1) Bradford Edwards took the photographs with the central and only focus being the zippo lighter's he collected from the Vietnam War. It seems to me that each photograph was taken with the photographer standing directly over the lighter. I believe by doing this and shooting the photographs in color Bradford Edwards ensures that the details are seen and the messages engraved into each lighter are clear to the viewer. By allowing the viewer to see the images in color, the artist provides another level of authenticity because it helps to highlight vaguely what the soldiers endured mentally and physically during their time at war.
2) In the first image the soldier who owned the zippo lighter tried to use humor as a way to combat the stresses and fatigue of war. You can see by the photograph that the lighter has been discolored and chipped. I would assume by the condition of the lighter that the servicemen that carried it had a rough time at war. The second photograph has an insult to the enemy engraved on it. By engraving that message on the lighter, the soldier ensures that even in the tragic event of his death, he still gets the last laugh. The third photograph shows a zippo lighter with two messages engraved on it. In the Vietnam war most servicemen were drafted into the army, the tone of the first message leads me to believe that this soldier was drafted as well. I really like the second message that is engraved on the lighter, I think that when the soldier read that message it gave him a boost of confidence and fed his ego a little bit. These photographs really allow the viewer a small window into what our soldiers endured mentally and physically during the Vietnam war and I believe that is what Bradford Edwards is trying to convey through these images.
3) I think that this series of photographs is extremely unique in the way that most people collect war diaries or letters written to loved ones because those items depict the emotional and physical hardships of the soldiers. But this series still has the power to convey those same emotions and I think that is what originally drew me in to this photographer. Just by looking at three zippo lighters the viewer is able to see a wide range in the soldiers personalities and emotions from using humor to combat war fatigue, to taunting the enemy, to ego boosting messages.
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