Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/09/08
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Steve: You mean there are doctors who do surgery just to make payments on their wives' BMW's ? For shame. If I'd have said such someone (most likely Paul) would have called me cynical. :-P walt Steve Barbour wrote: > somehow I keep following this thread and thinking of the difference > between those surgeons who do surgery to save lives, and those > surgeons who do unnecessary surgery... > > Steve > > > On Sep 8, 2005, at 8:39 AM, Ted Grant wrote: > >> Neil Schneider offered: >> >>>> You have to give the media credit for getting the story and the heart >>>> >> wrenching images out. We may not always do it perfectly (and you are in >> that "we") But we do work at our jobs with compassion also.<<< >> >> G'day Neil, >> Well yes the story is beyond the imagination of most and it should >> be covered. But the media of today have evolved into a howling pack >> of "images first and who cares! Get them no matter who suffers, but >> get them!" >> >> However, read my lips carefully... "NOT ALL OF THEM" and you are >> included in "not all of them." However when one caught FOX TV and >> CNN there main focus, as always, is on the grimest material they can >> find. The stills shooters, if let in enmass would be like an >> invasion of cockroaches scurrying around looking for their visuals >> flashing in the faces of those most suffering. >> >> And yes many newsphotographers do show compassion for subject and >> use care in photographing suffering souls. But there are more and >> more of the "worst rat-pack" types evolving partially because the >> digital era has made it possible for these types to become part of >> the previously clean honourable profession as a newsphotograher. >> >> When it was "film only" we'd shoot, know how to soup film, make >> prints in the bathroom of a hotel and know how to operate wire photo >> machines. And with that, it eliminated the mental midgets of today >> who because they have a digital exposing machine of some kind, claim >> to be "media." And with many of these people it's more a "thrill >> of the kill" in getting some sort of exposure and having it >> published, than anything to do with the honour of being a news >> photographer with compassion. >> >> >>>>> Gosh Ted, so beautifully laid out with such calm reasoning. Perhaps >>>>> >>> FEMA should have just let you in there with your super >>> quiet Leicas, sans flash, for it looks like you might be the only >>> one to shoot such a sensitive story.<<< >>> >> >> Unfortunately good sir I think you maybe a tad facitious, as there >> are many far better skilled than I at that kind of subject. >> >> >>> Sounds like you don't give any credit to anyone else for knowing >>> how to handle a situation like this except experienced >>> photojournalists like yourself.. Shame on you for such an elitist >>> attitude, <<< >>> >> >> Now Neil you know better than that, as I've had my ass shot off on >> more occasions than I'd care to admit, but that's all part of being >> a news-photographer amidst ones competitors. Goes with the >> territory. However, in this case a photojournalist with experince >> would be far better, or lets say should be, than the cell phone-p&s >> digi camera pack . >> >> >>>> and shame on >>>> >>> government agencies who try to control what the rest of the world >>> is entitled to see. Yes I said entitled. A tragedy of this >>> magnitude, which was most likely caused by government cutbacks, and >>> is now trying to be hidden from public scrutiny by that same >>> government, should be exploited to its fullest.<<< >>> >> >> Quite right, it shouldn't have been covered up if that was and is >> the case. >> >> >>> Why do you suppose there are so many photojournalists from >>> around the world there, as you say "like a battery of paparazzi". >>> Think they're just there for the body pictures........or could it >>> be that >>> there is so many world wide media organizations now that its >>> inevitable when anything major happens.<<<<<< >>> >> >> Well it's logical they are there in such huge numbers because of the >> magnitude of the disaster. And the advent of the big stock agencies >> now prodcing a great deal of photography to out market the general >> wire news services. >> >> >>> Do you like controlled, government embedding, with censors >>> approving every image to its sensitivity values.<< >>> >> >> Well embedding if you like began in seriousness for the Iraqi >> invastion so it could be controlled. And I do not agree with >> governemnt censorship at any time of any subject. >> >> >>> Do you really believe the US President is forbidding the caskets of >>> dead soldiers to be photographed to spare the families, or to spare >>> his own image. Everyone remembers Viet Nam and how the press "lost" >>> that war for the US.<<,, >>> >> >> This is a subject as a non-American I am not at liberty to comment on. >> >> >>> And those poor souls trapped in the Superdome simply because they >>> didn't have the means to leave the city. Do you really believe that >>> they don't want to vent their anger over this, to the first camera >>> or reporter they see. Sure, there were pictures of unidentified >>> bodies in the arena.<<<<<, >>> >> >> Sure they should vent their anger or whatever comment they wish to >> make as freely as they can. But that has nothing to do with still >> photgraphers and we're discussing photography and photographers. >> >> >>> It showed the deplorable condition these people were kept under, >>> the lack of food, water, medical care. I wonder what would of >>> happened if >>> these images were never shown. How many more bodies would have been >>> piled up. Babies, dead from dehydration in their mothers arms.<<<< >>> >> >> >>> You have to give the media credit for getting the story and the >>> heart wrenching images out. We may not always do it perfectly (and >>> you are in that "we") But we do work at our jobs with compassion >>> also.<<<< >>> >> >> We media people generally manage to circumvent " governement control >> " if you like some way or other, not always as fast as we'd like. >> But what many government bureaucrats never learn is... "the tougher >> they try to control the media, the tougher we become at getting the >> story. If for no other reason than doing an end run around them to >> see what they're hiding or didn't do correctly." >> >> But in some cases control is necessary. The coverage in the >> Superedome could have been done so simply with care and compassion >> on a "pool" basis. Simply using the most experinced photographer or >> two and TV crew to shoot inside. Then whatever is shot belongs to all. >> >> However, that may not work in your country as the media would end up >> fighting amongst themselves with court orders etc to decide whom was >> selected to shoot. Then by the time the company lawyers and court >> got finished, NO would've been re-built! Still no pictures! >> >> ted >> >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > >