--- title: TIME's 100 Most Influential Photos: Donna Ferrato | TIME description: There was nothing particularly special about Garth and Lisa or the violence that happened in their suburban New Jersey home's bathroom in 1982. Such acts usually happen privately, this time another person was in the room, photographer Donna Ferrato. canonical: https://time.com/video/dNkC7a04/ og:title: TIME's 100 Most Influential Photos: Donna Ferrato og:description: There was nothing particularly special about Garth and Lisa or the violence that happened in their suburban New Jersey home's bathroom in 1982. Such acts usually happen privately, this time another person was in the room, photographer Donna Ferrato. og:url: https://time.com/video/dNkC7a04/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/dNkC7a04/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: TIME's 100 Most Influential Photos: Donna Ferrato twitter:description: There was nothing particularly special about Garth and Lisa or the violence that happened in their suburban New Jersey home's bathroom in 1982. Such acts usually happen privately, this time another person was in the room, photographer Donna Ferrato. twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/dNkC7a04/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # TIME's 100 Most Influential Photos: Donna Ferrato > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: TIME's 100 Most Influential Photos: Donna Ferrato [Watch (HLS stream): TIME's 100 Most Influential Photos: Donna Ferrato](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/dNkC7a04.m3u8) (18:45)  _Published 2016-11-17. There was nothing particularly special about Garth and Lisa or the violence that happened in their suburban New Jersey home's bathroom in 1982. Such acts usually happen privately, this time another person was in the room, photographer Donna Ferrato._ --- Jul 27, 2023 9:09 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [TIME's 100 Most Influential Photos: Harry Benson](/video/UchdAGJa/) ### TIME's 100 Most Influential Photos: Harry Benson [First Take: Donna Ferrato](/video/tesOaG2F/) ### First Take: Donna Ferrato [TIME'S 30 Most Influential People On The Internet](/video/cuAGJfqf/) ### TIME'S 30 Most Influential People On The Internet --- ## Transcript [ BLANK_AUDIO ] Please welcome, Time's deputy director, Paul Moakley, photographer Donna Ferrato, and Elisabeth Lindberg. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] [ APPLAUSE ] [ APPLAUSE ] Good evening everyone. Thank you so much for being here. One of the strongest themes in our project for 100 photos, is photographic evidence. And photography is the undeniable The undeniable factor for photography to provide evidence against crimes like this, is just unbelievable. And tonight I'm joined here with one of my photographic hears Donna Pherato, and Elizabeth her long time calibrator and subject for her photo. Just, we're also joined here by all of Elizabeth's family and her children and relatives that have supported her throughout this entire project and process and her life, of course, but we're just at a time when journalism is being called into question. And it's just an interesting time for journalism in general. It's amazing to look at the relationship between a subject and a photographer and all the time and passion that goes into something like this. And we wouldn't be here today without both of you. So I just thank both of you. When this project started, we originally reached out to Donna. And we started talking about her photographs and we always knew of these photographs as the subjects in them were Lisa and Garth. And Donna always used pseudonyms to protect their identity and at this time we ask Donna if maybe Elizabeth would consider coming forward. And she did fortunately for this project. And Elizabeth, I just want to start with you. Why do you feel like right now is the right time for you to kind of begin talking about it? Well, I feel it is the right time for many reasons. And one of the reasons is that all my children are grown now, and my grand kids are too small to really understand it. And [ UNKNOWN ] passed away, so he can't do any more harm to us. And then also, it is 33, 34 years ago. And, I feel that I am An example for women that is in an abused relationship to not be afraid to leave because I have been successful in taking care of all the kids by myself and if I can be to any help. And inspire any woman today. I'm very happy for that. That's great, I just also want to go back to this photograph and to that evening. Could you just talk about it? I want to ask both of you this question. How did this night change both of your lives? And I just want to start with Elizabeth then Donna. Yeah. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] That night, [ BLANK_AUDIO ] that picture, it shattered all my dreams and illusion. I always believed That being loved me very much. He always put me on a pedestal. He always told me how beautiful I am and he always told me how much he loved me. So when, I always said if [ UNKNOWN ] ever do anything bad to me. I will not believe in anything anymore. And after that night, when he hit me for the first time, I just felt that everything he'd done had been a lie. I always said [ BLANK_AUDIO ] That I always trusted and believed in him so much. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] And this was just the beginning of course of what Donna captured was one of the first incidents of violence between you two? Yeah it get Got valid valet because I think he understood that he couldn't manipulate and control me anymore, so he got very, very angry about that. And, yeah. It really, really was a nightmare from that time on until the time I finally could leave. And if I did not leave I would not have survived. That's how bad it was. And Donna, you've kept in touch with Elizabeth throughout this entire time period, but you could tell us what this night was like for you and how it just changed the course of what you've been doing? I mean everything that I've done for the last 32 years is owed to you Elizabeth really and to your children. And to all the young girls out there in the world, including my daughter, who was in the closet that night. We don't talk about that very much, but she was just a little baby that I put in the closet when I heard you screaming and ran down to see what was happening. I was. Devastated. I never expected. I'd seen a lot of things happening in your house. I never expected him to lay a hand on you, in anger like that. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] I didn't know that things like this ever happened to women. I've always thought that home was a sanctuary for women and children and families. So you opened my eyes. And then it was really, what compelled me moreso was the inability for the media to really get behind your story, to care much about it. Because, not that they didn't care, I know that they were terrified when they saw these pictures, but they were afraid to do anything with it. They were afraid to be sued. They were afraid, so it just really made me work so much harder to understand what other women Who are in situations like you were in, what they go through, and how they are treated, and where do they run to? I felt like I needed to follow in your shoes, and follow in all women's' shoes. It's really been an insane obsession Because I think it's the most horrible thing that could ever happen to any woman. To be beaten by someone that she loves and that she thought was her partner and has children with. But I really learned a lot from this, I've And you know when we talk about the 100- grade photos. I have some of your other work too, Don. They're from-- Uh- huh. All the years, but you were saying? But I think that for me, a photograph can be very powerful, but what makes it Into a really great picture, and that something that I strive for is to provide some kind of proof or evidence of something that's happening that's often denied. That's purely what I'm after, and I always, that's why I need to live With you I need to keep going deeper and deeper. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] We've been meeting each other through all these years and sharing the births of our grandchildren. [ LAUGH ] You have three grandchildren now. So when we started the movie it was two. [ LAUGH ] It was quite some time ago. Yeah. Donna, do you wanna talk a little bit about some of the photographs from the last 32 years? It's actually since we filmed it 34 years. [ LAUGH ] But- Yes, this is a And a young boy named Diamond who was very angry with his father for attacking the mother and as the police, he called the police and he showed the police where the weapon was hidden. It was 9: 00 in the morning, I was fumbling because all of the windows were. Shuttered, and there was no light, and I was fumbling to get a flash on, and get it ready, and not knowing what was gonna happen next. [ BLANK_AUDIO ] When we were brought out into the living room, it was pitch dark there. And, the flash was on I couldn't see anything. I didn't see what was on the TV. I couldn't see anything. The flash went off and I had to sort of focus manually to make sure I was getting what I was hearing. This boy I have met him when he was 22 years old and spent time with him and So you're still following up with your subjects completely? Most of the children. I spend time with Jeannette. A quite a bit of time, brought her to my home for a while when she was having a problem. I really wanna know what's going on with the children, because for me, the cycle of violence must be broken the way that Elizabeth did it. She went out, as soon as she saw she could not take it with this man, that he was gonna kill her, he was killing the children, then it was time for me- Mm- hm. To, then I realized that I needed to know what happens with the children, 10, 20, 30 years later, and how all of this affects them. So that's what I've been doing. And besides living with people in their homes, you've been exploring, you ride along with the police, you went to shelters, you explored what was happening with the men in therapy. And then I started a not- for- profit organization back in 91 to raise money for shelters because And I'm still doing that. I'm still having these fundraisers and fighting for shelters. Because I think if we as a society, if we can't do everything we can to make sure that a woman who is ready to leave and she needs support and we can't make sure that there are shelters in every County and every city where a woman can hide and be safe. And grow strong again, and keep her children safe. Then we're worthless. And I think we have to fight even harder today. Because of the anti- woman sentiment that. We are being forced to swallow. And you have your campaign I am unbeatable if anyone's interested there's a really wonderful website with lots of resources and Donna's book Sleeping With the Enemy is also. Living. Living With the Enemy, sorry. Yeah. Excuse me. [ LAUGH ] Bad [ CROSSTALK ] movie reference. [ LAUGH ] [ LAUGH ] Living With the Enemy is also a handbook actually for people who are victims of domestic violence. And it provides ways of finding resources and help, which is extraordinary at the time. And it is something that Aperture has always kept in print. I'm just going through some of your other photos [ UNKNOWN ] running. Tire marks, she had tire marks on her chest. Her Boyfriend had pushed her out of the car. They were fighting about child custody and he pushed her out and then he ran over her. And nobody knew it until the doctor lifted her t- shirt up and saw the tire marks on her chest. With all of these, it's not easy to wait in a emergency room for days and nights at a time, and wait for a woman to come in like this. And then to have to ask permission to photograph. And then to get releases. All of my stories, Elizabeth even banked. Everybody signed releases throughout the process and for me, getting releases is extremely important because then it becomes a participation between me and the people I'm photographing. They know exactly why I'm there. It's always been really important for people to know I'm there, I work for Life magazine, I work for Time magazine. And it's also your question so much by people for releases, and for the actual to prove the- They were all afraid to publish anything unless I had releases, so I had to prove to them That they could publish these because I would get these ironclad releases. One question I wanted to ask you Donna. Just, when we've published any images of domestic violence and, including yours and some more recent ones, ones of the big questions that comes up is when do you interfere and when do you take pictures? And could you tell us a little bit about What happened with Elizabeth? You know, I've only interfered twice really in my life. And the first time was with Bankt, when he went to hit you the second time. You know, I don't really think that a photographer needs to stand there and take the same picture over and over again a million times. I saw you being hit that one time and that was enough for me. I couldn't bear it, to see him do that again to you. And then after that as years went by I always said that if I ever saw another man attack his wife when I was there, I would use my camera. And this actually is the little camera that took your picture. This is an M4. And it still works. But I always said I would bash a man in the head to make him stop. But then many years later in the '90s I was doing another story for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. When I witnessed the boy strangling his sister in front of me. I had no expectation that this was going to happen. Again, it was shocking but I could not use my camera to bash him in the head. To make him stop. I took the picture and then I said to the mother, who was driving the car, Please stop the car. I need to go out and talk to Ernie. And I brought him out of the car and explained to him, I know your father's in prison for trying to kill your mother. I know you're angry. But you can't hit a woman and you can't hurt your sister. So those are the only two times that I've ever intervened. Yeah. Well, one thing I love about the photo is just, it's so, the photographer is the undeniable presence of you. You're in the photograph. You're in the photograph of Elizabeth. And you're on the front line of these things, and you're very tough to be there, and put yourself in these situations and try to give voice to them But I'm just wondering for Elizabeth can you talk a little bit about, the photograph also Donna didn't publish it for many years later and I'm just wondering when you finally saw the photograph and when you see it now, did it force you to confront anything about? That time or change [ UNKNOWN ] Yes, absolutely, it did. when I see the picture now I see that innocent girl, trusted, believed in people. And I really never thought I could do anything without [ UNKNOWN ]. We met in '67. And in '69, America flied to the Moon. And I was actually very surprised that they can do that without [ UNKNOWN ]. [ LAUGH ] That's how much I trusted him, believed in him. So looking back at that picture now, I see how far I have come. I mean we was normal happy family coming from Sweden. We had four children and fifth in this country. We build our dream home, drove our dream cars, we lived the American dream. He was very successful and I really see how far I have come from that. When I was on the street with nothing, how I lived with friends, went through myself school, get my own place. And took my children to me one by one. And we all have been a great life together, many nice holy days, birthdays and vacations. So I feel very proud of where I'm at today. Well we're so proud of you for sharing this story and being here with your family. and it's been amazing getting to know all of you. And we're just about out of time here. Are we gonna take any questions or? I think we're just gonna move on but we'll be here afterwards if anyone has any questions and Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. 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