Cavalry Camp, Balaklava 1855

Roger Fenton captured “Cavalry Camp, Balaklava” using the collodion process, a technique that was still in its relative infancy. This photograph offers a stark view into the Crimean War, one of the first major conflicts to be documented through photography. Fenton, as a member of the British elite, was commissioned to counter negative war reporting. His images, while technically impressive, often skirted the brutal realities of war, focusing instead on scenes of military life and portraits of officers. Look closely and you will see the absence of wounded or dead soldiers, which speaks volumes about the politics embedded in early war photography. Notice how the tents are neatly arranged, and how the figures appear stoic, almost posed. The romanticized view contrasts sharply with the accounts of disease and squalor that plagued the troops. "Cavalry Camp, Balaklava” invites us to reflect on how photography can both reveal and conceal truths, shaping public perception during times of conflict.