[Leica] The camera doesn't lie!

["Gib Robinson" <robinson@sfsu.edu>]

Ted quoted:

"Lying with photographs is more serious than lying with words, because
> people believe that the camera cannot lie."
>

Blatant lying with a photograph is way past easy, even without the help of
digital equipment. I remember during a period of protest in the 60's, the SF
Chronicle and the Oakland Tribune ran virtually the same photo of a protest
march on the front page; but the Chronicle had airbrushed out an American
flag carried by one of the protesters at the front of the march. It was an
easy alteration with significant implications and an obvious motive. In this
case their lie was exposed because of the presence of an unaltered version
of virtually the same image in the Oakland paper. I assume most such "lies"
go undetected and certainly unpunished.

To me the harder thing to do is to keep in mind that I am not telling the
only truth with any photo. It's easy to start believing my own "hype" about
a subject I photograph.

In some cases we are likely to be paid to tell one kind of truth and only
one kind of truth -- as in portrait photos, weddings, corporate PR and the
like. I've always admired painters who painted royalty and produced images
that were not altogether flattering -- risking their careers and, perhaps,
their lives.

Do Nachtwey and Salgado tell the truth? The same truth? The only truth? How
about Tina and Ted?

- --Gib