Doves Just Don't Do It Anymore

There are plenty of iconic war images that stick in the mind. But try and think of a photo that really defines peace and it is much more difficult. We have teamed up with photographer Ted Giffords to seek out positive, active pictures that shout out loud what it is to be free of war.

It’s a difficult concept to capture. Ted has already made trips to Sri Lanka, Kenya and Uganda with further trips in the pipeline. The next stage of the project is to look closer to home here in the UK. What images of peace can be found on our own doorstep?

Ted’s had some difficult assignments in the past, most notably for the BBC’s Planet Earth. But he says the task of photographing peace is, “…probably the hardest task as a photographer that I have ever faced. We’re so motivated by images of conflict in the media that it is almost impossible to visualise the absence of conflict without being incredibly naff. I guess that whatever the resulting images, success will be judged by how much debate we stimulate.”

Here are some of the images Ted has taken so far. We want them to capture your imagination – could you do better? Can you think of an image – something you’ve seen on your travels or something in your community that really defines peace for you? Join the debate by emailing your thoughts and pictures to chris@peacedirect.org

Visit the Today Programme’s website at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/

Listen again to the item at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/

Visit Ted Giffords website at www.tedgiffords.co.uk

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