Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/08/22

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Subject: [Leica] Re: Shakleton Photos Faked
From: kitmc at vuelux.com (Kit McChesney | Vuelux)
Date: Sun Aug 22 14:01:03 2004

Well, and I think we call that 'composition.' Who doesn't, if given the
opportunity, make some artistic changes to a scene before photographing it.
Such as 'uh, could you move out of that backlit area so I can get a better
shot of your face?' 

I think common sense tells us when we are doing something that is improving
the shot technically or aesthetically, without compromising what is being
depicted, if we are trying to depict 'truth,' per se. But to fake an arrival
of a rescue party by using a photograph of a departure party, who may
possibly never have returned to rescue the poor devils waiting behind,
that's a little stretchy! 

Still the conditions weren't optimum, either, to say the least. The rescuees
were probably so glad to be delivered from their predicament they'd have
cared less how Hurley depicted their rescue. I know it wouldn't matter much
to me! 

Kit
-----Original Message-----
From: lug-bounces+kitmc=vuelux.com@leica-users.org
[mailto:lug-bounces+kitmc=vuelux.com@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Dan C
Sent: Sunday, August 22, 2004 1:41 PM
To: Leica Users Group
Subject: Re: [Leica] Re: Shakleton Photos Faked 

And even in more recent times, W. Eugene Smith was known to alter some of
his photos for artistic sense.   And many of his photo essay's were setups.
 But the bottom line was that he was not depicting a lie.  His photos
showed Doctor Schweitzer doing what he actually did in real life, Smith
just wanted the photos to look a bit better.

-dan c.

At 02:20 PM 22-08-04 -0400, Emanuel Lowi wrote:
>Remember too that there was a tradition of photo
>humbuggery established before the days of yellow
>journalism. There were pictures haunted with ghosts &
>people posed with props or dressed up in strangers
>clothes, for effect.  
>
>Exposure times were long and the gear cumbersome --
>none of this zippy whiz-bang digital ease, eh ;-) 
>
>So they made sure the picture looked "right," even
>though it was "wrong." Plus ?a change...
>
>Emanuel Lowi
>Montreal
>
> 
>
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In reply to: Message from bladman99 at yahoo.ca (Dan C) ([Leica] Re: Shakleton Photos Faked)