Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/07/18
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]<html> At 08:51 PM 7/18/98 -0400, you wrote: <br> <font size=2><blockquote type=cite cite>had become friends with the General, and knew him after he immigrated here and opened a restaurant. His saying that this was a case where a photo 'could lie' was most interesting.</font></blockquote><br> <font size=2>The photo did not lie. It's exactly what it is, and shows what is there. What "truth" tells every aspect of the story.<br> <br> It's how it's used that is the lie.<br> <br> I don't think it's a lie anyway. It is not reasonable to say what the general (I think his name is Gen Nguyen since I believe they put their family name first in Vietnam, don't they?) did was all right. It was not. In fact, might be considered a war crime, I suspect. Yet we know that kind of thin happened all the time and we were not there to judge him to be better or worse than other soldiers at that time and place. <br> <br> It's a horror of a picture, no matter what the context, because the truth it tells is that no matter the motive, war is ugly, evil and to be avoided if possible. BUT, it also is a good example of the half-truths that Eddie Adams talks about in the NPR interview. <br> <br> As an editor, I am always aware of that fact, and it's things like this that taught me the lesson early on that the truth that is expressed in journalism isn't the impression one might want to give, but to the faithful as possible to the situation I'm photographing.<br> <br> And as photographers (amateur and professional) we also should consider that question when we take pictures. What is our motive, what is the truth of the situation I'm photographing, and is it my intent to tell the truth, or just to please the eye? That gives photography a whole lot more meaning for me than shooting test charts. :-)</font><br> <div>-- </div> <br> <div>Eric Welch</div> <div>St. Joseph, MO</div> <div><a href="http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch" EUDORA=AUTOURL>http://www.ponyexpress.net/~ewelch</a></div> <br> Artificial Intelligence usually beats real stupidity. </html>