A world in pictures - Taylor Stewart

In 1994, South African photojournalist Kevin Carter won the Pulitzer Prize for his striking photograph of a Sudanese child being stalked by a vulture.

At face value, the picture brought light to the severe famine in Sudan, and promoted several aid efforts to help those affected. But this photo tells a story not only beyond the lens of the camera, but behind it as well.

While in Sudan, in the village of Ayod, Carter found a tiny, emaciated toddler struggling to make her way to the nearby food station. While she stopped to rest, a vulture landed nearby and watched the little girl. Carter took twenty minutes to take the photo, wanting the best shot possible, before chasing the bird away.

Now, one would expect a happy ending to this story. Photojournalist captures horrific image in a starving country, saves toddler from death, all while promoting interest in defeating the famine. That's exactly what people were asking when the photo was released in 1993. They wanted to know what had happened to the girl, if Carter had rescued her. New York Times, publisher of the photograph, issued a statement saying the girl was able to make it to the food station, but no one knows what happened after that. Because of this, Carter was bombarded with questions about why he did not save the girl, why he only used her to get a good shot.

In 1994, Kevin Carter committed suicide.

His death was not solely a result of the Sudan incident. He had spiraled into a depression, not uncommon with photojournalists like him, their jobs dependent on capturing the pits of humanity through a lens. He expressed regret in not helping the child, though in actuality, there wasn't much he could do (an estimated 20 people were dying per hour at the food center). This photo, and the story behind it, are a stark reminder of the magnitude of effect images have on humanity.

Did Carter see himself in the vulture? According to his daughter, he saw himself as the child, and the world as his vulture. No one can truly know the circumstances and motivations behind his death, but it simply shows how much a single photo can change so many things, and bring awareness to others.