Genius Of Photography Part 3

What is described as “One of the most familiar concepts in photography”?

In 1933 Henri Cartier Bresson shot a moment that took only a fraction of a second to shoot but came to be known as a ‘decisive moment’ that is the most familiar concept in all of photography. It has become a strategy that has illuminated photography’s potential for everyone. His decisive moments transformed the faces of photography.

Should you trust a photograph?

Trusting a photograph was probably a huge mistake from the beginning, however people still believe photographs.

What was revolutionary about the Leica in 1925?

The Leica was a revolutionary development in camera technology launched in Germany in 1925,  it was a compact, quiet with the latest lens and technology it gave birth to a whole new style of instant photography and allowed you to be present in the moment.

What did George Bernard Shaw say about all the paintings of Christ?

George Bernard Shaw said that he would exchange every painting of Christ for one snapshot, which is what the power of photography is; the reality.

Why were Tony Vaccaros’ negatives destroyed by the army censors?

The ten roles that Vaccaro developed were destroyed by the army censor as they had contained images of dead GI’s that were decisive moments that the world wasn’t yet ready to accept during that time. 

Who was Henryk Ross and what was his job?

Henryk Ross was a photographer who documented the happenings in a nazi ghetto in Woodge, Poland. Ross kept a unique record of what happened there. Among his many duties as the ghetto’s official propaganda photographers Ross had to document the production of goods by the inhabitants of Woodge sold to make money for their captors.

Which show was a “sticking plaster for the wounds of the war”, how many people saw it and what “cliché” did it end on?

The ‘Family of Man’ was an exhibition held in New York in 1955; it was a public statement on behalf of humanity and was photography’s big response to a world rapidly moving from hot to cold war. The show was comprised of over 500 images that were selected from millions of images, from 273 photographers both amateur and professional. The show had over 9 million visitors by 1964; it was a sticking plaster for the wounds of war and represented everything photojournalism’s deity Henri Cartier Bresson stood for. It had concluded with an optimistic cliché that it was the beginning of the sentimental journey through life.

Why did Joel Meyerowitz photograph ground zero in colour?

Because photographing it in black of white would have kept it as a tragedy, because it had a tragic element in photographing not war but the collapse of it, the destruction. He photographed in colour because we see in colour, our memories are in colour, therefore Meyerowitz wanted to match that.