Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/11/05
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I understood the objection being more in line with the "if a tree falls in the woods, but there is no one to hear it..." argument. Bringing a camera to a location is objectively different than there being no camera. One can hope that subjectively there will be no difference, but the only way to know for sure that the camera, photographer and anticipation that they bring makes no difference to the scene is to remove them. Especially in politically or culturally charged situations where there might be a temptation to promote a certain point-of-view. Don't we make statements by the subjects we choose to shoot? Surly it's more than sunshine and exotic location that send so many photographers to areas that have naked babies with bloated bellies, mothers with tit exposed from torn garments and shoeless fathers working fields that cannot possibly sustain their families. A statement is made by the photographer when he chooses to aim his or her camera at the muddy worker or the landowner. It may be a morally good statement, but is is a statement nonetheless. Ted, I perfectly accept what you stated in another message about being effectively unnoticed when on assignment in an industrial location, hospital, etc. You are there documenting the events taking place, just as a copyist sets up his copy stand, checks light temperature and lighting angles to ensure that his copy will be as perfect a replication of the original as can be had. But all locations are not equal; some are "disturbed" by the mere presence of a camera. Sam S Ted Grant wrote: > Do you think it makes any difference to the 18 member crew of a deep sea > fishing trawler on the ice covered North Atlantic in February whether I'm on > board or not? Or they are "unconscious of performing" or I am and it makes a > difference knowing or not? Does this make me a more honest photographer and > are the results going to be any better? - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html