There is something utterly eerie and haunting about this missing person photo series. Showing us what was left behind by those who have gone missing in El Salvador, 'The Last Outfit of the Missing' is traumatizing and is likely to haunt you for a while.
The harrowing missing person photo series was captured by photographer Fred Ramos who tackles the 'los desaparecidos (the disappeared)' phenomena in El Salvador. With one of the highest murder rates in the world because of the rampant gang violence, many have been captured as victims with no signs of them except what is left behind as this series portrays. What Ramos is trying to do with this project is shine a light on this terrifying issue as it has been ongoing for the past few years with no government policy to deal with it.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Missing Persons Awareness
- Creating haunting photography series and other awareness campaigns can prompt people to think more about the issue and work to find solutions.
- Documentary Photography
- using the power of documentary photography to raise awareness about social issues and drive political and social change present opportunities for photographers.
- Human Rights Photography
- Photographers can leverage their skills to create a community-driven human rights photography series that adds to the discourse surrounding human rights.
Where This Applies
- Photography
- Serving as documentarians of important social issues or movements and generating awareness through projects and campaigns presents new opportunities of outreach photography.
- Social Activism
- As this series highlights, it allows for social advocates to use photos or video as advocates for social change.
- Media
- Telling stories that resonate with the general public and that can bring about solution-oriented changes in the polity presents an opportunity for media companies to produce meaningful content.
