[Leica] Crazy

[pklein at threshinc.com (Peter Klein)]

Some interesting discussion on the incident here:
http://www.petapixel.com/2010/03/03/world-press-photo-disqualifies-winner/

It is all well and good to be concerned about the integrity of 
photography and journalism. But "rules" designed to protect that 
integrity have become ends in themselves, and they're turning 
photojournalism and photo contests into a game of "gotcha."  If we can 
catch someone doing something that was perfectly acceptable in the 
darkroom days, we can take away their reputation, and feel oh so good 
about having caught a rogue.  By today's standards, Gene Smith would 
have been quickly drummed out of the profession. And wouldn't that have 
purified the integrity of photography?

What really matters is the intent of the photographer.  If he was 
clarifying things by removing a distracting element that was irrelevant 
to the main content of the image, he is not a liar or a rogue. But the 
"rules" say he is. Even though the photo was in the features category, 
not hard news.

It is far easier to have a blanket rule than to evaluate things in 
context, and it is easy and convenient to let the rule become a 
substitute for the integrity it is supposed to protect.  I understand 
the slippery slope argument. But some of the most interesting work can 
happen on the edge of the slope, and I'm troubled by the glee with which 
some exorcise those who stick a toe over that edge.

I agree that under the rules of the contest, the photo is ineligible. 
But I'm troubled by the premise of the rule itself.  It is just as easy 
to lie with a dodge, burn or crop.

--Peter

> It says "Damon Runyon" because that's what the original Damon Runyon 
> portrayed. But he wrote about actual scenes - in color with lots of 
> people milling around. He didn't lie or misrepresent what he saw. 
> Neither did this photographer. Tina 

> On Fri, Mar 5, 2010 at 5:02 PM, John Edwin Mason <profmason at 
> yahoo.com>wrote: > 
> >/ The contest photo says "Damon Runyon." The reality of the actual 
> event was/ >/ "Family Circus." And that is a gross misrepresentation. 
> It is a lie./ > >/ Sure, all photos lie. It's a favorite cliche and 
> one that I pull out in my/ >/ teaching all the time. What we're really 
> saying is that some degree of/ >/ subjectivity is inevitable. That's 
> why we have standards to keep things/ >/ under control./ > >/ --John/ > >