Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/10/04
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Yup, video can be terrific - but realistically, how many people watch Nightline on any given night? 12? 13? And how many watched that particular night? And how many watched that piece? The audiences for these kinds of things are tiny - if they were at all significant, the networks would do them more often and they'd be shown in prime time, instead of Watch Me Throw My Kids Off A Building.. ;-) Now one still image of that same family fleeing would be something you could go back to again and again...But the reality is that not many people look at, care about, documentary still work either. The ugly truth is that a very successful photo book, for instance, sell fewer copies than a break-even non-fiction book. -----Original Message----- From: lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org [mailto:lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Adam Bridge Sent: Monday, October 04, 2004 7:10 PM To: Leica Users Group Subject: Re: [Leica] James Nachtwey AND MICHAEL HINTLIAN I want to disagree. I remember a piece by one of the Turnlyes on ABC's Nightline that played maybe 4 or 5 years ago. It was partly a photo essay and partly a video essay. In it Turnley followed a family as they fled Bosnia. It was an extraordinary work that left me in tears. Comprised of black and white still images and color video the program was immensely human, insightful, and compassionate. This was world-class television documentary reporting. I'm not sure but I think it might have been even edited in the field since Turnley used a Canon DV camera for the video. It's very clear to me that a blending of video, audio, and still images can make a compelling statement - and reach a vast number of people. What it takes is talent, dedication, access and guts. Not necessarily in that order. Adam On Sun, 3 Oct 2004 12:02:45 -0400, B. D. Colen <bdcolen@earthlink.net> wrote: > Where'd you find that great quote, Ted? Love it. > I always tell my students that still images have far more impact than > moving images because, as you said, the moving image flashes by and > it's gone; the still is there, and there, and there. The perfect two > examples are the Eddie Adams Saigon execution shot and the Nick Ut > napalmed girl. Both those incidents were shot by t.v. crews and shown > on the evening news, and in both cases the moving images were quickly > forgotten, while the stills became icons. > > One exception to this 'rule' might be the video of the planes hitting > the WTC towers. But I believe the reason this is an exception is that > the video images were shown so repeatedly, so relentlessly, indeed so > continuously, over a period of days, if not weeks, that they became, > in effect, still images. ;-) > > ---- > > BTW - I finally got my hands on a physical copy of Michael Hintlian's > Digging - a Leica-shot book. WOW!! Gorgeous reproductions of truly > impressive photographs - a MUST for every LUGlibrary. > > B. D. > > -----Original Message----- > From: lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org > [mailto:lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf > Of Ted Grant > Sent: Sunday, October 03, 2004 11:45 AM > To: Leica Users Group > Subject: Re: [Leica] James Nachtwey > > Frank Dernie said: > Subject: Re: [Leica] James Nachtwey > > > Wow. If television has taken the place of photojournalism it > > certainly does not have the same emotional power. We hear about the > > tragedy in Darfur every day but this makes it much more real. How > > screwed up the world is.<<<<, > See: http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101041004/photoessay/ > > Hi Frank, > I don't think TV will ever accomplish the impact of powerful B&W > photography when it comes to subjects of this nature. > > TV is moving, as in "it's only a movie" and flicks past in seconds and > out of our minds as the commercial comes on showing some sweet > Hollywood broad > with belly button pierced flogging whatever it is these gals flog. And > with > no relationship to the previous moments of Death in Darfur! > > But the B&W still? It sits there right in your face until you turn the > page or change the computer screen. > > It allows viewers to look at every element and detail of what these > human beings are going through. It's photography like this that > should be right > in the face of every UN delegate every morning as they're drinking their > > coffee and enjoying their toasted sweet cinnamon bun. Sorry wont > start a rant about that ! > > And would Natchwey's pictures be more powerful with a Leica in hand? > Nope! He get's a very powerful message across with whatever gear he > uses. Pointing > out once again... "it isn't the gear it's the guy or gal using it!" > > A borrowed quotation: > > "There isn't anything more powerful than a big black and white > photograph. > > It does something that television can never do!" > > HARRY REASONER..................... > > I thought the quotation appropriate for the moment!. > > ted > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information