Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/04/05
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At 09:24 AM 05/04/99 -0700, you wrote:
>On this concept of when in doubt get closer or if it's not very good get
closer:
>I can see how that might be the ethic of a bunch of twenty something
>macho war photographers. For them it's a war of guts. Getting closer to
>the bullets flying.
>Any war photographers out there have that? Or otherwise?
>Mark Rabiner
>
It's not a matter of "when in doubt..."
The fact is that a picture of little specs off in the distance and a caption
saying "Those little specs are soldiers" is not going to cut it.
FILL THE FRAME WITH YOUR SUBJECT ... is the golden rule of photojournalism.
When it comes to combat and conflict photography (yup, I do this) you have
to SEE the reflection of conflict and the horror of war in the face and eyes
of the subject. THAT is an effective photo.
You can't do that from a couple hundred metres away.
Even photographing flowers requires you to fill the frame to get maximum
impact from the image.
I find it ironic that people who have never "DONE IT" are so easy condemning
"IT" when it is the accepted standard for an entire industry.
Maybe this why those who "KNOW IT" and "DO IT", "GET IT" and have successful
careers and the rest don't. I'm sure this applies to all professions.
Those that "GET IT" succeed.
Greg Locke <locke@straylight.ca>
St. John's, Newfoundland.
- ----------------------------------
TOUCHED BY FIRE: doctors without borders in a third world crisis.
McClelland & Stewart Canada. ISBN#0-7710-5305-3
http://www.straylight.ca/touchedbyfire.htm