Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2015/05/29
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Jayanand The situation to which i was referring, and the one often quoted, is that of a man obviously in a civil war situation holding a AK47 and firing it through a hole in the wall. Now, is he a terrorist or a freedom fighter? The caption immediately steers the viewers image one way or the other. Thinking of my own work, I am currently involved in a documentary piece about food banks, and have (for example) a volunteer checking the date code on some food. In the general context of the finished set it should be clear what she is doing but out of context as a single image it could, with the aid of a caption, be either ?volunteer checking date code? or ?woman considering a purchase?. Captions can be misleading. It has nothing to do with the laziness of the photographer. Gerry Gerry Walden 023 8046 3076 > On 29 May 2015, at 17:42, Jayanand Govindaraj <jayanand at gmail.com> > wrote: > > Gerry, > Doesn't that mean that the photographer was lazy with the wording of his > caption? > Cheers > Jayanand > > > On Fri, May 29, 2015 at 8:43 PM, Gerry Walden <gerry.walden at icloud.com> > wrote: > >> There is also the point that under certain circumstances the use of a >> caption can influence the viewers interpretation of the image to the >> detriment of the original intention of the photographer. >> >> Gerry >> >> Sent from my iPad >> >>> On 29 May 2015, at 15:19, Robert Baron <robertbaron1 at gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>> An interesting point of view, Jayanand, and to be honest not one I had >>> really considered before you raised it. Maybe that is because her >>> photographs ring true to me as depictions of the culture I am part of, >> but >>> I'll need to think about that some more. >>> >>> Even the photographs she made of cultures I am not familiar with have the >>> ring of truth to them, in my opinion, and I now think about the war zone >>> photographs of shooters like James Nachtwey and wonder if they need >>> captions and if not why not? Would you think Salgado's famous >> photographs >>> of the gold mine or of the train station need text? An argument can be >>> made that some things should allow for use of the viewer's imagination - >> or >>> sense of investigation if the viewer wants to learn more about the >> subject. >>> >>> Educators trying to teach students (or trial lawyers like me trying to >>> teach a jury) will say you should not spoon feed every bit of information >>> to the audience but leave some for the audience to figure out; it is >> better >>> learned and retained that way. Should that maxim also apply to >>> documentary/documenting photography? >>> >>> Again: you raise an interesting point and I'm going to think about it. >>> >>> Regards, >>> >>> --Bob >>> >>> >>> >>> ===On Thu, May 28, 2015 at 10:41 PM, Jayanand Govindaraj < >> jayanand at gmail.com >>>> wrote: >>> >>>> Bob, >>>> Interesting. TFS. >>>> >>>> What struck me is that most of the pictures have no emotional impact for >>>> me, like the girls in the gang on the street, without her narration, as >> I >>>> am not steeped in the nitty gritties of US culture. Goes against what >> Kyle >>>> says that one of her tenets was, about not having a caption. I think >> that >>>> is valid when you have a mono cultural, homogenous viewership for your >>>> work, but once you have a cross cultural audience, a little explanation, >>>> like a caption, is invaluable to create the emotional impact! Of course, >>>> this observation is for the sort of photographs that she took, and >>>> obviously would apply to a much lesser extent for nature/wildlife and >> that >>>> sort of thing, but even there, giving the frame "a local habitation and >> a >>>> name" does help in pulling the viewer emotionally into the frame. >>>> >>>> My two bits! >>>> >>>> Cheers >>>> Jayanand >>>> >>>> On Fri, May 29, 2015 at 6:29 AM, Robert Baron <robertbaron1 at >>>> gmail.com> >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>>> https://vimeo.com/80793010 >>>>> >>>>> View full screen. It is worth seeing and listening to I think, not so >>>> much >>>>> because of Leica but because of Mary Ellen Mark. >>>>> >>>>> --Bob >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> 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 >> > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information