[Leica] Stock Photography

[chs2018 at med.cornell.edu (Chris Saganich)]

And if anyone wishes to save photography from oblivion there needs to 
be a serious critical perception shift away from the devaluation of 
imagery which is promoted through editorial and advertising.  This 
can start by critically thinking about the role of imagery in 
non-ethical advertising practices.  I consider all advertising 
non-ethical but that is just my somewhat radical (but justified) 
view.  Yes. I'm likely to deface a billboard rather then chain myself 
to an old oak tree...so laugh if you like I find advertising an 
initial condition for much of the modern ill's we face, from economy 
to obesity, because it creates and manipulates all our cues.  Cues, 
or another way to look at it is our salient attention, what we pay 
attention to.  Images are used predominantly to create and reinforce 
our cues.  As Tina's images cue people to care or give money on the 
positive side, similar images could be used to cue people to despise 
and vilify the same people.  When I walk around I see images that are 
predominantly used in ways to cue people into unhealthy socially and 
civilly degrading behavior and thinking.  I don't see a cell phone 
advertisement, I see the promotion of a product that will very likely 
have profound health effects on its heaviest users 20 years from 
now.  When I see a child enjoying a Happy Meal I don't see a happy 
kid, I see 100 million 25 year olds with a health profile that makes 
most doctors shudder and the collapse of our health care 
system.  Call it a crusade I suppose but I HATE ADVERTISING and 
images are it's core component.   So it turns my stomach to see 
photography and images used like that to cue people into all these 
unhealthy, negative behaviors just for the profit.  Profit over 
people is mostly how I see images being used.  It's just a 
living?...a living breathing, breeding, disaster in my opinion.


At 06:11 PM 10/21/2009, you wrote:
>From: "Chris Saganich" <chs2018 at med.cornell.edu>
>To: "Leica Users Group" <lug at leica-users.org>
>Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 2009 12:50 PM
>Subject: Re: [Leica] Stock Photography
>
>
>>Advertising IS maleficence in action.  Editorial is not so much
>>better in my book, just promoting the rational.  It's easy to
>>rationalize "making a living" doing just about anything.  Too bad
>>that seems to be where the argument ends, that making a living
>>justifies ignoring the ethical comportment of the industries we work
>>in.  I can only wish I could choose which images could be stripped
>>naked, exploited, and discarded and which ones could not.    The very
>>idea of purposely making an image for that destiny turns my
>>stomach.  Like a rack of ribs to a Buddhist.
>
>Gee Chris I sure wish I understood what you mean ? Maybe I could be 
>of help to clear this up in your description. Maybe?
>Dr. ted
>
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