Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/10/22
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On Oct 22, 2009, at 10:17 AM, Chris Saganich wrote: > And if anyone wishes to save photography from oblivion there needs > to be a serious critical perception shift away from the devaluation > of imagery which is promoted through editorial and advertising. > This can start by critically thinking about the role of imagery in > non-ethical advertising practices. I consider all advertising non- > ethical but that is just my somewhat radical (but justified) view. > Yes. I'm likely to deface a billboard rather then chain myself to an > old oak tree...so laugh if you like I find advertising an initial > condition for much of the modern ill's we face, from economy to > obesity, because it creates and manipulates all our cues. Cues, or > another way to look at it is our salient attention, what we pay > attention to. Images are used predominantly to create and reinforce > our cues. As Tina's images cue people to care or give money on the > positive side, similar images could be used to cue people to despise > and vilify the same people. When I walk around I see images that > are predominantly used in ways to cue people into unhealthy socially > and civilly degrading behavior and thinking. I don't see a cell > phone advertisement, I see the promotion of a product that will very > likely have profound health effects on its heaviest users 20 years > from now. When I see a child enjoying a Happy Meal I don't see a > happy kid, I see 100 million 25 year olds with a health profile that > makes most doctors shudder and the collapse of our health care > system. Call it a crusade I suppose but I HATE ADVERTISING and > images are it's core component. one can argue that images have just as much potential for doing good, even noble things... That is certainly true... but we are seeing less and less support and encouragement for the good, while vast resources are behind the use of photos to accomplish potentially bad things... I'd guess a ratio of a thousand to one or more would be a totally unsupported but a fair estimate... so not only is Chris's point well taken, but there appears to be a slow drying up of demand for photos that can do good... just a small part of all of this, is the deliberate distortion of photos via photoshop etc, to accomplish purposes that blur the line between fantasy and reality .... efforts, especially in France are ongoing, to fight this... Steve > So it turns my stomach to see photography and images used like > that to cue people into all these unhealthy, negative behaviors just > for the profit. Profit over people is mostly how I see images being > used. It's just a living?...a living breathing, breeding, disaster > in my opinion. > > > At 06:11 PM 10/21/2009, you wrote: >> From: "Chris Saganich" <chs2018 at med.cornell.edu> >> To: "Leica Users Group" <lug at leica-users.org> >> Sent: Wednesday, October 21, 2009 12:50 PM >> Subject: Re: [Leica] Stock Photography >> >> >>> Advertising IS maleficence in action. Editorial is not so much >>> better in my book, just promoting the rational. It's easy to >>> rationalize "making a living" doing just about anything. Too bad >>> that seems to be where the argument ends, that making a living >>> justifies ignoring the ethical comportment of the industries we work >>> in. I can only wish I could choose which images could be stripped >>> naked, exploited, and discarded and which ones could not. The >>> very >>> idea of purposely making an image for that destiny turns my >>> stomach. Like a rack of ribs to a Buddhist. >> >> Gee Chris I sure wish I understood what you mean ? Maybe I could be >> of help to clear this up in your description. Maybe? >> Dr. 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