Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/12/12
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>I would not argue with anything you say, Kyle.
>
>It's not quite the way I've been hearing the statement made, but
>maybe that's my hearing, not their saying.
>
>Maybe we agree to this:
>A good photograph will stand on its own as visually successful, but
>it does not have to tell the whole story to avoid failure.
>
>ric
>
>On Dec 12, 2010, at 10:20 AM, kyle cassidy on the lug wrote:
>
>> I think people are sometimes misinterpreting the concept of what
>>an image needs to be a success. The photo needs to be good by
>>itself. It needs to be worthy of hanging on a wall and being
>>successful as a visual object. Steve McCurray's Afghan Girl photo
>>is a successful photo whether or not you know who she is and why
>>she's where she is, Thomas Franklin's photo of the Firefighters
>>raising the flag in the rubble of 9/11 is a beautiful and poignant
>>image regardless of whether or not you know the exact
>>circumstances. This doesn't mean that we don't need or want to know
>>the circumstances or that they're not part of the story.
>>
>> The thing to keep in mind is that at some point in time your image
>>will be viewed without the textual context, without your name,
>>possibly without any real frame of time reference. Next time you
>>walk through an art museum, look at the anonymous medieval and
>>renaissance portraits. Imagine your photo on those walls. If it
>>needs a tag next to it saying "Fred and Joe the first time they saw
>>one another after being rescued from a sinking ship in 1944" in
>>order for people to say "my, that's a nice photo" -- THEN it's
>>failed. If they say "look at that beautiful photo, I wonder what's
>>going on" then you've succeeded. But the fact that National
>>Geographic did a story about Afghan refugees doesn't hurt Steve
>>McCurray's photo -- it's already a good photo, it's already a
>>success.
>>
>> I haven't looked at the Best of Time photos yet, but I'm certain
>>that every one of them is a good photo without the caption.
>>
>>
>> On Dec 12, 2010, at 8:22 AM, Ric Carter wrote:
>>
>>> and, if a writer needs a photo with his piece, he's failed to
>>>tell the story?
>>>
>>> This is something we get a little carried away with here from time to
>>> time.
>>>
>>> If this were true, we'd not need writing. Time Magazine could
>>>thin up and go with a single photo per page. (Would they need
>>>headlines?)
>>>
>>> A picture that carries its story is wonderful, but one that
>>>carries the whole story is (so far as I know) non-existent.
>>>
>>> Our world is full of wonderful, beautiful, successful photographs
>>>that are improved by a caption and occasionally full-fledged,
>>>long-form writing.
>>>
>>> ric
>>>
>>> On Dec 12, 2010, at 4:20 AM, Marty Deveney wrote:
>>>
>>>> If you need to add words, you've
>>>> failed.
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>
>>
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>
>
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--
Henning J. Wulff
Wulff Photography & Design
mailto:henningw at archiphoto.com
http://www.archiphoto.com