[Leica] B. D. PAW

[philippe.orlent at pandora.be (Philippe Orlent)]

Sorry Ted, with all due respect, for me it's not about twisting reality, or
about not being honest, or about forgetting what honour is about.
It's about creating.
I've always been very open about that, and if not, my apologies.
The only doubt about photorealism I have is that even if you are "just"
pressing the shutter, and inserting all your experience and craftsmanship
into that one shot, it might well be possible that somebody else pressing
his shutter at about the same moment, could present a whole other kind of
reality than yours.
I've never pretended to be a photo jourmalist (nor do I have the skills),
but let's be honest, who can truly say his shot is unmanipulated? Those
working with 300mm plus lenses?

Philippe
---
> From: Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca>
> Reply-To: Leica Users Group <lug@leica-users.org>
> Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2005 09:06:06 -0800
> To: Leica Users Group <lug@leica-users.org>
> Subject: Re: [Leica] B. D. PAW
> 
> Philippe Orlent asked:
>>>> Finally, and out of curiosity, why would Smith be fired today? For
>>>> twisting
>> the truth? IMO THE truth doesn't exist anymore, if it ever has, that
>> is.<<<<<<<<<<<
> 
> Hi Philippe,
> Well in my work as a Photojournalist truth exists every time I press the
> shutter release capturing the subject I'm working on. What you see is what 
> I
> saw as a motivating moment when I tripped the shutter. Quite frankly a good
> photographer knowing his profession  doesn't have to resort to  "Photoshop
> cheating, some prefer "improving" to make brownie points for his or her
> ability. Or lack there of!
> 
> Some of us are honest about what we shoot simply because we come from the
> days when a man's hand shake or word was accepted as honour bound to truth.
> Whether about a photograph or any other detail of business or life.
> Unfortunately somewhere along the way the honour system was lost due to
> those bent on nefarious ways to line their pockets with gold and the truth
> and that's when honour, man to man was lost.
> 
> As for Gene Smith being fired today for manipulating a scene? Well he did
> make some questionable moves in printing to create what he saw in his minds
> eye, and that's not something the camera can record, a minds eye image. But
> darkroom mastery or PhotoShop can make it happen. And that my friend is
> cheating when presented as the truth of photojournalism.
> 
> If one wishes to do this, that's fine with me, but at least be honest 
> enough
> to present it as an "illustration" and not what was supposed to be 
> something
> captured on film or memory card.
> 
> ted 
> 
> 
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