“It’s very hard working on a big story in your home country... the emotional pressure is enormous when you see your friends and family suffer.” - Yannis Behrakis. I found this quote in an article about how the photographer has struggled with emotional involvement this past year. The article was very interesting and provided good insight to his work. It can be found at http://www.thebaron.info/people/yannis-behrakis-photographer-of-the-year-struggled-with-emotional-involvement. I really enjoyed looking through his different online photo collections. I think that his photos are interesting and captivating because of their honesty. I felt like each picture captured a different emotion and showed a different side of the story. This is a very unique quality because it shows such a huge range in his abilities and perceptions. I think it is astonishing how his photos can make people feel so many different emotions at once.
photo taken by Yannis Behrakis
This is one of the images chosen by The Guardian. The caption states that it was taken in Lesbos at a makeshift camp. The picture shows a refugee trying to stay warm by a fire. I think this picture is really interesting. One of the first things that I noticed was the different light sources in the image. I think that these light sources really help with the movement of the photo. They carry the eyes in a very interesting pattern across the page. I also really liked the colors in this image. There is an interesting contrast in the warmth and coolness of the lower halve of the picture and the top halve of the picture.
I agree with your observation of Behrakis' emotional involvement in his work; in looking at some of his images it is evident that he thinks about and cares about what he is documenting. He is also very effective in drawing observers into his pictures and making them feel the same emotions that he experienced while taking those pictures.
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