Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/08/01
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I spent 30 years bring pictorial information to the world, most as a motion picture cameraman doing great documentaries, yet a number of years doing magazine work . Did I,or the work or any photographic work change the world? Not in any directly measurable way. Pictures from the south in the 1960's aided in pointing out demonstrations and inequities and reactions to people, graphic footage from Viet Nam made arm chair tv viewers aware that war, that war, was hell...today there are still racists, inequities and people die everyday from hostile actions.... It is however, the ability to present a point of view to a large audience that is important to pictorial reportage. We can not all enter Ted's medical world, Tina's Latin American poverty or even go to London. Informative pictures can take us there and inform us. If anyone truly believes that their photographs can change the world...as some say, have I got a bridge for you. Yet it is important to understand that photography is a valuable tool in communicating ideas to large audiences in a dramatic manner. People are influenced by what they see...in daily newspapers, on tv, in books or on the internet. Happy snaps, Steven Alexander on 8/1/02 10:37 AM, B. D. Colen at bdcolen@earthlink.net wrote: > It pains me to believe this - and write it - because I have enormous > admiration for good documentary photography. But... > > First, for the purposes of this discussion let's separate daily photo > journalism - providing illustrations for the written word as presented in > newspapers and magazines, from documentary photography. > > If someone wants to change the world, documentary photography sure isn't the > way to do it. Sure, Lewis Hine's photos helped bring about child labor > laws - almost 100 years ago. > > I said that much as it pained me to say it, I would urge him to get the > MA...Want to change the world, I said, you'll have a better chance having a > real impact with an urban planning degree from MIT than you will being THE > documentary photographer of your era. Sad, but true. > > B. D. > > >> If photojournalism has made a difference to one person, it has changed >> the >> world. > Documentary photography, film, and video certainly altered my life and > continues to each and every day. > > George > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html