Talk:João Silva (photographer)

update coming some day
Hello, I am interested in the story of the members by the Bang Bang Club. I do at this time more research and update the articel about João Silva in the future

Example: Silva accompanied Pulitzer Prize winner Kevin Carter to Sudan. This was not the way it went. Carter accompainied Silva to Sudan. You can read this in the book The Bang-Bang Club: Snapshots from a Hidden War. I read it and inline citations coming too. Best.--Maxim Pouska (talk) 10:04, 30 June 2017 (UTC)

Updates are coming
Hello, the first update are about the meeting at the White House and that he is today working as staff photographer for the NYT in Africa. Best.--Maxim Pouska (talk) 10:58, 10 September 2017 (UTC)


 * Now I start to work on the Contents like: Early Life, Career start , As part of Bang-Bang Club, Conflict and war Photographer etc. I put some short text in this - but this is only the start. If you can help you are welcomen. Best.--Maxim Pouska (talk) 17:37, 10 September 2017 (UTC)


 * Some text: Early Life

Joao Silva came to South Africa when he was nine year old. His parents immigrated from Portuguese Mozambique to South Africa, because of the war in the Colony. Silva was send to his godfather in Portugal for ten months. After his parents re-settled in Vereeniging, south of Johannesburg,  Silva came also as immigrant to South Africa. At the second last year of high school he dropping out, because the school hat nothing more to teach him, how he told his parents. A friend of mine was studying graphic design and one of his subjects was photography. One of the projects that he had to do was on speed, motion. He came to the racetrack with us to photograph the race cars going around in circles, and I kind of thought: “O.K., I can see myself in this role. This thing is right for me.” That was the first time I ever took pictures. The bug bit. zitat Silva gave up his other jobs, bought a second hand camera and studied black-and-white photography at night school. At the end of 1989 he moved to Johannesburg and establish himself as photographer. next.--Maxim Pouska (talk) 17:39, 10 September 2017 (UTC)

Career start
Career start João Silva began working as freelancer (stringer) for the Johannesburg Herald in 1990. Beside his jobs for the Alberton Record in 1991, taking pictures from car–crashes and Rotary meetings, he went in the conflict zones of Thokoza and Soweto. There he shot his first pictures of the killings in the Hostels Wars. Some weeks later he went with a portfolio of his best pictures to the Reuters office in Johannesburg and persuading them to let him “submit pictures on spec”. João Silva realized soon that he could not make two jobs at the same time. He left the paper and worked from then on fulltime as a freelancer for Reuters. His next step was to go with a new portfolio to The Star. The first editor was not interested, but Ken Oosterbroek did see the pictures too and that was the start for Silva to „string“ for the Sunday Star. He was now selling pictures to Reuters and The Star. Ken Oosterbroek worked for The Star, and was appointed as chief photographer in August 1991. He hired soon João as staff photographer for  The Star. Nine months after coming to Johannesburg João was established as a conflict photographer. next.--Maxim Pouska (talk) 17:39, 10 September 2017 (UTC)

As part of Bang-Bang Club
As part of Bang-Bang Club In 191 worked at the Star Ken Oosterbroek as chief photographer and João Silvia as freelancer and then staff photographer. Kevin Carter did know Ken Oosterbroek from 1984 on. Greg Marinovich meet Silva in March of 1991 but did know Kevin Carter and Ken Oosterbroek from 1984 on We were all white. Middle-class young men, but we went to those unfamiliar black townships for widely differing reasons and with contrasting approaches; over the year, we would find common ground in our shared experience and develop friendship. This are the first words as entry to the Chapter 5 “Bang-Bang” in the book by Greg Marinovich and Joao Silva. }} next.--Maxim Pouska (talk) 17:41, 10 September 2017 (UTC)

Conflict and war Photographer
Conflict and war Photographer In 2011 Silva Mr. Silva spoke at the Bronx Documentary Center in New York about his life as photojournalist. His speech was published in the New York Times and the lens.blogs.nytimes.com. He told the audience: „I don’t really use the term “war photographer” in describing myself. … But as a photojournalist, you have a lot more responsibilities than just being at war.“ next.--Maxim Pouska (talk) 17:44, 10 September 2017 (UTC)

Further updates are coming soon
Further updates are coming soon - as examples: the travel to the hunger catastrophe in Sudan and Kevin Carter and his life after which he could again go and work with the help of the prostheses. Best.--Maxim Pouska (talk) 17:52, 10 September 2017 (UTC)

career - Silva accompanied Pulitzer Prize winner Kevin Carter to Sudan on the occasion when Carter took his photograph of ...
Hello this part is somehow upside down - the information is not telling the story of the career by Silva and the part with Kevin need to be in a separate section - plus more fixing. I started to do the job on my workplace outside of WP.--Maxim Pouska (talk) 20:17, 13 September 2017 (UTC)

Back to work
Joao Silva was treated at Walter Walter Reed Army Medical Center after he was taken back to the United States. The New York Time had made sure that he got the best treatment there. After more then 80 Operation and rehab training he was running again without cans. In between he took part in a marathon, a year after he stepped on the landmine. He did the New York Marathon on a hand-cracked bike in in 2:38. Hours. In December 2011 he returned to his home in Johannesburg, South Africa, as a staff member of The New York Times.

more to back to work is coming. Best.--Maxim Pouska (talk) 01:04, 21 September 2017 (UTC)

Early Life
hello - I post this soon, maybe

Early Life
Joao Silva came to South Africa when he was nine year old. His parents immigrated from Portuguese Mozambique to South Africa, because of the war in the Colony. Silva was send to his godfather in Portugal for ten months. After his parents re-settled in Vereeniging, south of Johannesburg,  Silva came also as immigrant to South Africa. At the second last year of high school he dropping out, because the school hat nothing more to teach him, how he told his parents. A friend of mine was studying graphic design and one of his subjects was photography. One of the projects that he had to do was on speed, motion. He came to the racetrack with us to photograph the race cars going around in circles, and I kind of thought: “O.K., I can see myself in this role. This thing is right for me.” That was the first time I ever took pictures. The bug bit. Silva gave up his other jobs, bought a second hand camera and studied black-and-white photography at night school. At the end of 1989 he moved to Johannesburg and establish himself as photographer.

Sudan new text based on first reliable secondary source
Comment - as I researched the story about the evends in Ayod, Sudan. I have found some articles that were published, usually by reliable sources. But reading the article, I realized that the immagination and something else inspiered some journalists and authors to changed step by step detailes of the story. Also, eyewitness memory is fallible. I started to look for help at WT:QUOTE, and found as answer: "the earliest reliably-dated quotation should be included". OK - the first reliable source is for me the book by Greg Marionovivh and Joao Silva. This book, "The Bang-Bang Club: Snapshots from a Hidden War" is the basis of my editing today - plus some more reliably sources to get a NPOV.

Next the new text, which need again some more small formating and the refs first.

Invitation by UN Operation Lifeline Sudan
March 1993 Robert Hadley, a former photograph and at this time the information officer for the UN Operation Lifeline Sudan, offered Joao Silva and Kevin Carter to come to Sudan and report about the famine in South Sudan. It was a offer to go into southern Sudan with the rebels. Silva did see this as a change to work more as war-photographer in the future. He started the arrangements and secured assignments for the expenses of the travel. Silva told Carter about the offer and Kevin was also interested to go. To pay for the travel Carter secured some money from the Associated Press and others, but need to borrow money from Marinovich, for commitments back at home too. (Book page 110) Not known to Carter and Silva was all the time that the UN Operation Lifeline Sudan did have „great difficulties in securing funding for Sudan“, explains Marinovich on page 113. Marinovich wrote further: "The UN hoped to published the famine … Without publicity to show the need, it was difficult for aid organizations to sustain funding." About the politically differences and fighting "Joao and Kevin knew none of this – they just wanted to get in and shoot pictures". (Book page 113)

Waiting in Nairobi
Joao and Kevin had prepared carefully for the trip. They flew to Nairobi to get from there to Sudan. The new fighting in Sudan forced them to wait in Nairobi for an unspecified period of time. In between Kevin was flying with the UN for one day to Juba in the south Sudan to take photos of a barge, which food aid for the region. But soon the situation changed again. The UN received permission from a rebel group to fly food aid to Ayod in. Also Rob Hadley was flying on a UN light plane in and invited Joao and Kevin to fly with him to Ayod. (Book page 114)

In Ayod
The next day they arrived with the light plane in the tiny hamlet of Ayod. The cargo plane landed shortly thereafter. The villagers were already waiting next to the runway to get fast enough food. "Mother who hat joined the throng waiting for food left there children on the sandy ground nearby." wrote Marinovich and Silva. Joao and Kevin separated to shoot pictures of children and people, the living and dead victims of the hunger catastrophe that had arisen through the war. Kevin went several times to Joao to tell him about the shocking situation he had just photographed. Witnessing the famine touched his emotions very strongly. Joao was searching for rebel soldiers who could take him to someone in authority. Hi found some soldiers and Kevin jointed him. The soldiers did not speak English, but one was interested in Kevin’s wristwatch. Kevin gave him his cheap wristwatch as a gift. The soldiers were their bodyguards and followed them for their protection.

To stay a week with the rebels they need the permission of a rebel commander. Their plan would take of in an hour and without the permission they had to fly back. Again they separated and Joao went to the clinic complex to ask for the rebel commander. The rebel commander was to find in Kongor, south Sudan he was told. That was for Joao good news, „their little UN plane was heading there next“. He left the clinic and went back to the runaway, taking on his way pictures of cildren and people. "Hi came across a child lying on his face in the hot sun – hi took a picture".

The Photo: The vulture and the little girl
Kevin had see Joao on his way at the runaway and was fast going toward him and said: "‘Man’ he put one hand on Joao’s shoulder, the other covered his eyes. You won’t believe what I’ve just shot! … ‘I was shooting this kid on her knees, and then changed my angel, and suddenly there was this vulture right behind her! … And I just kept shooting – shot lots of film!"

Joao asked him where he did shoot the picture and was looking around to take the photo too. Kevin pointed to a place 50 meters away. Then Kevin told him that he had chasing the vulture away. He was complete shacked by the situation he had just photographed. He said to Joao "I see all this, and all I can think of is Megan." Megan was his young daughter. He lit a cigarette and became more emotional from moment to moment. „I can‘t wait to hug her when I get Home.“ A few minutes later they got into the little UN plane and left Ayod for Kongor.


 * Making timestamp for archiving purpose even if I didn't write the above text. cart -Talk  10:48, 1 October 2017 (UTC)

Not a valid reference - the book: Fujiwara, Aiko (2005). Ehagaki Ni Sareta Shōnen [The Boy who Became a Postcard].
Hello - The book Fujiwara, Aiko (2005). Ehagaki Ni Sareta Shōnen [The Boy who Became a Postcard]. Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan: Shueisha. ISBN 4-08-781338-X. - you can find only via amazon.jp. But the translation of the titel is not right, maybe. In a review I found the information the postcard on the frontpage of the book is from around 1930 and it is a photo taken in Lesotho. Best.--Maxim Pouska (talk) 05:44, 27 September 2017 (UTC)


 * I asked an editor for Japan by WP to translate the titel of the book from Japanese into English. He answered today an wrote: the titel is: Postcard Boy (絵はがきにされた少年).


 * I did not find a book with this titel or the Japanese titel on Amazon.com or AbeBooks.com or ebay.com. This reference is not more valid. With oclc.org no result too. I deled this in some days. Best.--Maxim Pouska (talk) 15:30, 30 September 2017 (UTC)
 * See my reply on your talk page. Also, I don't understand why you are using this talk page as a sort of sandbox with pieces from the article and refs, that is not what talk pages are about. It would be better if you set up sandboxes for these articles. cart -Talk  10:21, 1 October 2017 (UTC)
 * I'd have thought "Postcard Boy" would be quite a good translation for something that doesn't actually make sense in the original English? Perhaps your Japanese editor used GoogleTranslate, just like me. Martinevans123 (talk) 10:48, 1 October 2017 (UTC)
 * The translation used by Amazon is "Boy that is in postcard". Could that be the "official" translation of the title? --cart -Talk  11:27, 1 October 2017 (UTC)
 * This looks better "The boy has been in the postcard" - translated via Use this translation service for colloquial translations. Best.--Maxim Pouska (talk) 12:07, 1 October 2017 (UTC)
 * PS it looks every translator system find some differend translation - like systran, the first system too: The boy who makes the illustrated postcards Just like in France - every france translater will write it differend :-).

Sorry - this text I wrote only after reading the book by Marinovich and Silva - not on the basic of this not valuable book bei the Japan autor! "In Ayod[edit] The next day they arrived with the light plane in the tiny hamlet of Ayod. The cargo plane landed shortly thereafter. The villagers were already waiting next to the runway to get fast enough food.[17] "Mother who ... - I revert ref 17 now tho the reference from the book by Marinovich and Silva. Best.--Maxim Pouska (talk) 14:39, 1 October 2017 (UTC)


 * Sorry I've lost track of what we're trying to do here. Martinevans123 (talk) 22:24, 8 October 2017 (UTC)