Re: [Leica] VII

[S Dimitrov <sld@earthlink.net>]

Robert Schneider wrote:
           I need some decoding help:

Before we enter the Massacre of St. Bartholomew zone, you have to
remember that these are personal opinions and are not holy writ. If
there is quest for an immutable certitude on your part, then I won't be
able to help you there. 

In reference to my comment on the NGO style, for want of a better term,
a very lucid and apt description that applies to today as well, can be
found in Ortega y Gasset's book, An Interpretation of Universal History.
In particular his three succinct commentaries, in the first chapter, on
international information somewhat befits our own current presentational
methods. I, for my part, distrust any entity whose services can be
subcontracted by a government or its agents. It's as thought they are
the modern version of the privateer, where a distance is maintained for
whatever reason. Historically, the mendicant was always a precursor of
the knight crusader. Somewhere in there is also the age old issue of
patron/client relations. The issue of patronage, and its problems, as
been a constant source of anxiety. These issues, that go into antiquity
are as valid today as they where then. 

Photojournalism dying as stale news somewhat misses the point. Not
making better pay is rarely the issue with individuals who have taken to
it as an avocation. What has become the issue is the changes brought
about because of new technology. No question that the change of media,
i.e. digital, and the portable laptop has a been a key in the
rethinking. The push for streaming media as events unfold has placed a
demand that the still photographer can't compete with. A photographer's
visual capabilities can be tied to the equipment at hand. A change of
technology can be an alienating factor to a photographer. We've seen
that time and again with the displacement of workers in other fields as
new equipment leans out the work force. 

Concerning J. Stanmeyer going from hawking schmatte to being a purveyor
of third world misery. What is that about? Yes, what is that about. 
Good question, should we contact him and ask? His input might be interesting.

As far as concrete examples, I'm waiting with baited breath myself. I
certainly won't look for it in the current visual syntax that we call
photojournalism. The role of streaming news with a whole new usage of
visual technology by a generation that is learning it from the street,
so to say, is making for a very exciting time. 

   Slobodan Dimitrov
- --
To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html