This man in Bhaktapur, Nepal was creating pottery in an unlit alcove when I spoke to him and he glanced at me. It was at that moment I snapped the picture. I didn't stage the photo; he was simply doing his work when I came along and photographed him. It wasn't a set-up shot, designed to look like a man creating pottery. (Of course I asked permission to use the photo, after I'd taken it).
Documentary photography involves chronicling reality. Yet one of the biggest names in the business sparked controversy last week when it was discovered he staged a prize-winning photo and plagiarised the caption. At best, this is careless journalism. At worst, it's unethical and shows a reckless disregard for the subject of the photo, as well as for the integrity of the story being reported.
These days, with manipulation and spin too often obscuring hard facts, it's getting more and more difficult to determine the truth. If a talented documentary photographer with a string of awards chooses to stage a photo to illustrate an idea - without identifying it as staged - one has to wonder when blurring the lines between fact and fiction became acceptable - and even applauded - in photojournalism.
Read more about the controversy:
Prize-winning photos and lingering questions
Photo © Tara Bradford. Click to view detail.
You do give food for thought. The only staged photos I take are ones I set up with a teacup or teapot, no people in them. It is true that is becoming more and more difficult to tell what is true even in a photo. Learning Photoshop I can see how easy it would be to reshape the look of a photo to one's own advantage.
Posted by: Marilyn | 02 March 2013 at 17:44