

PhilipMontgomery3rdPrizeinthe

ContemporaryIssues,Storiessection

ofthe 2019 WorldPressPhotoContest.

Youcanseetheresthere:www.

worldpressphoto.org/collection/

photo/2019/37684/1/Philip-

Montgomery.

© PHILIP MONTGOMERY

‘Whatthis

image

showsusis

theeffect

B r i a n’s

deathhad

onthose

around him’