Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/04/10

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: Re: [Leica] RE: Eric's site & the LUG Gestapo
From: "Harrison McClary" <hmcclary@earthlink.net>
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1998 21:31:50 +0000

Dan Post wrote:

> Don't under estimate the value of your work. Sure, if you take a nice
> competent picture of a fire, and firemen working to put it out, it may just


By saying he is not an artist Eric is not underestimating the value of 
his work, nor implying that he thinks his images are of less value 
than an "artist". 

Eric is a news photographer and we news photographers kinda get a 
little ticked when people start accusing us of being artists.  

We go to school and learn how to tell stories with 
our cameras and are every bit as much of a reporter as the word 
smith is.  I can't recall how many times I have been not only the guy 
taking the photos, but the on scene reporter gathering all pertinent 
information and quotes to either file the story myself, or to give 
info from first hand accounts to the wordsmiths.

To be an effective news photographer you have to be able to capture a 
telling image from the madness you are sent to cover, be it a hostage 
situation where the hostage holder is shooting at the cops and 
media, covering a fire, plane crash, car wreck, hurricane, 
tornado, a sporting event, election, or just some people out enjoying 
a nice day.

"There are those who think the proudest title in the communications 
profession is :"Working News Photographer." " --quote from Carl Olson 
Editor The best of photojournalism/10 newspaper and magazine 
photographers of the year.  I think this quote sums up most new 
photogs attitude pretty well.

Harrison McClary
http://people.delphi.com/hmphoto