Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/04/16

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Subject: [Leica] Children of the World - unbiased photojournalism
From: douglas.sharp at gmx.de (Douglas Sharp)
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 2009 16:38:34 +0200
References: <E1LuQD4-0005nL-CB@elasmtp-masked.atl.sa.earthlink.net> <49E72DBB.7080604@bouncing.org> <200904161324.BOW35201@rg5.comporium.net> <49E7357E.2090906@bouncing.org> <AE6E9E20-D809-4EEE-8706-88B1563B1F54@aotera.org>

I could equally provide photographic evidence - if not "proof" - that 
the nation of my birth, the UK, and my chosen country of residence, 
Germany are on the verge of social collapse.

Half-demolished factories, empty housing, a shortly to be demolished 
shopping centre, rubbish-filled redevelopment sites with dirty children 
playing on them, overgrown gardens, burned-out cars, mangled bicycles - 
unfortunately we don't have tumbleweed in Germany, perhaps I should 
import some.

Just take a very wide angle lens and process everything in BW with 
high-contrast and a little too dark with a moody sky -  perhaps also 
throw in a few raw close-ups of some pensioner with a well-lived in face 
working on his allotment garden (unshaven and wearing his tatty 
gardening trousers and shirt, of course - otherwise his missus would 
kill him for dirtying his Sunday best) trying to at least grow a few 
home-grown vegetables to survive.

Perhaps a couple of homeless men or women begging near classy shopping 
malls, a couple of Romanian kids or amputee adults engaged in organised 
street begging for their rich bosses (this is true!) , a stray dog or 
two, empty shops, desolate streets (if you get up early enough and it's 
raining) - the ingredients are all there.

Just choose your perspectives and locations - but always remain 
"unbiased" (it's always nice to hear/read such an interesting new theory 
about photojournalism).

Douglas

Spencer Cheng wrote:
> Phillip,
>
> Every photographer, indeed every human being, has prejudices and 
> biases. That is just who we are. Tina has hers and you have yours just 
> as I have mine. The biases shows in every picture we take and every 
> sentence we write. So be it. Learn to deal with it.
>
> If you don't agree with Tina's perspective on life, present your own. 
> Please!
>
> I've seen grandma & grandpa sorting through the garbage cans on the 
> streets of Shanghai late at night looking for anything of value that 
> can be sold (no, they are not street people!). If I had taken some 
> photos and showed them to you, would you accuse me of bias? Is that an 
> accurate view of China? It would be my perspective and it is neither 
> right or wrong.
>
> Regards,
> Spencer
>
> On Apr 16, 2009, at 9:41, Philip Clarke wrote:
>
>> But you chose happy smiling (well apart from the out of focus kid with
>> tears) children in under developed circumstances and haven't balanced
>> the assignment at all. There's no indication of moving forwards in those
>> pictures, India is reduced to candle light and children behind barbed
>> wire, South America to dirty clothing and water. I find it remarkable
>> that you regard these images as showing people improving their lives. If
>> you see only happy families then I suggest you look again, because you
>> really really are giving an entirely different impression of other 
>> nations.
>>
>> I don't have an agenda. These images are trite, as an assignment it is
>> unbalanced, as a body of work it is patronising. Good colour balancing
>> though.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>


In reply to: Message from photo.forrest at earthlink.net (photo.forrest at earthlink.net) ([Leica] IMGS: Children of the World)
Message from nod at bouncing.org (Philip Clarke) ([Leica] IMGS: Children of the World)
Message from images at comporium.net (Tina Manley) ([Leica] IMGS: Children of the World)
Message from nod at bouncing.org (Philip Clarke) ([Leica] IMGS: Children of the World)
Message from scheng at aotera.org (Spencer Cheng) ([Leica] IMGS: Children of the World)