Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/04/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I realize this topic is beginning to beat on a dead horse, but it's some troubling, because I haven't seen the anger I expected about lying and cheating by a photographer who was looked up to by many for his photo talent. Those of you who've never "worked as a professional news photographer or photojournalist on assignment" where getting the picture was paramount to keeping our jobs, may not understand what the meaning of "making contact with the subject" is all about. Truth & trust make it work. The one thing that allows us to connect with the subject is trust, period. We the carriers of the equipment create the trust human to human, not camera to human. Break the trust and we are dead in the water! It was tough enough in the good old days to gain the trust of the subject or subjects in the simplest of terms. But we did, in many cases it was trust that allowed us entrance to their world or life moments of tragedy. Today when one of the members is caught cheating and lying with their camera and ancillary electronic modifying equipment, it illustrates we're no more trustworthy than lying cheating politicians. And it doesn't get much lower than that! If people feel we'll take their picture, then build "other stuff" around them to enhance a news moment, we'll make it almost impossible to have cooperation whether CEO or peasant! As I said about the basket ball insertion, no body died because of it so it seemed "no big deal." But most readers would automatically think, "cool picture, great shot that guy is good!" However, when they learn they've been hoodwinked? Then what do they think about the great picture photographer? "Hey he cheated, the ball wasn't even there! What about the rest of those news photographers? Do they cheat as well?" Right at that moment every one of us are blackballed about telling the truth with our Leica trustworthy camera's. This subject maybe of little interest to many of you, but to people like some of our crew who make their living from recording life as we see it, it's a major item. Certainly how our photography is accepted in being an honest representation of life at 1/250th of a second! Or whatever shutter speed! ted