"I have been a witness, and these pictures are my testimony. The events I have recorded should not be forgotten and must not be repeated." [~ James Nachtwey]
I recommend to go through every single of these images ... "Witness", photography by James Natchway ...
James Nachtwey ... another of my all time favorites ...
His photographs are a must see for everyone ... For people to know how potent a tool photography is ... to understand the true essence of the words, "A photo speaks a thousand words" ... or a photographic image is a universal language ... And to be especially seen by photographers, to realize what a brilliant tool they have in their hands ....
More images ...
"Seeing the horror", photography by James Natchway ...
and more ... "The Vietnam Syndrome", photography by James Natchway ...
Friday, July 20, 2007
Street Photography
This website is my attempt to learn about the masters of photography and different schools of thoughts in photography .... so it has mostly reference materials and links ... But once-in-a-while I put my own views here as well ... So here's a write-up on Street Photography ...
I have liked all types of photography… portraits, landscape, cityscape, flora-&-fauna, sports, fashion, macro … But my own photography has been limited to mostly cityscape, architecture, flowers and street shots … and off late I've been enjoying "Candid Street Shots" the most.
Why street shot??? It’s about the “human element”. The facial expression, the body-language the small gestures that reflects different emotions … happiness, boredom, curiosity, surprise, disgust, anxiety, despair, anger, hope … OR … simply situations that people encounter in their everyday life … people rushing to work, getting in and out of a train or bus, talking on cell-phones, waiting at traffic signal, cops on duty … I love capturing these real “slices of real life” …
Candid or posed??? I prefer candid shots … the un-posed, natural human behavior. Interacting with the subject matter changes the human emotions drastically. The moment a person is aware of being photographed the “natural” element is lost. Although in some situations it is best to talk and take permission before shooting …. But I get greater satisfaction in taking candid shots. As is said, to get the real life on reel [hmm pixels]
So just stand on the road and take shots‼ As easy as it sounds, I find it extremely challenging. Any good image needs to be “well composed” and therein lies the rub. A street scene is changing every moment. When exactly to press the shutter to freeze the ever changing dynamics of street situation so that the image conveys an emotion, a story or an interesting facet of everyday life is not as easy as it appears … I think anyone who has indulged in street photography would agree to it ….
Isn’t it an invasion of privacy or intrusion into someone’s private space? This argument carries a lot of weight. Yes it is‼! I know that many people who would not like to be photographed when they are busy with their everyday chores … and also many photographers who do not like pointing their lenses at unsuspecting people. I totally understand and respect their views. Although in America, it is not illegal to take photographs at public places; but the issue is more about ethics … and in some cases shooting unsuspecting people is unethical. I totally agree to that.
However there’s an equally strong alternative view. As beautiful as a landscape or architecture or a studio portrait photograph may be …. But there’s something missing from the photographic arena if human beings are not captured in their most natural behavior or circumstances. It’s fascinating to see how people act, react, interact in their day-to-day lives. It also brings out the different cultures, attitudes, fashions, sensibilities of people … and is the best record of the ever changing social scene over times. A posed shot or a studio portrait can never capture the raw emotions as a candid street photography is capable of.
Objective or subjective portrayal of a situation is another debatable issue … inherent in the field of photography. As I read somewhere … “camera is merely a tool like a pen or a paint brush and it expresses the intent of its possessor”. So some personal bias in photography is inherent and difficult to be totally ruled out. When I’m on the streets the subjects that evokes my interest maybe different from another photographer at the same time, same place …
Street photography I usually in B-&-W and it makes sense. In a street setting there are random colors everywhere and these may distract from the main subject matter. B-&-W does away this problem. As much as I have loved monochromes, my photography has been mainly colored. B-&-W is something I need to work on ...
I end this long write-up by saying that I feel photography has made me a better observer...and I'm sure that every photographer has this same experience!!!
I have liked all types of photography… portraits, landscape, cityscape, flora-&-fauna, sports, fashion, macro … But my own photography has been limited to mostly cityscape, architecture, flowers and street shots … and off late I've been enjoying "Candid Street Shots" the most.
Why street shot??? It’s about the “human element”. The facial expression, the body-language the small gestures that reflects different emotions … happiness, boredom, curiosity, surprise, disgust, anxiety, despair, anger, hope … OR … simply situations that people encounter in their everyday life … people rushing to work, getting in and out of a train or bus, talking on cell-phones, waiting at traffic signal, cops on duty … I love capturing these real “slices of real life” …
Candid or posed??? I prefer candid shots … the un-posed, natural human behavior. Interacting with the subject matter changes the human emotions drastically. The moment a person is aware of being photographed the “natural” element is lost. Although in some situations it is best to talk and take permission before shooting …. But I get greater satisfaction in taking candid shots. As is said, to get the real life on reel [hmm pixels]
So just stand on the road and take shots‼ As easy as it sounds, I find it extremely challenging. Any good image needs to be “well composed” and therein lies the rub. A street scene is changing every moment. When exactly to press the shutter to freeze the ever changing dynamics of street situation so that the image conveys an emotion, a story or an interesting facet of everyday life is not as easy as it appears … I think anyone who has indulged in street photography would agree to it ….
Isn’t it an invasion of privacy or intrusion into someone’s private space? This argument carries a lot of weight. Yes it is‼! I know that many people who would not like to be photographed when they are busy with their everyday chores … and also many photographers who do not like pointing their lenses at unsuspecting people. I totally understand and respect their views. Although in America, it is not illegal to take photographs at public places; but the issue is more about ethics … and in some cases shooting unsuspecting people is unethical. I totally agree to that.
However there’s an equally strong alternative view. As beautiful as a landscape or architecture or a studio portrait photograph may be …. But there’s something missing from the photographic arena if human beings are not captured in their most natural behavior or circumstances. It’s fascinating to see how people act, react, interact in their day-to-day lives. It also brings out the different cultures, attitudes, fashions, sensibilities of people … and is the best record of the ever changing social scene over times. A posed shot or a studio portrait can never capture the raw emotions as a candid street photography is capable of.
Objective or subjective portrayal of a situation is another debatable issue … inherent in the field of photography. As I read somewhere … “camera is merely a tool like a pen or a paint brush and it expresses the intent of its possessor”. So some personal bias in photography is inherent and difficult to be totally ruled out. When I’m on the streets the subjects that evokes my interest maybe different from another photographer at the same time, same place …
Street photography I usually in B-&-W and it makes sense. In a street setting there are random colors everywhere and these may distract from the main subject matter. B-&-W does away this problem. As much as I have loved monochromes, my photography has been mainly colored. B-&-W is something I need to work on ...
I end this long write-up by saying that I feel photography has made me a better observer...and I'm sure that every photographer has this same experience!!!
Lee Friedlander
It fascinates me that there is a variety of feeling about what I do. I’m not a premeditative photographer. I see a picture and I make it. If I had a chance, I’d be out shooting all the time. You don’t have to go looking for pictures. The material is generous. You go out and the pictures are staring at you". ... [ -Lee Friedlander, "Documentary Photography - LIFE Library of Photography"]
Lee Friedlander [born 1934] ... An American photographer ... famous mainly for street photography. He focused on the "social landscape". His art used detached images of urban life, store-front reflections, structures framed by fences, and posters and signs all combining to capture the look of modern life.
Check out some of his images ... Lee Friedlander, click here ...
"Friedlander always worked in series: street images, flowers, trees, gardens, landscapes, nudes, the industrial and post- industrial environment, portraits, self-portraits." [ Reference: click here ... ]
Lee Friedlander [born 1934] ... An American photographer ... famous mainly for street photography. He focused on the "social landscape". His art used detached images of urban life, store-front reflections, structures framed by fences, and posters and signs all combining to capture the look of modern life.
Check out some of his images ... Lee Friedlander, click here ...
"Friedlander always worked in series: street images, flowers, trees, gardens, landscapes, nudes, the industrial and post- industrial environment, portraits, self-portraits." [ Reference: click here ... ]
Garry Winogrand
Garry Winogrand [1928-1984] ... An American photographer and a proponent and practitioner of street photography. Garry Winogrand was influenced by Walker Evans and Robert Frank.
Check out some of his images ... Gary Winogrand, click here ...
"Winogrand was known for his portrayal of America in the early 1960s and his interest in social issues of the day and in the role of media in shaping attitudes. He roamed the streets of New York with his Leica rapidly taking photographs using a prefocused wide angle lens. Often his lens would be tilted, leaving his photographs with a slanted result.
When Winogrand died of cancer, in 1984 at age 56, he left behind nearly 300,000 unedited and in many cases undeveloped images. Some of these have been exhibited posthumously and published in an exhibit catalog entitled Winogrand, Fragments from the Real World published by MOMA" .
Reference: ... click here ...
Check out some of his images ... Gary Winogrand, click here ...
"Winogrand was known for his portrayal of America in the early 1960s and his interest in social issues of the day and in the role of media in shaping attitudes. He roamed the streets of New York with his Leica rapidly taking photographs using a prefocused wide angle lens. Often his lens would be tilted, leaving his photographs with a slanted result.
When Winogrand died of cancer, in 1984 at age 56, he left behind nearly 300,000 unedited and in many cases undeveloped images. Some of these have been exhibited posthumously and published in an exhibit catalog entitled Winogrand, Fragments from the Real World published by MOMA" .
Reference: ... click here ...
Diane Arbus
"Freaks was a thing I photographed a lot ... it had a terrific kind of excitement for me... Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks are born with their trauma. They've already passed it. They're aristocrats". [ ~ Diane Arbus]
Diane Arbus [1923- 1971] ... was an American photographer noted for her portraits of people on the fringes of the society. A central feature of many Arbus pictures is relationships or their dysfunction.
Check out some of her photos ... click here ...
Diane Arbus [1923- 1971] ... was an American photographer noted for her portraits of people on the fringes of the society. A central feature of many Arbus pictures is relationships or their dysfunction.
Check out some of her photos ... click here ...
New Documents Exhibition
The New Documents Exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art [MOMA] New York, held in 1967 was conceived by John Szarkowski. It featured the works of:
Diana Arbus
Lee Friedlander
Garry Winogrand
Szarkowski siad of the photographers ...
"Their aim has been not to reform life but to know it. Not to persuade but to understand".
These photographers were greatly influenced by Walker Evans and Robert Frank ... and their respective publications ... "American Photographs" [Walker Evans] ... and "The Americans" [Robert Frank]...
Diana Arbus
Lee Friedlander
Garry Winogrand
Szarkowski siad of the photographers ...
"Their aim has been not to reform life but to know it. Not to persuade but to understand".
These photographers were greatly influenced by Walker Evans and Robert Frank ... and their respective publications ... "American Photographs" [Walker Evans] ... and "The Americans" [Robert Frank]...
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Robert Frank
"When people look at my pictures I want them to feel the way they do when they want to read a line of a poem twice ... " Robert Frank
Check out some of his photos ... click here ...
Robert Frank born 1924 in Zurich, Switzerland. He's an important figure in American photography and films. His most famous work is a photographic book titles "The Americans" published in 1958. It's a result of his road-trip for two years, where he took 28,000 shots of which 83 were selected for the book, but he could not find a publisher in the USA. He took it to Robert Delpiré in France, who had to threaten to resign to get it published as 'Les Americains'.
Following this it was published a year later in America with an introduction by Jack Kerouac. The Americans is now recognised as one of the classic photography books of the century. It built on the acheivement of Walker Evans (one of Frank's supporters for his Guggenheim application) in American Photographs, and was in some respects modelled on this other great work.
His photographs are on post-war period that depicts an outsider view of American society. "He documented the tensions between the optimism of the 1950s and the realities of class and racial differences. The irony that Frank found in the gloss of American culture and wealth over this tension gave his photographs a clear contrast to those of most contemporary American photojournalists..."
"It was not only the subject matter, but also the style of his photography which at first shocked, and then imposed itself. He broke all the rules. His photos are shadowy and grainy, taken from unconventional angles, with blurred focus, techniques that capture the dislocation and alienation of his subjects.
The faces are often enough unrecognisable, in shadow, or in the glare of light. His people don't belong but are simply passing through - in buses, in lunch counters or cheap stores, or going down the street to get somewhere else."
Reference: Robert Frank, click here ...
"My photographs are not planned or composed in advance, and I do not anticipate that the onlooker will share my viewpoint. However, I feel that if my photograph leaves an image on his mind, something has been accomplished.” - Robert Frank
Check out some of his photos ... click here ...
Robert Frank born 1924 in Zurich, Switzerland. He's an important figure in American photography and films. His most famous work is a photographic book titles "The Americans" published in 1958. It's a result of his road-trip for two years, where he took 28,000 shots of which 83 were selected for the book, but he could not find a publisher in the USA. He took it to Robert Delpiré in France, who had to threaten to resign to get it published as 'Les Americains'.
Following this it was published a year later in America with an introduction by Jack Kerouac. The Americans is now recognised as one of the classic photography books of the century. It built on the acheivement of Walker Evans (one of Frank's supporters for his Guggenheim application) in American Photographs, and was in some respects modelled on this other great work.
His photographs are on post-war period that depicts an outsider view of American society. "He documented the tensions between the optimism of the 1950s and the realities of class and racial differences. The irony that Frank found in the gloss of American culture and wealth over this tension gave his photographs a clear contrast to those of most contemporary American photojournalists..."
"It was not only the subject matter, but also the style of his photography which at first shocked, and then imposed itself. He broke all the rules. His photos are shadowy and grainy, taken from unconventional angles, with blurred focus, techniques that capture the dislocation and alienation of his subjects.
The faces are often enough unrecognisable, in shadow, or in the glare of light. His people don't belong but are simply passing through - in buses, in lunch counters or cheap stores, or going down the street to get somewhere else."
Reference: Robert Frank, click here ...
"My photographs are not planned or composed in advance, and I do not anticipate that the onlooker will share my viewpoint. However, I feel that if my photograph leaves an image on his mind, something has been accomplished.” - Robert Frank
Walker Evans
"Whether he is an artist or not, the photographer is a joyous sensualist, for the simple reason that the eye traffics in feelings, not in thoughts". [~ Walker Evans]
Walker Evans [1903-1975] An american photographer... portraying a realistic view of the poverty-stricken rural south, revolutionized the standards of documentary photography.
Check out some of his photos ... click here ...
"Walker Evans: America Photographs" was held in Museum of Modern art [MOMA] New York. it was the first exhibit in this museum devoted to the work of a single photographer.
He is best known for his work for Farm Security administration [FSA]. In 1935-36 he created a series of images of plantation houses in Mississippi and Louisiana, complemented by photographs of US Civil War Monument. In late 1930's he famously used hidden camera to photograph commuters in New York subway. In 1940-50 he worked for Time and Fortune magazines.
"Evans's contribution was rooted in an attention to the everyday: small-town main streets, modes of transportation, the American people themselves, the places they called home, and the monuments that told their history, as well as the signs and storefronts that advertised and sold the products they used.... Together these photographs suggest a consistency in representing American visual culture and are the foundation of the American photographic tradition that continues today.
Reference: Walker Evans: Before and After, click here ...
"The camera is merely a tool, like a pen or a paintbrush, and it too, expresses the intentions of its possessor. This being said, Evans' talent was his ability to make images that speak for themselves. Evans photgraphs seem to exist as historical moments in time, hard-edged facts--not interpretations; thus the viewer responds to the image itself--to the contents within it--not to the photographer's construction of it." Reference: Walker Evans, click here ...
Walker Evans [1903-1975] An american photographer... portraying a realistic view of the poverty-stricken rural south, revolutionized the standards of documentary photography.
Check out some of his photos ... click here ...
"Walker Evans: America Photographs" was held in Museum of Modern art [MOMA] New York. it was the first exhibit in this museum devoted to the work of a single photographer.
He is best known for his work for Farm Security administration [FSA]. In 1935-36 he created a series of images of plantation houses in Mississippi and Louisiana, complemented by photographs of US Civil War Monument. In late 1930's he famously used hidden camera to photograph commuters in New York subway. In 1940-50 he worked for Time and Fortune magazines.
"Evans's contribution was rooted in an attention to the everyday: small-town main streets, modes of transportation, the American people themselves, the places they called home, and the monuments that told their history, as well as the signs and storefronts that advertised and sold the products they used.... Together these photographs suggest a consistency in representing American visual culture and are the foundation of the American photographic tradition that continues today.
Reference: Walker Evans: Before and After, click here ...
"The camera is merely a tool, like a pen or a paintbrush, and it too, expresses the intentions of its possessor. This being said, Evans' talent was his ability to make images that speak for themselves. Evans photgraphs seem to exist as historical moments in time, hard-edged facts--not interpretations; thus the viewer responds to the image itself--to the contents within it--not to the photographer's construction of it." Reference: Walker Evans, click here ...
Eugene Atget
Eugène Atget (1857‑1927) ... A French photographer noted for his photographs documenting the architecture and street scenes of Paris.
Check out some of his photos ... click here ...
Though Atget was not well known during his lifetime, his visual record of a vanishing world has become an inspiration for twentieth-century photographers. American expatriate photographers Man Ray and Berenice Abbott rescued his work from obscurity just before his death. Abbott preserved his prints and negatives, and was the first person to publish and exhibit Atget's work outside of France. Many existing prints of Atget's images were, in fact, made by Abbott in the 1930s from his negatives.
Reference: click here ...
Check out some of his photos ... click here ...
Though Atget was not well known during his lifetime, his visual record of a vanishing world has become an inspiration for twentieth-century photographers. American expatriate photographers Man Ray and Berenice Abbott rescued his work from obscurity just before his death. Abbott preserved his prints and negatives, and was the first person to publish and exhibit Atget's work outside of France. Many existing prints of Atget's images were, in fact, made by Abbott in the 1930s from his negatives.
Reference: click here ...
Robert Capa
"If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough." - Bob Capa.
Robert Capa [1913 - 1954] the Hungarian photographer is perhaps the best known of World War-II combat photographers. He has taken many D-Day photographs that have become classics ... Check out some of his WW-II photos ... click here ...
Some more of his photographs ... click here ...
His photogrphs of the Spanish Civil War the "most eerinly fascinating" of all war photographs ... the death of Spanish loyalist militiamen Federick Borrell Garcia, "The Falling Soldier" ... It is also a controversial photo, read more about it .... click here ...
In 1954, he agreed to supply Life with photos of escalating conflict between french and VietMinh in indochina. While attemting to go close as possible he stepped on a landmine and was killed at the age of 40.
Robert Capa [1913 - 1954] the Hungarian photographer is perhaps the best known of World War-II combat photographers. He has taken many D-Day photographs that have become classics ... Check out some of his WW-II photos ... click here ...
Some more of his photographs ... click here ...
His photogrphs of the Spanish Civil War the "most eerinly fascinating" of all war photographs ... the death of Spanish loyalist militiamen Federick Borrell Garcia, "The Falling Soldier" ... It is also a controversial photo, read more about it .... click here ...
In 1954, he agreed to supply Life with photos of escalating conflict between french and VietMinh in indochina. While attemting to go close as possible he stepped on a landmine and was killed at the age of 40.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Helmut Newton
"My job as a portrait photographer is to seduce, amuse and entertain.” [~ Helmut Newton]
"It's that I don't like white paper backgrounds. A woman does not live in front of white paper. She lives on the street, in a motor car, in a hotel room." [ ~ Helmut Newton]
Helmut Newton [1920- 2004] ... one of the most influential and most copied fashion photographer of the 20th century! ... He worked for magazines like Vogue, Playboy, Elle, Marie-Claire ... he worked for/with YSL, Loris Azzaro, Pierre Cardin, Tom Ford [Gucci], Karl Lagerfeld [Chanel], Jean Paul Gaultier ... and photographerd top models like Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Monica Bellucci, Marlene Dietrich, Ava Gardner ...
Check out some of his photos ... click here ... and here ... [click on the left side at the film-rolls!]
His style is often described with terms as ... "dark erotic", "sado- masochistic", "fetishistic", "porno-chic", "surreal" ... He showed gorgeous women in immaculate make-up, heavy jewellery and vicious stiletto heels, at exotic locations - to create a unique imaginative world. He introduced elements of violence by featuring semi-nude models photographed from the rear holding pistols, knives discreetly hidden from their beaus behind their backs. His notoriety/fame increased in the 1980's with his “Big Nudes” series … consisting large format photographs of naked women. It is considered as "pinnacle of erotic urban style underpinned with excellent technical skills".
"People gave us everything for free. We were allowed only so much film per picture, but there was no limit to the creativity. I like to say that they let us loose like wild dogs in the streets of Paris." [~ Helmut Newton]
Helmut Newton was also a friend and photographer of surrealist Salvador Dali. They both died on the same date, 23rd January. Salvador Dali died in Spain due to old age. Newton crashed with his car in Hollywood exactly 15 years later. A unique coincidence!!!
"It's that I don't like white paper backgrounds. A woman does not live in front of white paper. She lives on the street, in a motor car, in a hotel room." [ ~ Helmut Newton]
Helmut Newton [1920- 2004] ... one of the most influential and most copied fashion photographer of the 20th century! ... He worked for magazines like Vogue, Playboy, Elle, Marie-Claire ... he worked for/with YSL, Loris Azzaro, Pierre Cardin, Tom Ford [Gucci], Karl Lagerfeld [Chanel], Jean Paul Gaultier ... and photographerd top models like Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Monica Bellucci, Marlene Dietrich, Ava Gardner ...
Check out some of his photos ... click here ... and here ... [click on the left side at the film-rolls!]
His style is often described with terms as ... "dark erotic", "sado- masochistic", "fetishistic", "porno-chic", "surreal" ... He showed gorgeous women in immaculate make-up, heavy jewellery and vicious stiletto heels, at exotic locations - to create a unique imaginative world. He introduced elements of violence by featuring semi-nude models photographed from the rear holding pistols, knives discreetly hidden from their beaus behind their backs. His notoriety/fame increased in the 1980's with his “Big Nudes” series … consisting large format photographs of naked women. It is considered as "pinnacle of erotic urban style underpinned with excellent technical skills".
"People gave us everything for free. We were allowed only so much film per picture, but there was no limit to the creativity. I like to say that they let us loose like wild dogs in the streets of Paris." [~ Helmut Newton]
Helmut Newton was also a friend and photographer of surrealist Salvador Dali. They both died on the same date, 23rd January. Salvador Dali died in Spain due to old age. Newton crashed with his car in Hollywood exactly 15 years later. A unique coincidence!!!
Ralph Gibson
Ralph Gibson [born 1939] an American art photographer ... is known for his high contrast pictures. He usually focusses on one geometric element ... like a single human gesture [the curve of a hand] ... or the corner of a room ... he formes a kind of dream narrative ...
Ralph Gibson, fashion photography, click here ...
Ralph Gibson, archive, click here ...
Ralph Gibson, fashion photography, click here ...
Ralph Gibson, archive, click here ...
Edward Weston
Edward Weston ... [1886-1958] An American photographer and co-founder of Group f/64. He is regarded as one of the masters of 20th century photography ...
"He raised images to the level of poetry" ... Check out some of his images ...
[1] Edward Weston images ...
[2] Edward Weston ...
Ansel Adams on Weston ...
"Weston is, in the real sense, one of the few creative artists of today. He has recreated the matter-forms and forces of nature; he has made these forms eloquent of the fundamental unity of the world. His work illuminates man's inner journey toward perfection of the spirit."
Read more about Edward Weston, click here ...
Personal Note ... I love his "Pepper", "Eggplant" and "Shell" images ... and his nudes are very very artistic!!!!
"He raised images to the level of poetry" ... Check out some of his images ...
[1] Edward Weston images ...
[2] Edward Weston ...
Ansel Adams on Weston ...
"Weston is, in the real sense, one of the few creative artists of today. He has recreated the matter-forms and forces of nature; he has made these forms eloquent of the fundamental unity of the world. His work illuminates man's inner journey toward perfection of the spirit."
Read more about Edward Weston, click here ...
Personal Note ... I love his "Pepper", "Eggplant" and "Shell" images ... and his nudes are very very artistic!!!!
Trend Setters
Henry Cartier Bresson [1908 - 2004] The famous French photographer, whose name is synonymous with street photography .... His candid street photography style still infleunces photographers worldwide ... made famous the words "decisive moment"...
W Eugene Smith [1918 - 1978] An American photo-jounalist who started the trend of photo-essay , that is, a set or series of photographs that are intended to tell a story or evoke a series of emotions in the viewer ...
Alfred Eisenstaedt [1898 - 1995] German-American photographer better known as Eisie is called the father of photojournalism ... He shot over 80 "Life" covers. his work is described as 'easy looking', both easy to look at, and stunning in the apparent simplicity of his approach. It was popular rather than highbrow.... His most famous work is the "The V-J Day Kiss".
William Egglestone [ born 1939] An American photographer ... pioneer of modern day color photography ... he is credited with securing the recognition of color-photography as legitimate artistic medium in art galleries.
* In 1914, the "National Geographic" was the first magazine to produce color photographs ...
Dr. Harold Edgerton [1903 - 1990]... An American photographer ... invented high-speed stroboscopic photography ... He is largely credited with transforming the stroboscope from an obscure laboratory instrument into a common device seen in nearly every camera ... Famous for images like
- A bullet through an apple ...
- A droplet of milk that looks like a clown ...
His work was featured in an October 1987 National Geographic Magazine article entitled, "Doc Edgerton: the man who made time stand still."
Robert Mapplethrope [1946 - 1989] An American photographer ... very controversial ... Noted for his flowers and male nudes ... His works stirred debates about government funding of questionable "art"!
Phil Borges [born 1942] - Famous for photographs of Tibet and Dalai Lama ..
Edward Curtis [1868 - 1952] - Famous for photographs of Native Americans ...
The American Civil War [1861-65] was the first war to be throughly recorded by photographs ....
W Eugene Smith [1918 - 1978] An American photo-jounalist who started the trend of photo-essay , that is, a set or series of photographs that are intended to tell a story or evoke a series of emotions in the viewer ...
Alfred Eisenstaedt [1898 - 1995] German-American photographer better known as Eisie is called the father of photojournalism ... He shot over 80 "Life" covers. his work is described as 'easy looking', both easy to look at, and stunning in the apparent simplicity of his approach. It was popular rather than highbrow.... His most famous work is the "The V-J Day Kiss".
William Egglestone [ born 1939] An American photographer ... pioneer of modern day color photography ... he is credited with securing the recognition of color-photography as legitimate artistic medium in art galleries.
* In 1914, the "National Geographic" was the first magazine to produce color photographs ...
Dr. Harold Edgerton [1903 - 1990]... An American photographer ... invented high-speed stroboscopic photography ... He is largely credited with transforming the stroboscope from an obscure laboratory instrument into a common device seen in nearly every camera ... Famous for images like
- A bullet through an apple ...
- A droplet of milk that looks like a clown ...
His work was featured in an October 1987 National Geographic Magazine article entitled, "Doc Edgerton: the man who made time stand still."
Robert Mapplethrope [1946 - 1989] An American photographer ... very controversial ... Noted for his flowers and male nudes ... His works stirred debates about government funding of questionable "art"!
Phil Borges [born 1942] - Famous for photographs of Tibet and Dalai Lama ..
Edward Curtis [1868 - 1952] - Famous for photographs of Native Americans ...
The American Civil War [1861-65] was the first war to be throughly recorded by photographs ....
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Masters of street photography & /or photojournalism
My favourite photographer is definitely Henry Cartier Bresson ...
[1] Henry Cartier Bresson [1908-2004]
A French photographer called the "father of modern photojournalism". A master of candid photography and has greatly influenced the development of "street photography" ...
Check out his work ... Henry Cartier Bresson, click here ...
and more ... click here ...
[2] Andre Kertesz [1894-1985]
He had a profound influence on the world of photography, particularly in France where he was a mentor to photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, and Brassai. Cartier-Bresson acknowledged his achievements when he said ... "Whatever we have done, Kertesz did it first"
Check out his work ... Andre Kertesz, click here ...
[3] Alfred Stieglitz [1864-1946]
American photographer who was instrumental in making photography an acceptable art form alongside painting and sculpture ...
Check out his work ... Alfred Stieglitz, click here ...
[4] Paul Strand [1890-1976]
An American photographer and filmmaker who, along with fellow photographers like Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Weston, helped establish photography as an art form in the 20th century ...
Check out his work ... Paul Strand, click here ...
[5] W. Eugene Smith [1918-1978]
American photojournalist most famous for his brutally vivid World War-II and post-war photographs ... He perfected photo-essays which was a series images on a topic like ...
- "Country Doctor" (1948) photo essay on Dr. Ernest Ceriani in the small Colorado town of Kremmling. Credited as the first "photo story" of the modern photojournalism age.
- "Spanish Village" (1950) photo essay on the small Spanish town of Deleitosa
- "A Man of Mercy" (1954) photo essay on Dr. Albert Schweitzer and his humanitarian work in French Equatorial Africa.
- "Tomoko Uemura in Her Bath" (1971) the centrepiece photograph in Minamata, a long-term photo essay by Smith on the effects of mercury poisoning in the fishing village of Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan...
and many others such photo-essays ...
Check out his work ... W Eugene Smith, click here ...
[6] Alfred Eisenstaedt [1898-1995]
Better known as "Eisie" ... was a German-American photographer and photojounalist ... also called the "father of photojournalism". He perfected certain techniques for capturing the spontaneous moment that has given us some of our most enduring photographic images. he came to be known to millions worldwide through his work for LIFE Magazine, which he joined as one of the first four staff photographers in 1935 ...
Check out his work ... Alfred Eisenstaedt, click here ... and here ...
[7] Margaret Burke-White [1904-1971]
An American photojournalist, she was the first woman accredited by the U.S. Army as a war correspondent and crossed the German border with Patton's troops. She was also one of the first photographers to enter and document death camps. Her photos were so compelling that Life published them, breaking the tradition of avoiding the horrific aspects of the war. "The Living Dead of Buchenwald" became a classic. After the war, she was sent to India, where she took one of her most famous photographs, Gandhi at His Spinning Wheel. From 1949 to 1953, she photographed life in South Africa under apartheid, as well as the Korean War.
Check out her work ... Margaret Burke White, click here ...
...
To continue ...
There are many more to add like ... Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Diane Arbus, Lee Friedlander, Garry Winograd and more ...
[1] Henry Cartier Bresson [1908-2004]
A French photographer called the "father of modern photojournalism". A master of candid photography and has greatly influenced the development of "street photography" ...
Check out his work ... Henry Cartier Bresson, click here ...
and more ... click here ...
[2] Andre Kertesz [1894-1985]
He had a profound influence on the world of photography, particularly in France where he was a mentor to photographers such as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, and Brassai. Cartier-Bresson acknowledged his achievements when he said ... "Whatever we have done, Kertesz did it first"
Check out his work ... Andre Kertesz, click here ...
[3] Alfred Stieglitz [1864-1946]
American photographer who was instrumental in making photography an acceptable art form alongside painting and sculpture ...
Check out his work ... Alfred Stieglitz, click here ...
[4] Paul Strand [1890-1976]
An American photographer and filmmaker who, along with fellow photographers like Alfred Stieglitz and Edward Weston, helped establish photography as an art form in the 20th century ...
Check out his work ... Paul Strand, click here ...
[5] W. Eugene Smith [1918-1978]
American photojournalist most famous for his brutally vivid World War-II and post-war photographs ... He perfected photo-essays which was a series images on a topic like ...
- "Country Doctor" (1948) photo essay on Dr. Ernest Ceriani in the small Colorado town of Kremmling. Credited as the first "photo story" of the modern photojournalism age.
- "Spanish Village" (1950) photo essay on the small Spanish town of Deleitosa
- "A Man of Mercy" (1954) photo essay on Dr. Albert Schweitzer and his humanitarian work in French Equatorial Africa.
- "Tomoko Uemura in Her Bath" (1971) the centrepiece photograph in Minamata, a long-term photo essay by Smith on the effects of mercury poisoning in the fishing village of Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan...
and many others such photo-essays ...
Check out his work ... W Eugene Smith, click here ...
[6] Alfred Eisenstaedt [1898-1995]
Better known as "Eisie" ... was a German-American photographer and photojounalist ... also called the "father of photojournalism". He perfected certain techniques for capturing the spontaneous moment that has given us some of our most enduring photographic images. he came to be known to millions worldwide through his work for LIFE Magazine, which he joined as one of the first four staff photographers in 1935 ...
Check out his work ... Alfred Eisenstaedt, click here ... and here ...
[7] Margaret Burke-White [1904-1971]
An American photojournalist, she was the first woman accredited by the U.S. Army as a war correspondent and crossed the German border with Patton's troops. She was also one of the first photographers to enter and document death camps. Her photos were so compelling that Life published them, breaking the tradition of avoiding the horrific aspects of the war. "The Living Dead of Buchenwald" became a classic. After the war, she was sent to India, where she took one of her most famous photographs, Gandhi at His Spinning Wheel. From 1949 to 1953, she photographed life in South Africa under apartheid, as well as the Korean War.
Check out her work ... Margaret Burke White, click here ...
...
To continue ...
There are many more to add like ... Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Diane Arbus, Lee Friedlander, Garry Winograd and more ...
World Famous Photos - II ...
Continuation of my previous post ... The previous post was 15 of my choice, but there's links to more of world famous photos ...
[1] "Life" - The Digital Journalist ...
[2] Newday.com ... The world in photographs ...
[3] World's Famous Photos ...
[1] "Life" - The Digital Journalist ...
[2] Newday.com ... The world in photographs ...
[3] World's Famous Photos ...
Friday, July 6, 2007
World Famous Photos - I ....
This post is entirely of reference materials ... My only contribution is compiling them ... They have been in my favourites link for a long time ... and I thought about organizing them ...
[1] "Earthrise" ... click here ...
Photographer: It was taken on the Apollo 8 mission ... by crewman William Anders ...
The shot was taken in December 1968.
"Oh my God, look at that picture over there! Here's the Earth coming up!" .. ... The Apollo 8 mission had put humans into lunar orbit for the very first time. Until then, no human eyes had seen the far side of the Moon. Virtually all of the photographs scheduled for the Apollo 8 mission were to do with capturing high resolution images of the lunar surface - both of the far side and of potential landing sites on the near side. The 'Earthrise' photograph was not on the mission schedule and was taken in a moment of pure serendipity.
These days protecting enviornment is a widely discussed issue ... But not in those days ... This image showed our entire world as a small and blue and very finite globe, and made people aware how fragile our earth is. It is often said to be one of the most influential environmental photograph ever taken.
[2] "The Tetons and the Snake River" ... click here ...
Photographer: Ansel Adams in 1942.
At the time when photography was not widely accepted an art form. Rather, photographers attempted to make their pictures more "artistic" (i.e., more like paintings) by subjecting their exposures to all sorts of extreme manipulations ... Then came Ansel Adams, who espoused that photography is "a blazing poetry of the real". Adams eschewed manipulations, claiming they were simply derivative of other art forms. Instead, he preached the value of "pure photography." In an era when handheld point-and-shoot cameras were quickly becoming the norm, Adams and other landscape photographers clung to their bulky, old-fashioned large-format cameras. Ultimately, Adams’ pictures turned photography into fine art. Also, he greatly contributed to how Americans view the wilderness ...
[3] V-J Day, "The Kiss" ... click here ...
Photographer: Alfred Eisenstaedt
Photo taken on August 14, 1945 ...
Not as romantic as it seems ... On August 14, 1945, when the news of Japan’s surrender was announced in the United States, signaling the end of World War II ... celebrations broke out on the streets ... A sailor was running around and grabbing any and every girl in sight, whether she was a grandmother, stout, thin, old .. it didnt make any difference. However it was this shot of him with an attractive nurse has become one the most famous symbols of that day!!!
This shot is not staged, as against the other famous kiss shot "Kiss by the Hotel de Ville" which was staged ...
[4] "Man versus Tank" ... ... click here ...
Photographer: Charlie Cole [a contract photographer for Newsweek magazine]
Photo taken on June 4, 1989 in Beijing, China.
Declared World Press Photo of the Year, 1989.
A demonstrator [widely known as "Unknown Rebel" ] confronts a line of People's Liberation Army [PLA] tanks during Tiananmen Square demonstrations for democratic reform. The man stood alone in the middle of the road as the tanks approached. He held a jacket in one hand and a grocery bag in another. As the tanks came to a stop, he appeared to be trying to wave them away ...
Trying to control his breath and steady his shots Cole thought "If this kid's going to give his life in protest I have a responsibility to nail the shot."
[5] "The Saigon Execution" ... ... click here ...
Photographer: Eddie Adams [ of the Assossiated Press] ...
Photo taken on Feb 1, 1968.
This shot won him Pulitzer Prize in 1969 ...
This photograph showing South Vietnamese National Police Chief Nguyễn Ngọc Loan executing a Viet Cong officer Viet Cong Captain Nguyen Van Lem ...in Saigon during the Tet Offensive. Adams' photograph remains the defining image ... When this photograph was shown on television and on the front pages of newspapers around the world, it created an immediate revulsion at a seemingly gratuitous act of savagery in the Vietnam War.
[6] "Napalm girl of Trangbang" ... click here ...
Photographer: Huynh Cong Ut [Also known as Nick Ut. ... of the Associated Press]
Photo taken on June 8, 1972.
This photograph that won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973.
Kim Phuc Phan Thi, center, running down a road near Trang Bang, Vietnam, after a napalm bomb was dropped on the village of Trang Bang by a plane of the Vietnam Air Force. The village was suspected by US Army forces of being a Viet Cong stronghold. Kim Phuc survived by tearing off her burning clothes.
[7] "Vulture stalks the emaciated child" ... ... click here ...
Photographer: Kevin Carter ... freelance photographer ...
Photo taken in 1993.
He won Pulitzer prize for the photo in 1994.
The haunting photo of a vulture stalking an emaciated Sudanese girl who'd collapsed on her way to a feeding station. He said that he waited about 20 minutes, hoping that the vulture would spread its wings. It didn't. Carter snapped the haunting photograph and chased the vulture away. However, he also came under heavy criticism for just photographing — and not helping — the little girl. He won the Pulitzer prize , but soon after that he committed suicide at the age of 33.
[8] "The Power of One" ... click here ...
Photographer: Oded Balilty [of the Associated Press]...
This photo won the Pulitzer prize in 2007.
A lone Jewish woman defying Israeli security forces as they remove illegal settlers in the West Bank
[9] "How Life Begins" click here ...
Photographer: Lennart Nilsson in 1965 ...
One of the first pictures taken with the endoscope. It shows a fetus in a pregnant woman. The picture was considered many years the symbol of humanity.
[10] "Born Twice" ... click here ...
Photographer: Max Aguilera-Hellweg
Photo taken on May 21, 1999.
"Fetal hand grasp" ... Picture of unborn child holding doctor's hand during a fetal operation ... Read the story along the photo in the link ...
[11] "Burning Monk, Self-Immolation" ... click here ...
Photographer: Malcolm Browne
Photograph taken on June 11, 1963.
This photo was declared the "World Press photo of the Year" ...
Thích Quảng Đức, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, burning himself to death in Saigon in 1963. The monk was protesting President Ngô Đình Diệm's administration for oppressing the Buddhist religion ...
I should add three controversial photos here ... which I had mentioned earlier in the article ... [controversial] Documentary Photography -II ... click here ...
[1] Raising Flag on Iwo Jima
[2] Kiss by the Hotel de Ville
[3] Migrant Mother ...
For more world famous photos ... click here ...
[1] "Earthrise" ... click here ...
Photographer: It was taken on the Apollo 8 mission ... by crewman William Anders ...
The shot was taken in December 1968.
"Oh my God, look at that picture over there! Here's the Earth coming up!" .. ... The Apollo 8 mission had put humans into lunar orbit for the very first time. Until then, no human eyes had seen the far side of the Moon. Virtually all of the photographs scheduled for the Apollo 8 mission were to do with capturing high resolution images of the lunar surface - both of the far side and of potential landing sites on the near side. The 'Earthrise' photograph was not on the mission schedule and was taken in a moment of pure serendipity.
These days protecting enviornment is a widely discussed issue ... But not in those days ... This image showed our entire world as a small and blue and very finite globe, and made people aware how fragile our earth is. It is often said to be one of the most influential environmental photograph ever taken.
[2] "The Tetons and the Snake River" ... click here ...
Photographer: Ansel Adams in 1942.
At the time when photography was not widely accepted an art form. Rather, photographers attempted to make their pictures more "artistic" (i.e., more like paintings) by subjecting their exposures to all sorts of extreme manipulations ... Then came Ansel Adams, who espoused that photography is "a blazing poetry of the real". Adams eschewed manipulations, claiming they were simply derivative of other art forms. Instead, he preached the value of "pure photography." In an era when handheld point-and-shoot cameras were quickly becoming the norm, Adams and other landscape photographers clung to their bulky, old-fashioned large-format cameras. Ultimately, Adams’ pictures turned photography into fine art. Also, he greatly contributed to how Americans view the wilderness ...
[3] V-J Day, "The Kiss" ... click here ...
Photographer: Alfred Eisenstaedt
Photo taken on August 14, 1945 ...
Not as romantic as it seems ... On August 14, 1945, when the news of Japan’s surrender was announced in the United States, signaling the end of World War II ... celebrations broke out on the streets ... A sailor was running around and grabbing any and every girl in sight, whether she was a grandmother, stout, thin, old .. it didnt make any difference. However it was this shot of him with an attractive nurse has become one the most famous symbols of that day!!!
This shot is not staged, as against the other famous kiss shot "Kiss by the Hotel de Ville" which was staged ...
[4] "Man versus Tank" ... ... click here ...
Photographer: Charlie Cole [a contract photographer for Newsweek magazine]
Photo taken on June 4, 1989 in Beijing, China.
Declared World Press Photo of the Year, 1989.
A demonstrator [widely known as "Unknown Rebel" ] confronts a line of People's Liberation Army [PLA] tanks during Tiananmen Square demonstrations for democratic reform. The man stood alone in the middle of the road as the tanks approached. He held a jacket in one hand and a grocery bag in another. As the tanks came to a stop, he appeared to be trying to wave them away ...
Trying to control his breath and steady his shots Cole thought "If this kid's going to give his life in protest I have a responsibility to nail the shot."
[5] "The Saigon Execution" ... ... click here ...
Photographer: Eddie Adams [ of the Assossiated Press] ...
Photo taken on Feb 1, 1968.
This shot won him Pulitzer Prize in 1969 ...
This photograph showing South Vietnamese National Police Chief Nguyễn Ngọc Loan executing a Viet Cong officer Viet Cong Captain Nguyen Van Lem ...in Saigon during the Tet Offensive. Adams' photograph remains the defining image ... When this photograph was shown on television and on the front pages of newspapers around the world, it created an immediate revulsion at a seemingly gratuitous act of savagery in the Vietnam War.
[6] "Napalm girl of Trangbang" ... click here ...
Photographer: Huynh Cong Ut [Also known as Nick Ut. ... of the Associated Press]
Photo taken on June 8, 1972.
This photograph that won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973.
Kim Phuc Phan Thi, center, running down a road near Trang Bang, Vietnam, after a napalm bomb was dropped on the village of Trang Bang by a plane of the Vietnam Air Force. The village was suspected by US Army forces of being a Viet Cong stronghold. Kim Phuc survived by tearing off her burning clothes.
[7] "Vulture stalks the emaciated child" ... ... click here ...
Photographer: Kevin Carter ... freelance photographer ...
Photo taken in 1993.
He won Pulitzer prize for the photo in 1994.
The haunting photo of a vulture stalking an emaciated Sudanese girl who'd collapsed on her way to a feeding station. He said that he waited about 20 minutes, hoping that the vulture would spread its wings. It didn't. Carter snapped the haunting photograph and chased the vulture away. However, he also came under heavy criticism for just photographing — and not helping — the little girl. He won the Pulitzer prize , but soon after that he committed suicide at the age of 33.
[8] "The Power of One" ... click here ...
Photographer: Oded Balilty [of the Associated Press]...
This photo won the Pulitzer prize in 2007.
A lone Jewish woman defying Israeli security forces as they remove illegal settlers in the West Bank
[9] "How Life Begins" click here ...
Photographer: Lennart Nilsson in 1965 ...
One of the first pictures taken with the endoscope. It shows a fetus in a pregnant woman. The picture was considered many years the symbol of humanity.
[10] "Born Twice" ... click here ...
Photographer: Max Aguilera-Hellweg
Photo taken on May 21, 1999.
"Fetal hand grasp" ... Picture of unborn child holding doctor's hand during a fetal operation ... Read the story along the photo in the link ...
[11] "Burning Monk, Self-Immolation" ... click here ...
Photographer: Malcolm Browne
Photograph taken on June 11, 1963.
This photo was declared the "World Press photo of the Year" ...
Thích Quảng Đức, a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, burning himself to death in Saigon in 1963. The monk was protesting President Ngô Đình Diệm's administration for oppressing the Buddhist religion ...
I should add three controversial photos here ... which I had mentioned earlier in the article ... [controversial] Documentary Photography -II ... click here ...
[1] Raising Flag on Iwo Jima
[2] Kiss by the Hotel de Ville
[3] Migrant Mother ...
For more world famous photos ... click here ...
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Photography - An Art!!!!
In the late 19th century when photography was becoming increasingly popular, there was a huge backlash by artists and critics who scorned, scoffed, sneered and decried at the labeling/designating photography as an art-form. They argued that the camera-work was so precise and believable that it left no room left for “artistic interpretation”, which is a defining characteristic of art ... And since photography is machine-made ... it does not have the same status than other man-made art-forms like paintings.
Many photographers took innovative measures to establish photography as art-form. To demonstrate that artistic sensitivity, imagination and individual style were possible with camera ... many photographers began manipulating the photographic process ... Thus in late 19th century, a trend emerged where photographers started "imitating paintings" of their time ... They favored darkroom techniques to get some control over the results they desired to achieve using innovative techniques like …
[1] Softening and blurring parts of photographs during printing process to achieve softness of the paintings ...
[2] Another approach was applying a needle directly to negatives and scratching pencil-like lines or shading around figures ...
[3] Some even used multiple negatives to produce prints ...
Adherents of these techniques photography came to be known as “pictorials”. Most of the pictorialists favored subject-matter made popular by impressionist painters like hazy landscapes, nudes, and groups of children playing around ...
But then some photographers like “Henry Peter Emerson” denounced the approach of the pictorials. Emerson believed that photography was an art form as legitimate as painting … But was against the techniques used by pictorials. He advocated that photographers should “rely only on naturally occurring effects of light and subject, never resorting to contrived costuming or hand retouching of the print”. He emerged as an advocate of “straight photography” … and believed that photographic images should not be tampered with or subjected to handwork, or it looses its integrity …
Two most prominent names associated with straight photography are of:
[1] Alfred Stieglitz ... [and his "Photo Secessions"]
[2] Ansel Adams .... [and his "Group f/64"]
* Terms "Photo Secession" and "Group f/64" ... elaborated in the previous post!!!
In the struggle for securing a place for photography in the art-world, the most important name is of Alfred Stieglitz . He probably did more than any other individual to get photography recognized as art-form and at the same level as other arts.
Stieglitz was insistent that "photographs should look like photographs" ... only then the medium of photography would be considered with its own aesthetic credo and so would separate photography from other fine arts such as painting. This approach by Stieglitz gained the term "STRAIGHT photography".
Stieglitz early styles, methods, and subjects encompassed soft-focus Pictorialist photographs or images etched into printing plates directly from the negatives ... But in his late career, Stieglitz was known for sharp-focus "straight" photography, and found plenty of subjects by looking out his New York City high-rise window or walking around his summer home. In 1902 he founded "Photo-Secessions" with a group of talented avant-garde artists. In 1905 he directed the Photo-Secession Gallery in 291 Fifth Avenue, New York ... A gallery that came to be known as the "291", and exhibited not only the work of contemporary photographers, but also works of the most celebrated painters like Picasso, Rodin, Matisse and Toulouse-Lautrec ... and thus after a long struggle photography was earned the status of an art!!!
* Stieglitz was the first photographer to be recognized as an artist by American museums, beginning in 1924 when the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, acquired a set of photographs directly from the artist.
Another prominent name associated with "straight photography" is that of Ansel Adams ... Adams was the co-founder of Group f/64, a movement based on loyalty to "straight photography", in reaction against pictorialism .... He eschewed soft-focus lenses and impressionistic, diffused images ... for sharp-focus, documentary style photographs. He advocated the use of "previsualization" .... that the image must first be created in the mind's eye and that the photographer should know exactly what the picture will look like before he ever shoots the picture ... he developed a processs called "zone system" to produce an image that had beautiful rich black tones, and a large tonal range (grays) that made these prints stand out. Thus Ansel adams pushed the envelop of straight photography ...
* The terms, "Group f/64" , "Photo secessions" and "Pictorials" ... are elaborated in the earlier post!!!
Reference: Alfred Stieglitz, click here ...
Many photographers took innovative measures to establish photography as art-form. To demonstrate that artistic sensitivity, imagination and individual style were possible with camera ... many photographers began manipulating the photographic process ... Thus in late 19th century, a trend emerged where photographers started "imitating paintings" of their time ... They favored darkroom techniques to get some control over the results they desired to achieve using innovative techniques like …
[1] Softening and blurring parts of photographs during printing process to achieve softness of the paintings ...
[2] Another approach was applying a needle directly to negatives and scratching pencil-like lines or shading around figures ...
[3] Some even used multiple negatives to produce prints ...
Adherents of these techniques photography came to be known as “pictorials”. Most of the pictorialists favored subject-matter made popular by impressionist painters like hazy landscapes, nudes, and groups of children playing around ...
But then some photographers like “Henry Peter Emerson” denounced the approach of the pictorials. Emerson believed that photography was an art form as legitimate as painting … But was against the techniques used by pictorials. He advocated that photographers should “rely only on naturally occurring effects of light and subject, never resorting to contrived costuming or hand retouching of the print”. He emerged as an advocate of “straight photography” … and believed that photographic images should not be tampered with or subjected to handwork, or it looses its integrity …
Two most prominent names associated with straight photography are of:
[1] Alfred Stieglitz ... [and his "Photo Secessions"]
[2] Ansel Adams .... [and his "Group f/64"]
* Terms "Photo Secession" and "Group f/64" ... elaborated in the previous post!!!
In the struggle for securing a place for photography in the art-world, the most important name is of Alfred Stieglitz . He probably did more than any other individual to get photography recognized as art-form and at the same level as other arts.
Stieglitz was insistent that "photographs should look like photographs" ... only then the medium of photography would be considered with its own aesthetic credo and so would separate photography from other fine arts such as painting. This approach by Stieglitz gained the term "STRAIGHT photography".
Stieglitz early styles, methods, and subjects encompassed soft-focus Pictorialist photographs or images etched into printing plates directly from the negatives ... But in his late career, Stieglitz was known for sharp-focus "straight" photography, and found plenty of subjects by looking out his New York City high-rise window or walking around his summer home. In 1902 he founded "Photo-Secessions" with a group of talented avant-garde artists. In 1905 he directed the Photo-Secession Gallery in 291 Fifth Avenue, New York ... A gallery that came to be known as the "291", and exhibited not only the work of contemporary photographers, but also works of the most celebrated painters like Picasso, Rodin, Matisse and Toulouse-Lautrec ... and thus after a long struggle photography was earned the status of an art!!!
* Stieglitz was the first photographer to be recognized as an artist by American museums, beginning in 1924 when the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, acquired a set of photographs directly from the artist.
Another prominent name associated with "straight photography" is that of Ansel Adams ... Adams was the co-founder of Group f/64, a movement based on loyalty to "straight photography", in reaction against pictorialism .... He eschewed soft-focus lenses and impressionistic, diffused images ... for sharp-focus, documentary style photographs. He advocated the use of "previsualization" .... that the image must first be created in the mind's eye and that the photographer should know exactly what the picture will look like before he ever shoots the picture ... he developed a processs called "zone system" to produce an image that had beautiful rich black tones, and a large tonal range (grays) that made these prints stand out. Thus Ansel adams pushed the envelop of straight photography ...
* The terms, "Group f/64" , "Photo secessions" and "Pictorials" ... are elaborated in the earlier post!!!
Reference: Alfred Stieglitz, click here ...
"Group f/64" / "Photo Secession" / "Pictorials"
[This post is to elabborate on the terms used in the next post Photography: An Art" ]
[III] Group f/64
It was a group of photographers espousing a common philosophy. The group was created in 1932 ... with photographers like Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and others ... The group devoted to exhibiting and promoting a new direction in photography that broke with the Pictorialism then prevalent in West Coast art photography.
The term f/64 refers to the smallest aperture setting available on large format camera, which secures maximum depth of field, rendering a photograph evenly sharp from foreground to background. It signaled the group's conviction that photographs should celebrate rather than disguise the medium's unrivaled capacity to present the world "as it is."
As Edward Weston phrased it, "The camera should be used for a recording of life, for rendering the very substance and quintessence of the thing itself, whether it be polished steel or palpitating flesh."
A corollary of this idea was that the camera was able to see the world more clearly than the human eye, because it didn't project personal prejudices onto the subject. The group's effort to present the camera's "vision" as clearly as possible included:
- advocating the use of aperture f/64 in order to provide the greatest depth of field, thus allowing for the largest percentage of the picture to be in sharp focus;
- contact printing, a method of making prints by placing photographic paper directly in contact with the negative, instead of using an enlarger to project the negative image onto paper;
- and glossy papers instead of matte or artist papers, the surfaces of which tended to disperse the contours of objects.
Such methods transformed the role of the artist from printmaker to selector: it was the photographer's choice of form and his or her framing of it that made the picture. The use of a view camera enabled the photographer to preview his scene on the ground glass (a flat pane of glass on the camera that reflected the scene from the point of view of the lens), the view camera's equivalent of the viewfinder in the 35mm single-lens reflex camera, before he snapped the shutter and developed the print, and the extensive employment of this device was a hallmark of Group f/64 ..
Weston dubbed its effective use "previsualization".
Group f/64 photographers concentrated on landscape photography—notable examples include Ansel Adams' Winter Yosemite Valley and Weston's Dunes, Oceano or close-up images of items from the natural environment, such as plants and pieces of wood, subjects that highlighted the photographer's creative intuition and ability to create aesthetic order out of nature's chaos.
Such a small aperture implies a long exposure and the selection of relatively slow moving or motionless subject matter, such as landscapes and still life over action and reportage photography.
This corresponds to the ideal of straight photography which the group espoused in response to the pictorialist methods that were in fashion at the time.
Members of Group f/64 ...
Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, John Paul Edwards, Preston Holder, Consuelo Kanaga, Alma Lavenson, Sonya Noskowiak, Henry Swift, Willard Van Dyke, Brett Weston, and Edward Weston ...
[II] Photo-Secession
Photo Secession ...
Also known as New York Camera Club ... or
291 Fifth Avenue ... later just 291 ...
The Photo-Secession movement was a group of photographers led by Alfred Stieglitz in the early 1900s that helped to raise standards and awareness of art photography.
In 1902 Stieglitz formed an invitation-only group, which he called the Photo-Secession, to force the art world to recognize photography "as a distinctive medium of individual expression."
Photo-secessionists thought that the strength of a medium was found in its purity, hence straight photography. Images were not manipulated in the darkroom, aside from cropping. Content of the images often referred to previous work done by other artists, especially Greek and Roman art. Images often contained stylistic consistency such as dramatic lighting, perspective, geometric, monochrome/black and white, and high contrast
members of Photo Secessions: Edward Steichen, Gertrude Kasebier, Clarence White and Alvin Langdon Coburn. Photo-Secession held its own exhibitions and became the publisher of the journal, Camera Work. The group also operated the Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession.
[I] Pictorials
The pictorialist style argued that art photography needed to emulate the painting and etching of the time. Pictorialist images were black & white or sepia-toned. Among the methods used were soft focus, special filters and lens coatings, heavy manipulation in the darkroom, and exotic printing processes.
References:
"Group f/64", click here ...
"Photo secession Movement", click here ...
[III] Group f/64
It was a group of photographers espousing a common philosophy. The group was created in 1932 ... with photographers like Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and others ... The group devoted to exhibiting and promoting a new direction in photography that broke with the Pictorialism then prevalent in West Coast art photography.
The term f/64 refers to the smallest aperture setting available on large format camera, which secures maximum depth of field, rendering a photograph evenly sharp from foreground to background. It signaled the group's conviction that photographs should celebrate rather than disguise the medium's unrivaled capacity to present the world "as it is."
As Edward Weston phrased it, "The camera should be used for a recording of life, for rendering the very substance and quintessence of the thing itself, whether it be polished steel or palpitating flesh."
A corollary of this idea was that the camera was able to see the world more clearly than the human eye, because it didn't project personal prejudices onto the subject. The group's effort to present the camera's "vision" as clearly as possible included:
- advocating the use of aperture f/64 in order to provide the greatest depth of field, thus allowing for the largest percentage of the picture to be in sharp focus;
- contact printing, a method of making prints by placing photographic paper directly in contact with the negative, instead of using an enlarger to project the negative image onto paper;
- and glossy papers instead of matte or artist papers, the surfaces of which tended to disperse the contours of objects.
Such methods transformed the role of the artist from printmaker to selector: it was the photographer's choice of form and his or her framing of it that made the picture. The use of a view camera enabled the photographer to preview his scene on the ground glass (a flat pane of glass on the camera that reflected the scene from the point of view of the lens), the view camera's equivalent of the viewfinder in the 35mm single-lens reflex camera, before he snapped the shutter and developed the print, and the extensive employment of this device was a hallmark of Group f/64 ..
Weston dubbed its effective use "previsualization".
Group f/64 photographers concentrated on landscape photography—notable examples include Ansel Adams' Winter Yosemite Valley and Weston's Dunes, Oceano or close-up images of items from the natural environment, such as plants and pieces of wood, subjects that highlighted the photographer's creative intuition and ability to create aesthetic order out of nature's chaos.
Such a small aperture implies a long exposure and the selection of relatively slow moving or motionless subject matter, such as landscapes and still life over action and reportage photography.
This corresponds to the ideal of straight photography which the group espoused in response to the pictorialist methods that were in fashion at the time.
Members of Group f/64 ...
Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, John Paul Edwards, Preston Holder, Consuelo Kanaga, Alma Lavenson, Sonya Noskowiak, Henry Swift, Willard Van Dyke, Brett Weston, and Edward Weston ...
[II] Photo-Secession
Photo Secession ...
Also known as New York Camera Club ... or
291 Fifth Avenue ... later just 291 ...
The Photo-Secession movement was a group of photographers led by Alfred Stieglitz in the early 1900s that helped to raise standards and awareness of art photography.
In 1902 Stieglitz formed an invitation-only group, which he called the Photo-Secession, to force the art world to recognize photography "as a distinctive medium of individual expression."
Photo-secessionists thought that the strength of a medium was found in its purity, hence straight photography. Images were not manipulated in the darkroom, aside from cropping. Content of the images often referred to previous work done by other artists, especially Greek and Roman art. Images often contained stylistic consistency such as dramatic lighting, perspective, geometric, monochrome/black and white, and high contrast
members of Photo Secessions: Edward Steichen, Gertrude Kasebier, Clarence White and Alvin Langdon Coburn. Photo-Secession held its own exhibitions and became the publisher of the journal, Camera Work. The group also operated the Little Galleries of the Photo-Secession.
[I] Pictorials
The pictorialist style argued that art photography needed to emulate the painting and etching of the time. Pictorialist images were black & white or sepia-toned. Among the methods used were soft focus, special filters and lens coatings, heavy manipulation in the darkroom, and exotic printing processes.
References:
"Group f/64", click here ...
"Photo secession Movement", click here ...
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Documentary Photography - III
Documentary Photography are imagery records of relevant issues of our society and are preserved for posterity. It is generally accepted that documentary photographs are not to be tampered/ doctored in any way ... which means these are ... [1] neither staged .... [2] nor technologically altered, which excludes even digital manipulation; which itself has become a very controversial issue ...
This write-up is more to explore the GRAY-AREA of documentary photography ....
[1] Although everyone accepts that cameras are imperfect instruments in capturing what the eyes sees … And some of these limitations can be corrected with post-processing … to bring out the details, calibrate the colors … But different people have different views on where is the line between proper "fixing” of a photo and a blatant “lie”. Unfortunately this is a very throny subjective issue. "At what exact point does an acceptable representation of reality changes into an unacceptable distortion of truth"??? .... this is an issue of ongoing discussion/ debate among photojournalists ….
[2] Then there is the issue of "credibility" or "public trust", which is the foundation of documentary photography ... “If manipulation of photographs is allowed in some images, then public would doubt the truthfulness of all images”. To me this argument carries a lot of weight. As I wrote earlier when I see images of 9/11 tragedy, crisis in Darfur or of war at Iraq, I would not like these images to be tampered in any way.
[3] An important fact to remember [especially in case of documentary photography] is that photos are not only to look good … photographs have the potential to incite people to take action. When presented with images of war, conflicts, riots, starvation, death … These images motivate people to support/protest against government policies … They lead people to riots, conflicts, wars, negotiations … so authenticity of documentary photographs is of utmost importance….
[4] As far as Photojournalists Awards goes, all of them have very strict rules against any tampering with photos … Looking at some of the arguments … especially issues of [a] public trust and [b] potential to ignite action from people I can understand the rationale behind such strict rules … though it is a matter of ongoing debate ...
[5] Now here’s an interesting point to ponder … Digital elimination of an object, like digitally removing a coke-can is not-acceptable … BUT cropping the frame to eliminate the can is acceptable. Now this caveat can be used to manipulate a situation … Say when a political figure is giving a speech, a close-crop can show too much crowd, whereas a wide-angle-shot with inclusion of a lot of empty space may make the crowd seem too thin ... So how far even a straight photograph tells the truth is very subjective issue ... But this is true with ALL news-realted issues, different coverage widely alters the perception different people have of the same event ... So we can draw parallels of this cotroversy with television news, biographies and so on ...
Throughout history we have been presented with images that are “controversial”.... Some are up in arms against such tampering, some don’t care ... I care enough to learn about the on-going debate surrounding some photos … However one thing I know for sure, if any day I’m mislead into taking action on basis of false/manipulated/tampered photos … I sure would be hurt ...
This write-up is more to explore the GRAY-AREA of documentary photography ....
[1] Although everyone accepts that cameras are imperfect instruments in capturing what the eyes sees … And some of these limitations can be corrected with post-processing … to bring out the details, calibrate the colors … But different people have different views on where is the line between proper "fixing” of a photo and a blatant “lie”. Unfortunately this is a very throny subjective issue. "At what exact point does an acceptable representation of reality changes into an unacceptable distortion of truth"??? .... this is an issue of ongoing discussion/ debate among photojournalists ….
[2] Then there is the issue of "credibility" or "public trust", which is the foundation of documentary photography ... “If manipulation of photographs is allowed in some images, then public would doubt the truthfulness of all images”. To me this argument carries a lot of weight. As I wrote earlier when I see images of 9/11 tragedy, crisis in Darfur or of war at Iraq, I would not like these images to be tampered in any way.
[3] An important fact to remember [especially in case of documentary photography] is that photos are not only to look good … photographs have the potential to incite people to take action. When presented with images of war, conflicts, riots, starvation, death … These images motivate people to support/protest against government policies … They lead people to riots, conflicts, wars, negotiations … so authenticity of documentary photographs is of utmost importance….
[4] As far as Photojournalists Awards goes, all of them have very strict rules against any tampering with photos … Looking at some of the arguments … especially issues of [a] public trust and [b] potential to ignite action from people I can understand the rationale behind such strict rules … though it is a matter of ongoing debate ...
[5] Now here’s an interesting point to ponder … Digital elimination of an object, like digitally removing a coke-can is not-acceptable … BUT cropping the frame to eliminate the can is acceptable. Now this caveat can be used to manipulate a situation … Say when a political figure is giving a speech, a close-crop can show too much crowd, whereas a wide-angle-shot with inclusion of a lot of empty space may make the crowd seem too thin ... So how far even a straight photograph tells the truth is very subjective issue ... But this is true with ALL news-realted issues, different coverage widely alters the perception different people have of the same event ... So we can draw parallels of this cotroversy with television news, biographies and so on ...
Throughout history we have been presented with images that are “controversial”.... Some are up in arms against such tampering, some don’t care ... I care enough to learn about the on-going debate surrounding some photos … However one thing I know for sure, if any day I’m mislead into taking action on basis of false/manipulated/tampered photos … I sure would be hurt ...
Documentary Photography - II [Some controversial Images]
Documentary Photography /Photojournalism per se is an authentic representation of our society ... It is widely accepted that Documentary Photographs are not to be “doctored” or “tampered” in any way … This made me do some [quite some] research on what constitutes a doctored/tampered photograph ....
Broadly speaking doctored /tampered photos include ...
[1] "Staged" images ... which includes posed, directed or re-acted photographs ...
[2] "Technologically altered" images, which includes digital manipulation
Some controversial "staged" images …
[1] "Raising Flag on Iwo Jima" ... click here ...
This is said to be one of the most reproduced photos of all times ... It was taken by Joe Rosenthal [an Associated Press photographer] in 1945 ... It depicts six soldiers hoisting the "Stars and Strips” atop Suribachi Yama, at the tip of Iwo Jima [Japan] during WW-II. This photo won him the coveted Pulitzer Award in 1945 ... It is regarded as one of the most recognizable images of the World War-II ... and has been used on postage stamp and on the cover of countless magazines and newspapers ... However controversy surrounds this … as it is said to “staged” flag raising hours after the original event.
[2] "Kiss by the Hotel de Ville" ... click here ... This photo was taken by the famous French photographer Robert Doisneau ... This photo of a couple kissing in the busy streets of Paris in 1950.... is said to be one his most famous works ... Again controversy surrounds this ... as Doisneau apparently saw them kissing and asked them to "recreate" the action for his camera ... So despite the casual "seemingly spontaneous" quality of this photo ... this is a very posed image of the woman Francoise Bornet and her boyfriend Jacques Carteaud ...
[3] "Migrant Mother" ... click here ... This portrait of Florence Thompson with her children was photographed by Dorothy Lange in 1930 ... It was meant to document the effects of the Great Depression on the population of America. Although everything about this photo [event, model, location] is real, but the photographer is said to have directed her to pose for the photo ... so controversy surrounds it.
Some controversial "digitally manipulated" images ....
[1] A Photojournalists Awards rescinded ... Photographer Patrick Schneider had three prestigious photojournalism awards [2002] rescinded because it was revealed that he'd altered the images. He had darkened some areas of one photo, brightened areas of another photo, and simply added contrast (adjusted both highlights and shadows) to a third. Mr. Schneider's argued that he altered his images mostly for artistic effect…. But this explanation was not accepted … Check out the original and altered images ... PLEASE keep SCROLLING till you reach end of the page ... ... click here ...
[2] Reuters fired a freelance photographer … Adnan Hajj for photo-manipulation using photo-shop … The photo was taken in 2006 Isreal-Lebanon conflict and shows the death and destruction in Lebanon caused by Isreali air-strike … To see the original and altered photo "Adnan Hajj Beirut photo comparison"... click here ...
[3] “Time” magazine and “Newsweek” cover-page controversy … During the O.J. Simpson trial for the murder of his ex-wife … two the magazines “Time” and “Newsweek” had the same cover-page photo ... a mug shot taken of Simpson when he was arrested … [June 27th, 1994 issue] … However the Simpson on the “Time” cover appeared to be much more sinister because the skin tone had been darkened and subtle change made in his facial features ... This appeared on newsstands right next to an unaltered picture by Newsweek ... There was a public outcry ... Many were offended that Time magazine would tamper with photo in covering such a volatile story. Some saw racial overtones in the handling of the photo ... For comparison …
"O.J.Simpson Newsweek & Time" ... click here ...
[4] “National Geographic” cover page controversy [1982] ... When it ran a computer-altered photo of the Pyramids at Giza on its cover page … They wanted to put a picture of camels in the foreground and pyramids in the background ... But the picture could not be cropped so that both the camels and the pyramids would fit the cover-page ... The staff solved the problem by using a photo-imaging computer to move the pyramid ... Check out the image … "National geographic cover page" ... click here ...
I end this post with a quote …
“ Photographs, particularly those used as accurate and trustworthy accounts of a significant event by respected publications, are our best hedge against the threat of devious editors and special interest groups who want to change truth and history. If the manipulation of photographs is accepted for any image, the public will naturally doubt all photographs and text within all publications”. [~ Paul Martin Lester … You can read his article "Faking images in photojournalism" ... click here ...
Broadly speaking doctored /tampered photos include ...
[1] "Staged" images ... which includes posed, directed or re-acted photographs ...
[2] "Technologically altered" images, which includes digital manipulation
Some controversial "staged" images …
[1] "Raising Flag on Iwo Jima" ... click here ...
This is said to be one of the most reproduced photos of all times ... It was taken by Joe Rosenthal [an Associated Press photographer] in 1945 ... It depicts six soldiers hoisting the "Stars and Strips” atop Suribachi Yama, at the tip of Iwo Jima [Japan] during WW-II. This photo won him the coveted Pulitzer Award in 1945 ... It is regarded as one of the most recognizable images of the World War-II ... and has been used on postage stamp and on the cover of countless magazines and newspapers ... However controversy surrounds this … as it is said to “staged” flag raising hours after the original event.
[2] "Kiss by the Hotel de Ville" ... click here ... This photo was taken by the famous French photographer Robert Doisneau ... This photo of a couple kissing in the busy streets of Paris in 1950.... is said to be one his most famous works ... Again controversy surrounds this ... as Doisneau apparently saw them kissing and asked them to "recreate" the action for his camera ... So despite the casual "seemingly spontaneous" quality of this photo ... this is a very posed image of the woman Francoise Bornet and her boyfriend Jacques Carteaud ...
[3] "Migrant Mother" ... click here ... This portrait of Florence Thompson with her children was photographed by Dorothy Lange in 1930 ... It was meant to document the effects of the Great Depression on the population of America. Although everything about this photo [event, model, location] is real, but the photographer is said to have directed her to pose for the photo ... so controversy surrounds it.
Some controversial "digitally manipulated" images ....
[1] A Photojournalists Awards rescinded ... Photographer Patrick Schneider had three prestigious photojournalism awards [2002] rescinded because it was revealed that he'd altered the images. He had darkened some areas of one photo, brightened areas of another photo, and simply added contrast (adjusted both highlights and shadows) to a third. Mr. Schneider's argued that he altered his images mostly for artistic effect…. But this explanation was not accepted … Check out the original and altered images ... PLEASE keep SCROLLING till you reach end of the page ... ... click here ...
[2] Reuters fired a freelance photographer … Adnan Hajj for photo-manipulation using photo-shop … The photo was taken in 2006 Isreal-Lebanon conflict and shows the death and destruction in Lebanon caused by Isreali air-strike … To see the original and altered photo "Adnan Hajj Beirut photo comparison"... click here ...
[3] “Time” magazine and “Newsweek” cover-page controversy … During the O.J. Simpson trial for the murder of his ex-wife … two the magazines “Time” and “Newsweek” had the same cover-page photo ... a mug shot taken of Simpson when he was arrested … [June 27th, 1994 issue] … However the Simpson on the “Time” cover appeared to be much more sinister because the skin tone had been darkened and subtle change made in his facial features ... This appeared on newsstands right next to an unaltered picture by Newsweek ... There was a public outcry ... Many were offended that Time magazine would tamper with photo in covering such a volatile story. Some saw racial overtones in the handling of the photo ... For comparison …
"O.J.Simpson Newsweek & Time" ... click here ...
[4] “National Geographic” cover page controversy [1982] ... When it ran a computer-altered photo of the Pyramids at Giza on its cover page … They wanted to put a picture of camels in the foreground and pyramids in the background ... But the picture could not be cropped so that both the camels and the pyramids would fit the cover-page ... The staff solved the problem by using a photo-imaging computer to move the pyramid ... Check out the image … "National geographic cover page" ... click here ...
I end this post with a quote …
“ Photographs, particularly those used as accurate and trustworthy accounts of a significant event by respected publications, are our best hedge against the threat of devious editors and special interest groups who want to change truth and history. If the manipulation of photographs is accepted for any image, the public will naturally doubt all photographs and text within all publications”. [~ Paul Martin Lester … You can read his article "Faking images in photojournalism" ... click here ...
Documentary Photography - I
Let me begin with the stating the accepted notion that .... documentary photography is recording of reality, by depicting what a photographer saw and not what he would have liked it to be ... It is like telling a story …"Look what my eyes allowed me to see …”
How far is the argument … “documenting photography are photographs the way our eyes sees them” valid???
Even with "straight" photography [without any pre-or-post processing] there are many ways by which a photo can be manipulate, for example, we choose the type of lens to use, where to focus, the exposure, the composition, the exact moment to click [and we often distort by using long or short shutter speed] ... Different camera, different lenses, different focus-points or different exposures would give very different results ... so a camera hardly captures reality as our eyes sees them ...
This brings me to the related question … “Is it alright to retouch documentary photos using different pre-or-post processing tools”?
Some think – YES!!! Different processing tools often help us in correcting the imperfections of our camera … an overblown/underexposed area or skewed perspective that are common problems with any straight-from-camera photos and these can be easily corrected using various processing tools … which make the photos look closer to the reality … Since a camera is an imperfect instrument in capturing what our eyes sees ... and some post-processing or retouching may be used to enhance the veracity / accuracy / thuthfulness of an image, when done carefully. So a retouched photograph may in fact be depicting reality better than an unprocessed photograph ...
So why are so many people up in arms about the idea that a photograph edited/ processed in a computer is not really a true documentary representation?
The key issue here is that the moment a photograph is tampered with, it's credibility becomes a suspect and it looses authenticity in public eyes ... So journalistic ethics dictate that documentary photographs are not to be doctored in anyway ... which means these photographs are neither to be staged nor post-processed … Since “public confidence” … is the bedrock of documentary photography ... so any manipulation is considered to be a direct violation of ethical standards … and is sacrilegious …
How far is the argument … “documenting photography are photographs the way our eyes sees them” valid???
Even with "straight" photography [without any pre-or-post processing] there are many ways by which a photo can be manipulate, for example, we choose the type of lens to use, where to focus, the exposure, the composition, the exact moment to click [and we often distort by using long or short shutter speed] ... Different camera, different lenses, different focus-points or different exposures would give very different results ... so a camera hardly captures reality as our eyes sees them ...
This brings me to the related question … “Is it alright to retouch documentary photos using different pre-or-post processing tools”?
Some think – YES!!! Different processing tools often help us in correcting the imperfections of our camera … an overblown/underexposed area or skewed perspective that are common problems with any straight-from-camera photos and these can be easily corrected using various processing tools … which make the photos look closer to the reality … Since a camera is an imperfect instrument in capturing what our eyes sees ... and some post-processing or retouching may be used to enhance the veracity / accuracy / thuthfulness of an image, when done carefully. So a retouched photograph may in fact be depicting reality better than an unprocessed photograph ...
So why are so many people up in arms about the idea that a photograph edited/ processed in a computer is not really a true documentary representation?
The key issue here is that the moment a photograph is tampered with, it's credibility becomes a suspect and it looses authenticity in public eyes ... So journalistic ethics dictate that documentary photographs are not to be doctored in anyway ... which means these photographs are neither to be staged nor post-processed … Since “public confidence” … is the bedrock of documentary photography ... so any manipulation is considered to be a direct violation of ethical standards … and is sacrilegious …
I mulled for quite sometime over why such a huge weightage is given to the fact that documentary photographs should not be doctored ...
When it comes to images like ... the squalid living conditions during The Great Depression … the horrors of World War-II … the brutality of Holocaust ... the destruction from bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki ... the exploitation of child labor ... the Chernobyl disaster ... Bosnia refugee crisis ... genocide in Rwanda ... crisis in Darfur ... or photos of natural disasters like Tsunami, Katrina, and destruction in New Orleans ...
... I trust images that are not doctored in any way ... When I see these images I understand the significance of authentic images ... the credibility that comes with unprocessed images ... and also the importance of saving these images for posterity without tampering them in any way ... Fifty years from now, when the younger generation sees images of the 9/11 disaster … images of people jumping from the WTC … they should not doubt the veracity of this event and ever wonder if these photos were digitally manipulated ... They should have full confidence that these images represet the event as it occured ...
I realize the rationale behind this Code of Ethics [of NPPA] ... "As phojournalists, we have the responsibility to document society and to preserve its history through images” ... and I understand why credibility is the lynchpin of documentary photography ... "The ease with which digital age makes photographs to be altered … makes it even more imperative that the images of society should be preserved without manipulation of any sort " ...
When I see images of walking skeletons due to famine in Sudan, I grasp the seriousness of the situation. I dont want these images to be tampered as I would doubt the true impact of the natural-&-manmade disaster if they were doctored in any way. Here’s one image "Vulture" ... click here ... by Kevin Carter that won him the “Pulitzer Prize” … in 1994 … [But soon after this event he committed suicide at the young age of 33 … ]
I dont want to end this write-up on such a sad note ... so one trivia ... on the power of photography ... It was William H. Jackson's photographs of the Yellowstone area persuaded the U.S. Congress to set that territory aside as a National Park. Yellowstone National Park is the world's first national park ... and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Also let me clarify, I have no problems with processed images ... I am just trying to understand the significance of "Documentary Photography" ... in the history of photography. To add ... I've seen both the movies based on 9/11 tragedy, "United 93" and "WTC" ... however it's the documentary TV serial that has much more impact on me ...
Photography and Painting
Since about 150 years of its existence, "photography" has had a close bitter-sweet relations with its closest relative in the art-world "paintings" ...
But till date, photography has been a poor cousin!!! While Christie and Sotheby's have auctioned top paintings in more than $100 millions, the top photographs has grabbed less than $3 millions ... While most paintings by Impressionists [Neo and Post-Impresionists ... like Monet, Van Gogh] fetch around $50 millions, Ansel Adams' photographs grabs less than a million bucks! It's even more funny that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie sold their kid's photo in more than that [$4 million dollars] ...
Photography joined the art-world after a long struggle. Although early photography [Daguerreotype and Calotype] appeared by the mid 19th-century, but photographs began to be displayed in art galleries and museums only in the early 20th century. The art critics were of the view that photography is such a mechanical process that there is no scope for artistic interpretation. In fact in the early days, photographers imitated paintings to claim its artistic status. They pursued the same subject matter familiar to painting world [landscapes, buildings and portraits] ... and often added dreamy softness to images so that it was not taken as an objective factual record.
However what’s interesting is that, although 19th-century painters openly disparaged photography, but the advent of photography had a profound influence on the art of painting. We all know how Impressionists shocked the art-world .... and the rise of Impressionsims is said to have been widely influenced by photography. Although the relationship between painting and photography is rather complex but very perceptible. Photography is all about light … its influence on painters can be gauged from the increased importance of the effect-of-light on Impressionists paintings. While earlier painters worked in studios from sketches they made outdoors, Impressionists went out with their canvas, colors and brushes … so that they could stand right on the spot and record what they saw at that time. They tried to freeze the fleeting effect of light by recording the subtle changes in light sensations. Painters like Monet came back to the same spot at different times of day or at a different time of year to paint the same scene. Perhaps the idea of "photo-series" influenced artists like Monet, to paint several series of the same subject-matter under different lighting conditions [like Water Lilies, The Cathedral at Rouen and Haystacks ... Degas famous for painting ballerinas widely used photographs to study the motion of dancers ... Picasso’s "Blue-Period" paintings ... is said to have been inspired by blue-tinted cyanotype prints of the time ...
So despite being snubbed by painters, photography has had very profound, complex and perceptible influence on paintings by bringing it more "true to nature" ...
Even before the advent of Daguerreotype photography ... "Camera Obscura" has long been used by painters. It helped in converting a Three Dimensional [3-D] space in 2-D ... thereby aiding painters in their perception of two dimensional space. Another advantage was that Camera Obscura narrowed the whole range of brightness found in nature to more limited number of tonal values, which could be reproduced by painters pigments.
But till date, photography has been a poor cousin!!! While Christie and Sotheby's have auctioned top paintings in more than $100 millions, the top photographs has grabbed less than $3 millions ... While most paintings by Impressionists [Neo and Post-Impresionists ... like Monet, Van Gogh] fetch around $50 millions, Ansel Adams' photographs grabs less than a million bucks! It's even more funny that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie sold their kid's photo in more than that [$4 million dollars] ...
Photography joined the art-world after a long struggle. Although early photography [Daguerreotype and Calotype] appeared by the mid 19th-century, but photographs began to be displayed in art galleries and museums only in the early 20th century. The art critics were of the view that photography is such a mechanical process that there is no scope for artistic interpretation. In fact in the early days, photographers imitated paintings to claim its artistic status. They pursued the same subject matter familiar to painting world [landscapes, buildings and portraits] ... and often added dreamy softness to images so that it was not taken as an objective factual record.
However what’s interesting is that, although 19th-century painters openly disparaged photography, but the advent of photography had a profound influence on the art of painting. We all know how Impressionists shocked the art-world .... and the rise of Impressionsims is said to have been widely influenced by photography. Although the relationship between painting and photography is rather complex but very perceptible. Photography is all about light … its influence on painters can be gauged from the increased importance of the effect-of-light on Impressionists paintings. While earlier painters worked in studios from sketches they made outdoors, Impressionists went out with their canvas, colors and brushes … so that they could stand right on the spot and record what they saw at that time. They tried to freeze the fleeting effect of light by recording the subtle changes in light sensations. Painters like Monet came back to the same spot at different times of day or at a different time of year to paint the same scene. Perhaps the idea of "photo-series" influenced artists like Monet, to paint several series of the same subject-matter under different lighting conditions [like Water Lilies, The Cathedral at Rouen and Haystacks ... Degas famous for painting ballerinas widely used photographs to study the motion of dancers ... Picasso’s "Blue-Period" paintings ... is said to have been inspired by blue-tinted cyanotype prints of the time ...
So despite being snubbed by painters, photography has had very profound, complex and perceptible influence on paintings by bringing it more "true to nature" ...
Even before the advent of Daguerreotype photography ... "Camera Obscura" has long been used by painters. It helped in converting a Three Dimensional [3-D] space in 2-D ... thereby aiding painters in their perception of two dimensional space. Another advantage was that Camera Obscura narrowed the whole range of brightness found in nature to more limited number of tonal values, which could be reproduced by painters pigments.
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