I don't have a problem with the photo's being taken. Shoot now, edit later. It does come across as judgmental to me because of the context. Had you shot a thin woman in a diner, or a fat woman playing with her kids or petting a dog, it would be different. Juxtaposing a grossly overweight person with a fast food environment is being judgmental, IMO.
Not that this is necessarily a bad thing. If you intended it as social commentary, great, but I would be hesitant about publishing such an unflattering portrait without her permission. If you're concerned about the morality of it, well... the easy way is to ask yourself whether you would want a photo of yourself published if you looked like that. I don't think the argument about her being publicly visible justifies publishing the shot from a moral perspective. Instead of being visible to a handful of people for a few minutes, she'd be visible to thousands for an indefinite period of time. Once you start showing her to others, then it's uncomfortably close to sticking your head out the door and yelling to the crowd that they should come in and check out the fat person. For me, it would come down to how she felt. If she was comfortable with her body and didn't mind having it frozen in time in this manner, great. If she wouldn't like the shot, then you have to ask yourself if this photo is worth hurting another person emotionally. If you think it could make a difference socially, then it may be worth it. Otherwise.... chris On Fri, 21 Nov 2003, Shel Belinkoff wrote: > I have mixed feelings about this shot. On the one hand it seemingly > reflects an aspect of American culture, yet, on the other hand, it's not > a very complimentary portrait, and one could argue that it in some ways > denigrates the subject. Is food the problem, or perhaps a medical > condition? Am I being judgmental or just recording a scene? Having > battled weight problems throughout my life, I'm somewhat sensitive to > this woman's situation. Still, the photo does, IMO, tell a story ... > and perhaps asks a question or two. > > My question to the list: Should this photo have been taken? Do you > think it is overly critical of the subject or sympathetic, or perhaps > judgmental? Maybe I'm being critical of myself, using the photo to work > through or better understand my own situation and problems. > > See for yourself, and share your thoughts: > http://home.earthlink.net/~scbelinkoff/bigeater.html > > > shel >
