Contemplative Portraits of Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan

Share:

Self-taught photographer Suzanne Opton, whose work we learned about on website Booooooom, photographed American soldiers at Fort Drum, New York between tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. The resulting series, simply titled Soldier, is an intimate, contemplative look at the effects of war. Each horizontal portrait was presented as a billboard in various cities. Some photos find the military figures gazing back at us with blank and soulful expressions. Others stare off into the distance and remind us that these images could have easily been taken in a hospital bed, or worse. See Opton’s unique perspective on soldiers during combat in our gallery.

Image credit: Suzanne Opton

Image credit: Suzanne Opton

Image credit: Suzanne Opton

Image credit: Suzanne Opton

Image credit: Suzanne Opton

Image credit: Suzanne Opton

Image credit: Suzanne Opton

Image credit: Suzanne Opton

Image credit: Suzanne Opton

Image credit: Suzanne Opton