GENERATIONS: PROBITY IN PHOTOJOURNALISM?
With the existence of first-rate technology, depletion of society moral standards, and ethics for sale on the street corners, has the general public lost the original intent of a photograph? For photojournalists Wally and Win Mcnamee, a father and son who are well known and respected in the photojournalism field, probity reaches out through their photos with the presence of its’ own soul. Elizabeth Anstead, the author of the article, was all too convinced of this fact trying to expose an alter ego in photojournalism. The alter ego, that is all too often overshadowed by those of poor taste and more so as time goes by, receives the respect and glory that she surmises as overdue. Modern photographers tend to chase personal success, in turn placing a cover over the original story that a photograph portrays. A sigh of relief can be taken after reading her article, for it emphasizes the points that should be held of high importance in the area of “still memory”. She denuded the layers, empathizing with Wally and Win both; disclosing to the surface the passion they have for their profession directly out of their hearts and highly noted work, interpreting both factors into words. “They [editors] think that ‘fiddling’ with images is like wordsmithing, but it’s not the same… I see this as one of the single biggest dangers to the integrity of photojournalism. People rely on us to present the story as it really happened. This is not fashion photography or the movies-- if things don’t look the way you want them too, then it’s the rub of the green!” stated Wally Win when asked about the “digital revolution”. As Elizabeth Anstead transits from the father to son, it is obvious the reiteration of views and standards written for both generations, the only difference appearing had been the use of higher technology. This proving that the honesty and intent behind a photo is only as pure as the photographer.
The collaboration of Wally and Win McNamee offers a unique perspective to photojournalism, providing an unchanging view on changing times. “I wanted to know what it was that made my father the way he is… The internal strength and integrity that he has… I wanted to see if I could bring that out in myself. I wanted to do something that would make him proud of me.” Win Mcnamee stated while speaking on the idolism he has for his father.
Amir is, to be put bluntly, a coward. He is led by his unstable emotions towards what he thinks will plug his emotional holes and steps over his friends and family in the process. When he sought after Baba’s invisible love, Amir allowed Hassan to be raped in an alleyway just so that the blue kite, his trophy that would win his father’s heart, could be left untouched. In the end, he felt empty and unfulfilled with the weight of his conscience on his shoulders comparable to Atlas’ burden. Unable to get over his fruitless betrayal, he lashes out and throws pomegranates at Hassan before stuffing money and a watch under his loyal friend’s pathetic excuse for a bed, framing Hassan for theft and directly causing the departure of both servants from his household. Even after moving to America, finding a loving wife, and creating a career for himself in writing, he still feels hollow when thinking of his childhood in Afghanistan. Many years later, he is alerted of Hassan’s death and sets out on a frenzied chase to find his friend’s orphaned son. He feels that he can somehow ease his regrets from all of those years ago if he takes in Hassan’s son, Sohrab. He finds Sohrab as a child sex slave for Assef, who coincidentally was the one to rape Hassan all of those years ago. After nearly dying in his attempt to take back Sohrab, he learns that he can take the damaged child back to the states with him. Sadly, Hassan’s son is so
Elizabeth Cady Stanton married an abolitionist and gave birth to seven children. Shortly after she married, Elizabeth and her husband attended a national anti-slavery conference in Europe. Elizabeth was outraged after her arrival to learn that she and the other women were not allowed to sit with the men and she vowed to do something about it. Several years later she did. Her work in the first Women's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls was just the beginning.
As a foreword, the story of The Kite Runner focuses on a man named Amir. In his childhood, he enjoyed a high-class life in Kabul, Afghanistan, living with his father Baba. They have two servants, Ali and his son Hassan. They are Hazaras, a lower class ethnic minority in Afghanistan. In one Winter of their childhood, Amir and Hassan participate in a kite-fighting tournament; the goal is to be the last kite flying. When a kite is cut, boys chase after it as a trophy. Amir wins the tournament, and Hassan flies to catch the losing kite. Later, following Hassan's path, Amir comes upon a neighbourhood bully named Assef about to rape Hassan who has the trophy, the blue kite. Amir does not interject, believing this will secure him the kite. Thus, Amir sets forth a chain of events he must redeem in his adulthood.
Every civilization in history has had rules, and citizens who break them. To this day governments struggle to figure out the best way to deal with their criminals in ways that help both society and those that commit the crimes. Imprisonment has historically been the popular solution. However, there are many instances in which people are sent to prison that would be better served for community service, rehab, or some other form of punishment. Prison affects more than just the prisoner; the families, friends, employers, and communities of the incarcerated also pay a price. Prison as a punishment has its pros and cons; although it may be necessary for some, it can be harmful for those who would be better suited for alternative means of punishment.
Winogrand discovered photography at a point in time when unconventional photos were just beginning to emerge. Although it was thought that photojournalism had offered the most opportunity, this new and unconventional direction of photography was preferred. Artists were now able to shoot what they desired not what they were told to shoot. This revolutionary form of photography was based on emotion and intuition as opposed to precision and description. Exploring real life became more of the focus, instead of calculated or planned out pictures. In the early fifties, Winogrand attempted to become a freelance photographer, but the money he was making was not sufficient enough to support his new wife and children. He was forced to spend most of his time working for magazines such as Colliers, Redbook, and Sports Illustrated. At this time Winogrand’s photo’s had no distinction from any other photojournalist, but he always felt different and waited for the chance to prove it. He once said, “ The best stories were those that had no story line…on entertainers…or athletic contests, where the photographer could forget narrative and concentrate on movement, flesh, gesture, display, and human faces”(Szarkowski, p17).
Susan Sontag said photographs sends across the harmlessness and helplessness of the human life steering into their own ruin. Furthermore the bond connecting photography with departure from life tortures the human race. (Sontag 1977:64)
Born to Nettie Lee Smith and Bill Smith on December 18, 1918 in Wichita, Kansas was William Eugene Smith, who would later revolutionize photography. His mother Nettie was into photography, taking photos of her family, especially her two sons as they grew up, photographing events of their lives (Hughes 2). Photography had been a part of Smith’s life since he was young. At first it started out always being photographed by his mother, and then turned into taking photographs along with his friend Pete, as he got older. They often practiced developing photos in Nettie’s kitchen, and he later began to create albums with his photographs. His photographs diff...
Though the photographers would often stage their photographs, they are still witness to real events (Trachtenberg 73). What the photograph depicted originated, as everyone understood, in the world itself, not in the imagination-even if objects must be moved to realize the photographer’s intention (Trachtenberg 83). It defined and perhaps even helped unify the nation through an unrehearsed and uns...
“The advent of photography served as a catalyst in challenging the realist tradition that had predominated since the Ren...
From the beginning of photography some photographers have confronted life around them and shared the world they saw. Their photographs continue to remind us of our common humanity. Through their activism and witness they have hoped to change the world by their exposure of truth. Some of the first activist photography started in 1866 with the photographer Thomas Annan, as he was commissioned by the Glasgow City Improvement Trust to photograph slum areas; his images were the first thorough photographic representation made of dwelling places and inhabitants of an urban slum, these images where taken on the streets of Glasgow and represent a changing view in photography. This area was one of the worst urban slums in Brit...
Initially, I define the two concepts of mistaken behavior and misbehavior, the first as an error in judgment and action made in the process of learning life skills. Mistaken behaviors occur at three levels which are: experimentation, socially influenced, and strong unmet needs. Teachers who use guidance see self-ruled life skills as difficult to learn, and they recognize that children are just at the beginning stages of a lifelong process of learning these skills. In the process of learning any difficult skill, children, like all of us, make mistakes. These teachers recognize that when children experiences conflicts it is because they have not yet developed the cognitive and emotional resources for more mature responses. The second concept being misbehavior is the conventional term applied to conflicts that the child is involved in, resulting in consequences that often include punishment and the internalization of a negative label such a “naughty”. The complexity of teaching self-ruled life skills leads some adults to the misconception that young children know how to behave, they just choose to misbehave. When conflicts occur, teacher who focus on misbehavior tend to label the child’s character and attempt to shame the child into better behavior.
Maybe if I saw more reports on how prison has improved our society and the criminals who live among us, I would see why we should work on reforming our prisons. Until then, it does not seem to be working. We trust in the government to provide for our safety, but we must take responsibility among ourselves. To understand that the current system does work and that its intent is not to provide a safe society. History has shown us that. What we have done or continue to do will not make this a safer place to live. The problem is not to reform our prison system, for this won't stop criminals to commit crimes, but to find ways and means to deteriorate them from doing the crime.
At the heart of what I do as a family photographer, is capturing the essence of a family's moments together, so they'll remember it forever. Every session is special to me, but this latest family session was truly close to my heart.
Photojournalism plays a critical role in the way we capture and understand the reality of a particular moment in time. As a way of documenting history, the ability to create meaning through images contributes to a transparent media through exacting the truth of a moment. By capturing the surreal world and presenting it in a narrative that is relatable to its audience, allows the image to create a fair and accurate representation of reality.
Photography has created an outlet for the masses to story tell. It has a way of speaking without words like most art forms and is a manner of expression in itself. To eradicate photography from humans would be equivalent to taking away a limb from humankind. Our society has grown an immense amount of dependency on it. Photography has become almost a daily menial task such as brushing your teeth; where we must take pictures of the things we deem important or equally unimportant, even more so with the invention of social media outlets such as Instagram and Snapchat, where photography is the main source of communication between people who use them. Susan Sontag offers the basis of what taking pictures can undertake in both our daily lives and moments that are not part of our daily lives, such as travel. Traveling to places where one is not accustomed can flare pent up anxiety. A way to subdue that anxiety could be through taking pictures, since it’s the only factor that we have total control over in a space where we don’t have much, or, any control of our surrounding environment. On the other hand, taking photos can also be a tool of power in the same sense as it allows for it to be a defense against anxiety. With the camera in our hands, we have the power to decide who, what, where, when, and why we take a picture. This in turn also gives the person who took the picture power over those who later analyze the photos, letting them decide the meaning of the photo individually, despite the intended or true meaning.