> Well I guess, my problem is that I consider news photos as editorial > illustrations, not some super meaningful documentation.
Yes, I can see how that would be a problem and lead you into all sorts of difficulties. > Strangely without > captions those particular photos have no particular meaning > at all, That's true of almost all news / reportage photographs, almost by definition. What's your point? -- Bob > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > Behalf Of graywolf > Sent: 27 September 2007 18:09 > To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List > Subject: Re: Chicken or Egg Photo Story - NY Times > > Well I guess, my problem is that I consider news photos as editorial > illustrations, not some super meaningful documentation. > Strangely without > captions those particular photos have no particular meaning > at all, a dirt road > somewhere with a bunch of round stones. The are called > critics because they are > critical you have to take anything they say with a grain of salt. > > If the Iwo Jima photo was taken in a studio in California is > it an any less > powerful image? Would it have less meaning to a people at > war? It is easy to sit > in our comfortable living rooms decades later and talk about > it as if it were > some kind of conspiracy, but it was a powerful wartime > propaganda photo > regardless of when and where and how it was taken. > > The error comes in thinking of news photos as some kind of > archaeological > documentation made for later generations. They are not, nor > were they intended > as such. > > > Bob W wrote: > > it's important to challenge people who claim without evidence that > > important historical or journalistic photos, or writings or whatever > > are in some way fake or misleading. It's important because it is > > through history and news (which is after all only history > with the ink > > still wet) that we gain our understanding of the world and our place > > in it. It is through news and history that we learn, so as not to > > repeat earlier mistakes, and only by being able to trust the sources > > of history and news is that possible. > > > > There always seem to be claims of fakery swirling around some of the > > most important news photos - the flag on Iwo Jima, Capa's Falling > > Soldier, now this one. I'm sure I could think of more if I > put my mind > > to it. These claims, when false, undermine people's ability to trust > > news photography and play into the hands of people who wish to > > manipulate the news, history and us. > > > > On another level, if someone like Susan Sontag, a respected critic, > > was sloppy in the research on which she based an important > book which > > has influenced many people's views on news photography, then we need > > to know about that because it must affect the way we look at all her > > writing, and the many consequences of her writing. > > > > -- > > Bob > > > > > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > >> Behalf Of graywolf > >> Sent: 26 September 2007 22:45 > >> To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List > >> Subject: Re: Chicken or Egg Photo Story - NY Times > >> > >> Why is it so interesting? I see nothing that makes any > >> difference to anyone but > >> a few folks who want to be taken for pundits. The lighting > >> shows that the sun > >> was more overhead in the second photo, but if the > >> photographer was into faking > >> his photos, he could well have lied about the time he took > >> them. It reminds me > >> of the title to one of Shakespeare's plays, "Much ado about > > nothing". > >> > >>>> Subject: Chicken or Egg Photo Story - NY Times > >>>> > >>>> http://tinyurl.com/2oczre > >> -- > >> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > >> PDML@pdml.net > >> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > >> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly > >> above and follow the directions. > >> > >> > > > > > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > PDML@pdml.net > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly > above and follow the directions. > > -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
