Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/09/14

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Re:E. Adams & Vietnam Photo
From: Eric Welch <ewelch@ponyexpress.net>
Date: Tue, 14 Sep 1999 15:50:51 -0500

At 11:35 AM 9/14/99 -0700, Frank Conley wrote:
>My disillusionment with the
>news business came while I was at The Tennessean and saw at least two
>of my pictures flipped for better page composition (i.e. they wanted a
>person facing to the left instead of to the right, and would use the
>mirror of the image). This type of activity undermines the credibility
>inherent in a photograph.

Sad but true. I don't object to Photoshop and news photos. Photoshop can 
also make a picture look more like the real subject it represents than 
traditional darkroom techniques (burning and dodging). And that's the point.

Unfortunately, too many word-herders end up getting the job of layout at 
newspapers. They don't understand the issues involved in flopping pictures 
(not to mention it's so obvious to the readers who were there in most cases 
that they immediately know something's wrong - which undermines the paper's 
credibility). And such tired old layout rules (guy should be looking off 
the page) are proven by research to not only be meaningless to readers, but 
doesn't help layout anyway. With exceptions. It's a basic incompetence of 
the people in power at that newspaper. Sad.

Eric Welch
St. Joseph, MO

http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch

Multitasking: Screwing up several things at once...