Ukrainian soldiers of the 80th brigade fire artillery in the direction of Bakhmut as the Russia-Ukraine war continues.
The photo has been framed in a Wide Shot, and uses the rule of thirds, with the soldiers closer to the frame, followed by the machinery with the tank and finally the smoke in the background to , emphasise the large scale of war and its destructive impact not just on the environment, but soldiers too. The photo also uses a POV shot, not only to engage the audience to see for themselves the devastating impact of the war, but to also reveal the hopelessness of the soldiers, as they are positioned at a stage where going back isn't an option, continuing forward and hoping for survival in the mist of the dangers ahead is their only option. The W/S itself could also reveal the distance between war and its victims, as in any society war can be out of touch and life-threating.
The murky colours of the photo, with the moody greens, whites and oranges are colours that are related to themes of war, terror and death, visually showing the threat of war laying out and how anyone can become a victim of it. At least to me, the colour palette bears a resemblance to the dark greens and oranges seen with the poster for Stanley Kubrick's 1987 war drama Full Metal Jacket, making me contemplate the meaning of life when life is playing out like a work of fiction, which in itself is based on real events of the Vietnam War.
None of the soldiers in the photo reveal their faces, either because they aren't facing the camera, or the impact of what I can assume to be something on the line of a grenade. Some of the soldiers in the background also appear to be lost in the cloud of smoke, all of this revealing the loss of identity war has on people, making everyone impacted by it equally vulnerable.
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