Amateur Photographer - UK (2019-10-05)

10 5 October 2019I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI subscribe 0330 333 1113

THE

VEWS

EXPRESSED

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SCOLUMN

ARE

NOT

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LYTHOSE

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AMATEUR

PHOTOGRAPHER

MAGA Z

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OR
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hotojournalismsucceeds

becauseof itsapparent

veracity.Weknowimagescan

be‘Photoshopped’butour

expectationis thatthoseusingcameras

asdocumentarytoolsresistmanipulation

beyonddodging,burning,andcropping.

However,a drip,drip,dripof revelations

abouthithertoiconicimagesis steadily

unsettlinglong-standingexpectations.

RobertCapa’sshotsof theD-Day

landingsonOmahabeachstandat

photojournalism’spinnacle.Theymade

Life’s coverwithindaysof theinvasionand

continuetoshapeourunderstandingof

thatbattle.StevenSpielberg’s 1998

D-Dayepic,SavingPrivateRyan, owes

muchtoCapa’simagery.

However,newresearchcastsdoubt

onthestoryof Capa’siconicshotsof the

beachlandings.ADColeman’sdetective

workdeservestobereadin full(see

bit.ly/ddaycapa).Hisrevelationis thatCapa

capturednotthefirstbloodymomentsof

engagement,butsceneshoursafterthe

initialstormingof thesurf.Hispictures

showengineerslayingpath-clearing

explosives,notinfantrymenunder fi re.

Enfoldingmythology

Thatis justonefamouspicturewhose

enfoldingmythologyhasbeenunpicked.

Anotheris SteveMcCurry’s 1984 portrait

of anAfghangirl(yearslateridentifiedas

SharbatGubla),usedbyNational

Geographicasa cover.Itsoriginalcaption

‘Hauntedeyestellof anAfghanrefugee’s

fears’suggestedthatheruneasewasthe

resultof displacementandherparents’

deathsastheUSSR’ssoldiersravagedher

country.Morerecentsuggestionsarethat

shewasfrightenedtobein thepresence

of a Westernmanwitha camera.

Betterunderstandinghowphotographs

cameabout– particularlythosethathave

becomewellknown– is alwaysa good

thing,andphotographersarehonour-

boundtobehonestabouttheir

techniques.Frettingtoomuchwhenit

transpiresthatsomeimagesare

confected,however,canmissthepoint.

Introducea cameratoanysituationand

contrivanceis at play.Theactof selecting

where to point the lens is itself a choice

aboutwhich‘truth’is recorded.

Thequestionforanyonewhoserious-

mindedlyusesa camerais this.Doesthe

momentcapturedrepresenta truth?

Abilitytomakethisjudgement,rather

thanunderstandingcompositionor

exposure,is therealskillof photography.

Somephotographersrecognisethose

momentsinstinctively,othersapply

profoundthoughttodecidingwhich

imageshavethecapacitytoaccurately

tella tale.Howmuchcontrivanceis

acceptableis complexand,at times,

contestable.Addinga familiarobjecttoa

sceneasa cluetothesizeof themain

subjectis anoldtrick,asis askingsubjects

torecreateanapparentlyunposedscene.

Ofcoursevisualchicaneryhasthe

capacitytodeceive,butit canalsobring

importantstoriestowiderattention.

Distinguishingself-servingdeceptions

fromthosethatilluminategreatertruths

is themarkof a photographerwho

hasmasteredtheircraft.Thatthevery

greatestphotographersdothisshouldbe

reasontoadmiretheirskillsallthemore,

ratherthantoautomatically dismiss their

imagesfordishonesty.

TimDawsonis anauthorandjournalist.Hespent

20 yearsworkingforTheSundayTimes, wherehe

wasa sectioneditor.Between 2016 and2018,hewas

presidentof theNationalUnionof Journalists.Visit

tim-dawson.com for more information about him.

Doyouhavesomethingyou’dliketogetoffyourchest?Sendusyourthoughtsinaround

500 wordstotheaddressonpage13 andwina year’sdigitalsubscriptiontoAP,worth£79.

Theideathatthecameradoesn’tlieisat

theheartofreportage.Isthisvalid?

View point

Tim Dawson

© PHOTO BY DAVID SCHERMAN/ THE LIFE PICTURE COLLECTION VIA GETT Y IMAGES

© JOHN FINNEY PHOTOGRAPHY/GET Y IMAGES

CONTENT

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S ISSUE MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

SonyAlpha7RIV

MichaelTophamteststhe61MPA7RIV,

Sony’slatesthigh-resolutionmarvel

Remarkablephotographs

APstaffandreadersselecttheir

favouriteimagesofthepast 135 years

Landmarkcameras

AndyWestlakelooksathowthecamera

has evolved since AP’s very fi rst issue

TocelebrateAPturning 135

yearsoldweshare 14 pages

of photo tips, for every genre

135

killer tips

In next week’s issue

On sale Tuesday 8 October

A portrait of war photographer Robert Capa

Special anniversary issue