Re: [Leica] A more interesting question

["B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>]

At 01:15 PM 1/13/00 +0100, you wrote:
>Photographer of the Century?
>
>That honour must go to David Bailey.  His black and white photograph of
>a lady trailing a fur coat and leaving a trail of red blood helped to
>focus the attention of the world on envoronment issues.  This image was
>so powerful that even Greenpeace was forced to stop using it even
>though they commissioned it.  The caption was also powerful and
>certainly added to the thrust.  So powerful, in fact my brain got
>overloaded and I can't remember it  :-)
>
>Or have I just described the Photograph of the Century?  Oh well.
>
>Alan
>
This is an intriguing and powerful example of how we all tend to think that 
OUR world/nation, etc. is THE world...:-).

Alan, the photo sounds incredible - and I can honestly say I have NEVER 
seen it. I watch a lot of tube, read news magazines regularly, look at the 
photo mags, look at photo books, see a couple newspapers a day, and have 
NEVER seen it. Which suggests it was a big deal in the UK/EU, but not 
here....Rachel Carson focused the world on environmental issues. Greenpeace 
focused the world on environmental issues. The Exxon Valdez focused the 
world on environmental issues. Bophal focused the world on environmental 
issues. Chernoble focused the world on environmental issues. The Bailey 
photo may have made a splash on your side of the pond, but I don't know 
that it focused the world on environmental issues.

By the way...If we're looking for a Photo of the Century - and, again, I 
realize that this is a hopeless task - let me make the following two 
off-the-cuff suggestions -

The wire photo of the Hindenburg disaster - First, because it is a terrific 
photo. Second because it serves as such a powerful reminder of the 
limitations of technology. Third because of its reminders of the Third 
Reich, etc. etc.

Capa's Dying Republican photo - If any photo sums up the 20th century, 
sadly, this may be it.

B. D.