Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/08/18

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Subject: [Leica] Magnum's Chris Anderson on Lebanon vs. Robert Capa/Chim Seymour
From: scott at adrenaline.com (Scott McLoughlin)
Date: Fri Aug 18 07:05:25 2006
References: <C10B3B4B.13EA6%bd@bdcolenphoto.com>

Excellent points all around.

I put scare quotes around the term "collateral damage"
just because some might find it an offensive euphemism
for "dead innocent civilians."  This wasn't meant to criticise
Anderson choice of subject - just a segway to a comparison
with Seymour.

My point wasn't necessarily to bust Anderson's chops; I
don't know his other work, and he's very likely a fine
photographer.

I was just surprised at the quality of this series of snaps.

Scott

B. D. Colen wrote:

>Comparison, Scott, is always fair, if those being compared are playing on
>the 'same field.' Here you're comparing professional photographers covering
>war and its aftermath - so if Nachtwey is the modern standard setter, he's
>the one against whom other professionals should be judged.
>
>That said - consider that what you're seeing of Capa and Chim's work is
>their absolute best, culled, reculled, judged, and reculled, over the past
>60 years; what you're seeing of Anderson's work are probably the images he
>edited and  transmitted to the syndicate while on the ground in a war zone -
>and that makes a huge difference. First off, we are all our own absolute
>worst editors; second, it's one thing for a curator to go through work that
>was shot 50 years ago and dispassionately choose the best x hundred images
>from thousands and thousands, and it's another thing for a photographer on
>the ground, with bombs falling, to decide what 50 images to send over the
>Sat phone.
>
>None of this is to disagree with your judgment, I'm simply trying to refine
>the discussion a bit.
>
>Oh, one last point - most of Capa and Chim's work was not of combat, but of
>collateral damage.
>B. D.
>
>
>  
>

-- 
Pics @ http://www.adrenaline.com/snaps
Leica M6TTL, Bessa R, Nikon FM3a, Nikon D70, Rollei AFM35
(Jihad Sigint NSA FBI Patriot Act)



Replies: Reply from bd at bdcolenphoto.com (B. D. Colen) ([Leica] Magnum's Chris Anderson on Lebanon vs. Robert Capa/Chim Seymour)
Reply from walt at waltjohnson.com (Walt Johnson) ([Leica] Magnum's Chris Anderson on Lebanon vs. Robert Capa/Chim Seymour)
In reply to: Message from bd at bdcolenphoto.com (B. D. Colen) ([Leica] Magnum's Chris Anderson on Lebanon vs. Robert Capa/Chim Seymour)