http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=1639375&size=lg
Taken without permission:
http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=1729559&size=lg
Taken without permission:
http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=1901130
So, what do we make of all this? I try to talk to people as I'm taking photos of them, or if it's not possible, I try to at least talk to them afterwards, not so much to "get permission", as to maybe know them a teeny bit, and at least give them an opportunity to object to the photo (sort of like getting tacit permission, I guess). But, these ones, I didn't. Did I exploit them? Are they in any way offensive? I don't think so.
But, as you said, Shel, in how many of HCB's photos did he get permission or engage with the subjects in any way? Not all of them, that's for certain. Not the crowd running the bank, being crushed against the door in China (was it Nankin, Shanghai? I can't recall off-hand), that's for sure!
You know, I've looked at your photo, and I don't see that it's ~that~ unflattering. Sorry to say, but what's unflattering is that she doesn't fit what society says is beautiful. It pains me even more to say it, but she is what society would consider quite unattractive.
Is that what we find repulsive about it? You're right, Shel, were she "beautiful woman", no one would give the photo a second glance, or wonder about it's ethics. If you got a photo of, I don't know, Brittany Spears, or Madonna (neither of whom I consider beautiful, but that's another issue), walking by with a soda bottle held against their body that way, with that same look on their face, would anyone say the photo was somehow repulsive or offensive?
She's out in public. There is no "invasion of privacy" issue here at all! I can look at anyone walking down the street any time I choose. I can take their photo, too. It's not like they're in their home, or eating in a restaurant. Walking in public is just that, a "public" activity. No privacy at all. No issue, for me.
If there's one thing about the photo I wonder about, it's whether her walking by a diner menu is an "honest" portrayal. By that, I mean there's an implication that she may have just come out of, or is going into the diner, that her size has something to do with how much she eats. It kind of reminds me of that Margaret Bourke White photo of the "Bread line", standing under the propaganda billboard "America: the World's Most Prosperous Nation" (or whatever it said). It was taken during the depression, and it looked like a group of people waiting for food handouts, ironically under that sign. In fact, their town had just flooded, and they were waiting for flood relief.
Might this be the same sort of thing?
Look, I'm not saying it's a pretty photo. But, that's my societal bias, telling me that thin is beautiful. Sorry, but I see nothing wrong with your photo, in and of itself. Diane Arbus made a pretty good living taking photos of less than beautiful people.
My two cents worth - and I haven't read any response yet other than Christian's, so it'll be fun to see how this unfolds...
cheers, frank
"The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears it is true." -J. Robert Oppenheimer
From: Shel Belinkoff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: The morality of taking a photograph Date: Fri, 21 Nov 2003 09:16:37 -0800
Well, an honest response is what I was looking for. It's obvious I've mixed
feelings about this photo - in fact, I've done nothing with it for about a
year, since I took it ...
However, I'd have to disagree with you about "this type of photography" in
general. Many, many photographs, and quite acceptable ones at that, are taken
candidly. Hell, what would HCB have to hang on the wall had he not acted as a
voyeur?
But, coming back to this picture, is it the unflattering portrayal that bothers you the most, or that the photo was taken without permission? Had this photo been of a beautiful woman, in a more flattering situation, but still taken in the same manner, would you feel the same way?
_________________________________________________________________
Add photos to your e-mail with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/photos&pgmarket=en-ca&RU=http%3a%2f%2fjoin.msn.com%2f%3fpage%3dmisc%2fspecialoffers%26pgmarket%3den-ca
