Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2015/05/29
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Steve, Your photographs of unwell kids come as close to universal as anything I have seen on the LUG. I wonder why, in the context of what you have written, you always think it fit to give a description or background info when posting the shots? Cheers Jayanand On Fri, May 29, 2015 at 10:21 PM, Steve Barbour <steve.barbour at gmail.com> wrote: > > > On May 29, 2015, at 9:42 AM, Jayanand Govindaraj <jayanand at gmail.com> > wrote: > > > > Gerry, > > Doesn't that mean that the photographer was lazy with the wording of his > > caption? > > Cheers > > Jayanand > > > by definition a caption is limiting (and subject to <someone's> > interpretation), the result is that it affects/limits the viewers > imagination. > > imo if it is a good/great image it is always better on its own. I will go > further, imo, only a poor photo will do better with a caption. > > now that should keep the LUG busy. > > > steve > > > > > > > > On Fri, May 29, 2015 at 8:43 PM, Gerry Walden <gerry.walden at > > icloud.com> > > wrote: > > > >> There is also the point that under certain circumstances the use of a > >> caption can influence the viewers interpretation of the image to the > >> detriment of the original intention of the photographer. > >> > >> Gerry > >> > >> Sent from my iPad > >> > >>> On 29 May 2015, at 15:19, Robert Baron <robertbaron1 at gmail.com> > >>> wrote: > >>> > >>> An interesting point of view, Jayanand, and to be honest not one I had > >>> really considered before you raised it. Maybe that is because her > >>> photographs ring true to me as depictions of the culture I am part of, > >> but > >>> I'll need to think about that some more. > >>> > >>> Even the photographs she made of cultures I am not familiar with have > the > >>> ring of truth to them, in my opinion, and I now think about the war > zone > >>> photographs of shooters like James Nachtwey and wonder if they need > >>> captions and if not why not? Would you think Salgado's famous > >> photographs > >>> of the gold mine or of the train station need text? An argument can be > >>> made that some things should allow for use of the viewer's imagination > - > >> or > >>> sense of investigation if the viewer wants to learn more about the > >> subject. > >>> > >>> Educators trying to teach students (or trial lawyers like me trying to > >>> teach a jury) will say you should not spoon feed every bit of > information > >>> to the audience but leave some for the audience to figure out; it is > >> better > >>> learned and retained that way. Should that maxim also apply to > >>> documentary/documenting photography? > >>> > >>> Again: you raise an interesting point and I'm going to think about it. > >>> > >>> Regards, > >>> > >>> --Bob > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> ===On Thu, May 28, 2015 at 10:41 PM, Jayanand Govindaraj < > >> jayanand at gmail.com > >>>> wrote: > >>> > >>>> Bob, > >>>> Interesting. TFS. > >>>> > >>>> What struck me is that most of the pictures have no emotional impact > for > >>>> me, like the girls in the gang on the street, without her narration, > as > >> I > >>>> am not steeped in the nitty gritties of US culture. Goes against what > >> Kyle > >>>> says that one of her tenets was, about not having a caption. I think > >> that > >>>> is valid when you have a mono cultural, homogenous viewership for your > >>>> work, but once you have a cross cultural audience, a little > explanation, > >>>> like a caption, is invaluable to create the emotional impact! Of > course, > >>>> this observation is for the sort of photographs that she took, and > >>>> obviously would apply to a much lesser extent for nature/wildlife and > >> that > >>>> sort of thing, but even there, giving the frame "a local habitation > and > >> a > >>>> name" does help in pulling the viewer emotionally into the frame. > >>>> > >>>> My two bits! > >>>> > >>>> Cheers > >>>> Jayanand > >>>> > >>>> On Fri, May 29, 2015 at 6:29 AM, Robert Baron <robertbaron1 at > >>>> gmail.com > > > >>>> wrote: > >>>> > >>>>> https://vimeo.com/80793010 > >>>>> > >>>>> View full screen. It is worth seeing and listening to I think, not > so > >>>> much > >>>>> because of Leica but because of Mary Ellen Mark. > >>>>> > >>>>> --Bob > >>> > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> 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 > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >