 Meili |
Issues for Professional Photographers I have a weird request. I am a photo student at the University of Utah. I'm taking a professional writing class and have to write an argumentative paper on social issues in the field of photography. I have no idea what kinds of issues professional photographers face and was wondering if anyone could give me some insight. Thanks for your help.
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
Getting pictures of other people's misery for the sake of getting the story out - especially in journalism. A PBS show about media in Iraq showed a family that was having a funeral for a relative. A handful of photographers were there, and most were getting in front of a group of crying women to get a closer picture. A couple of the photographers talked about it later that day. Some feel, "I've got a job that needs to be done". Most prize-winning pictures in journalism involve other people's misery - as in war areas, famine, extreme health problems like AIDS. There's the side that people need to know what's going on outside of comfy suburbs. But there's still the side that's universal regardless of where you're from that people don't like to be portrayed when they're in a bad situation. You can imagine your worst moment and somebody wanting to get a picture of it.
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Kim Acheson |
I was doing portrait work through a studio, and we got a call from a large family who wanted to do some Chrismas photos. One of there children was paralyzed, with other problems as well. He even had a tube that he had to breathe through in his neck, so we had shut down the studio for the day and had a full staff cleaning all day long. That night, when they came in, I was one that the manager picked to do the shots. I remember the parents thanking me for doing the photos and explained that their son was expected to die soon, so this was the last time they would all be together for photos. So you have to detach yourself at times to be able to even take photos. Sometimes it's at people's worst time, but other times it's at their last time. You still do have a job to do.
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BetterPhoto Member |
Yes, it is a job and a competitive one. Editors want the best image and our job is to capture moments for editors to decide what is published. The old saying,"A great photograph speaks 1000's of words is true." They stir feelings and responces from the viewing public. That's why it's called photojournaism.
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Lori Carpenter |
There's also the issue of when a photograph is no longer a photograph due to digital manipulations. In portraiture, special effects seem to be the rage. In photojounalism, there are very strict limits on what can be fixed after the fact, because you are supposed to be documenting events as they actually happen.
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David King |
Greg and Lori's answers are good ones. For Photo-j's there really is the issue of do we REALLY have a right to intrude on private anguish for the shock value of the shot and then rationalize it as helping us to 'understand'. howver digital has re-awakened a fascinating social problem that photography generally removed when it first got going. Prior to photography, history as a topic was not that big because the proof of history was in the hands of the authorities who could change the plaques, authorize the paintings and writing, and could, in essence say whatever best suited the agendae of their regimes. Photography, in the common wisdom (and whether or not it was realy accurate) created the pretense of an objective proof of an event. Of course it was never objective, there is no such thing as an objective photo, but the populace believed it was and photo-j's insisted it was. David
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
Sometimes you're not getting the best image. Sometimes it's just following a cliche(couldn't think of another word to call it). I think of it as how certain occupations have developed a way of acting that people feel you need to start doing because that's what you do. Models or actors become divas. Business types like that guy Sam on the first Apprentice.
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BetterPhoto Member |
I'm not going to argue the merits of being a photojournalist, but either you are or your not. You can turn away and you don't have to push the button. Just like leving the television off or turning it on. There are ethics among the professionals and manipulation is'nt done. We shoot what happens on open streets and don't intrude where not allowed. We have feeling, compassion for the subjects, but shouldn't interfere. These are news photos. Biz portraits, studio illustrations,the use of portable lighting is another ballgame.
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
I'm not talking about the merits of a photojournalist nor about turning away. You don't always have to be in the middle to get the shot, sometimes you can be a little to the side of the middle and still get the same thing. The thing about manipulations is an obvious issue, don't change what really happened. It has been done before, the last I heard was some guy for the L.A. newspaper slightly change a picture to make it look like a soldier was telling an Iraqui who was carrying his kid to stay down. But I'm sure you could say he wasn't a true professional, etc. etc..
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Ken Henry |
Kim...you didn't do that photo shoot because it's a job you had to do. That is the most positive side of photography. You handled it well because you have compassion and you are an artist in your profession. You brought to the family a sense of enjoyment in that one moment in time for which they will cherish forever. You helped that family bond closer together. I am not into negative and depressing photography and other people's misery besides being unethical. Those minute cicumstances are here today, yesterday and tomarrow, and it will never change. And that's virtually all you see in the news. It's amazing to watch the news media daily count our soldiers deaths in Iraq. What we are not allowed to hear or see are the great things happening in the world every day. There is not a newspaper big enough to handle that much info. Well, I'm sorry to have rant. Back to your argumentive paper you must write. I bet you that if you wrote it in a very positive constructive matter you would get an F. It galls me that there are professors who think only of negative issues and enjoy depressing their students. end ken
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