{"id":13113,"date":"2013-08-19T03:42:56","date_gmt":"2013-08-19T10:42:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=13113"},"modified":"2013-08-19T13:46:15","modified_gmt":"2013-08-19T20:46:15","slug":"on-staged-photos-and-integrity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2013\/08\/19\/on-staged-photos-and-integrity\/","title":{"rendered":"On Staged Photos and Integrity"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Click<\/a>
Photo by Charlie Kirk, from his “Outliers<\/a>” set.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This article was originally posted by Charlie Kirk<\/a> on his Tumblr here<\/a>. Make sure to follow him on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Charlie<\/strong>: A week or so ago,\u00c2\u00a0Brian Sokolowski<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0posted on Facebook: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Is it me, or is there a whole lot of street-photography out there that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s set up and posed? No, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not me\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 there is. What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the point of that? I mean if it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s set-up, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fine. But don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t try to pass it off as street-photography, because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0 I agreed with him and cited a few photos from the HCSP group that looked staged.\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like to expand upon my thoughts here.<\/p>\n

Let me start by saying that, like Brian, I am not against staged photographs per se.\u00c2\u00a0 Jeff Wall is one of my favourite photographers, and I love the portraits of Gilden – who, I would argue, is the best \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photographer\u00e2\u20ac\u009d alive today.\u00c2\u00a0 What I take objection to is deception which may or may not be a result of a loosening of the commonly held perception that street photography is candid.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Street photography is tough<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Tokyo.
Photo by Charlie Kirk from his “Japanese Women are Beautiful<\/a>” series.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Street photography is tough precisely because it involves elements that are outside of the photographer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s control.\u00c2\u00a0 You know what it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like – if this had been there, had they only continued to make that gesture, had the clouds not covered the sun at that moment, then the picture would have been perfect.\u00c2\u00a0 For most, this is the joy of the game – the unpredictability of it, the frustrating challenge of attempting to capture that perfect arrangement, moment, light or feeling.\u00c2\u00a0 Street photography is about the joy of risks that come off.\u00c2\u00a0 Trying to see things quickly, looking at the foreground and the background at the same time, moving quickly to a scene without disturbing it.\u00c2\u00a0 All of this keeps us going.\u00c2\u00a0 Or it should.<\/p>\n

But I also feel that there are some street photographers that want to take a short cut.\u00c2\u00a0 They are impatient.\u00c2\u00a0 They know a decent shot so well, that they will quite happily add an element here or there, ask their friend, son or daughter to move or do this or that or get a stranger to repeat what they were doing two seconds ago.\u00c2\u00a0 They make an OK picture into a better one by adding that that extra element of humanity, frame filling or quirkiness.\u00c2\u00a0 But does this matter?\u00c2\u00a0 Isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t the end result the most important?\u00c2\u00a0 Respectively – yes and no.<\/p>\n

Why does this bother me?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Photo
Photo by Charlie Kirk. From his “Istanbul – Initial impressions<\/a>” series.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As a photographer I cannot disassociate an image from the process of its creation, as I am actively engaged in that process every day.\u00c2\u00a0 When I look at street photography, one of many things I care about is wanting to be in awe of the photographer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s skill.\u00c2\u00a0 How did they take this?\u00c2\u00a0 They must have been quick.\u00c2\u00a0 Did they really see all of this at once?\u00c2\u00a0 They must have had courage.\u00c2\u00a0 How on earth could they see this widely?\u00c2\u00a0 I admire the photographer for these skills.\u00c2\u00a0 So if it transpires that this \u00e2\u20ac\u0153street photograph\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is arranged, I feel let down.\u00c2\u00a0 I feel manipulated.\u00c2\u00a0 My time spent conjecturing on the process is wasted.\u00c2\u00a0 The photographer never had the skills I thought they had.\u00c2\u00a0 They had more than one chance.\u00c2\u00a0 Click – check the LCD – fail? – click again – check the LCD – poor positioning? – fail? – move the subject or wait for the background to come into place – click – check the LCD – shot works.\u00c2\u00a0 It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a wrap.<\/p>\n

Aside from these thoughts about process, a key aspect that is important to me is an image\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s representation of a unique split second of time.\u00c2\u00a0 Something that genuinely happened, as of itself, and will never repeat itself.\u00c2\u00a0 But if this natural \u00e2\u20ac\u0153moment\u00e2\u20ac\u009d never in fact existed and was \u00e2\u20ac\u0153created\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, I feel let down again.\u00c2\u00a0 While creativity is something to be applauded, the creation of a moment generates a different emotional response in me as a viewer.\u00c2\u00a0 The moment was a fiction not a fact.<\/p>\n

It is not only admiring a photographer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s skill, or reveling in the transitory that interests me in a candid photo.\u00c2\u00a0 It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the mystery that the photo can engender.\u00c2\u00a0 Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s take an example.\u00c2\u00a0 Say there is a picture of a solitary child – looking a bit lost and lonely, with some kind of interesting or dramatic background.\u00c2\u00a0 If this photo is represented as candid, my mind will wander.\u00c2\u00a0 I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll wonder about why the child was there, connect emotionally with their loneliness, worry about what might have happened etc.\u00c2\u00a0 The photo will resonate with my feelings of sympathy as a human.\u00c2\u00a0 Now if it turns out that this child was related somehow to the photographer, I no longer feel this.\u00c2\u00a0 Instead I just think that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a beautiful picture of so and so\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s son or daughter.\u00c2\u00a0 The bottom line is that I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to feel confused by a photograph – I should not be put in a position where I have to try to guess whether it is posed or not.\u00c2\u00a0 It gets in the way of my enjoyment.<\/p>\n

Not admitting that a photo is staged shows a disrespect to the viewer and is a disservice to anyone that has stumbled or will stumble across a similar scene in the future.\u00c2\u00a0 It is an affront to those that are patient, lucky or quick enough to capture such moments candidly.<\/p>\n

Street photography, composites and photojournalism<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"Photo
Photo by Charlie Kirk. From his “Violence around Gezi<\/a>” series.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also worth comparing street photography to composite photography and photojournalism.<\/p>\n

I recall the\u00c2\u00a0discussion<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0in street photography circles when Jan Meissner was allegedly not clear that her street photos were composites.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Street photographers on the whole do not regard composite works as street photography as the elements were not there at the same time – the photographer did not capture all of this in camera – rather they put it together afterwards.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Now if it were discovered that a street photographer had included composites in their portfolio, without admitting it, their reputation would take a battering – their skill and integrity would be questioned.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Why do we take such umbrage to composites (Fred Le Mauff said this was a type of intellectual dishonesty) and not to staged photos?<\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the same with photojournalism.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0With very few exceptions, most photojournalists take pictures that are candid – they do not direct or stage the scene – and if they were to do so, they would probably be ostracized – and might well be kicked out of their agency.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0Their photos would become propaganda.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0While a photo can never tell the truth, a photojournalist does at least aspire to it.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0The key difference between photojournalism and street photography is that with street photography the lie can make the photo a great one, but I feel that the lie should be through framing rather than arranging or directing.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0The lie should be an honest one – if you know what I mean.\u00c2\u00a0While it may be humbler and more everyday than traditional photojournalism, the issue is, to me, the same.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s about integrity.<\/p>\n

So what should the photographer do?\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"charlie4\"
Photo by Charlie Kirk from his “Japanese Women are Beautiful<\/a>” series.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I guess the next question then is what should the photographer do?\u00c2\u00a0 I am a firm advocate of getting the best image possible, and not missing opportunities.\u00c2\u00a0 As I said in the introduction, there is nothing wrong with staging per se, and I would support this.\u00c2\u00a0 Staging photos helps a photographer develop and express another side of themselves.\u00c2\u00a0 But what I would encourage photographers to do is make it clear, when the photograph looks like a candid one, that it is in fact staged.\u00c2\u00a0 Christos Kapatos recently did this withthis wonderful photo<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0– I respect him for that.\u00c2\u00a0 I also believe that a photographer should at least reply to a question as to whether their picture is posed or directed rather than staying silent.<\/p>\n

What I would not do, and what I fervently believe is wrong, is to submit a staged photo to a street photography competition or a group on the internet.<\/p>\n

Is the erosion of the definition of Street Photography to blame?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"charlie9\"
Photo by Charlie Kirk from his “Japanese Women are Beautiful<\/a>” series.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some might argue that there is nothing wrong with submitting a staged photo to a street photography group if the admins of that group have a relaxed definition of the term.\u00c2\u00a0 Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s use HCSP as an example.\u00c2\u00a0 But before we do so, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d like to counter any arguments that HCSP is irrelevant.<\/p>\n

HCSP matters because it is the largest group about street photography on the internet.\u00c2\u00a0 It has influence.\u00c2\u00a0 Virtually all street photographers that have started out in the last few years are aware of the group.\u00c2\u00a0 Many would say that a large part of their early photography education has come through looking at the photos in the pool and studying the threads.\u00c2\u00a0 Look at some of the past admins of the group and what they have since achieved.\u00c2\u00a0 Like it or not, the group has kudos.<\/p>\n

So when HCSP adopts a loose definition of street or candid photography – citing Nick Turpin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s view that street photography is just photography or that it is an aesthetic, it simply encourages viewer confusion and flies in the face of the generally accepted view that street photography is candid, and something candid cannot be posed.\u00c2\u00a0 If the admins are comfortable with posed pictures being in the group, then they should at least change the description of the group from \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A group dedicated to candid situations that momentarily reveal themselves amidst the mundane hustle and bustle of everyday life\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to something like \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Pictures we like\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n

But such a change – which is actually what is happening now – would result in viewers never having an assurance that the photo they are looking at is candid – at least in the generally accepted meaning of the term.\u00c2\u00a0 Flickr photographers would be encouraged to stage photos in order to get the views, comments and likes that acceptance into the pool would inevitably bring – and most importantly, viewers would not be able to judge a photo on its merits.\u00c2\u00a0 They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d never be able to say – \u00e2\u20ac\u0153wow – that guy was lucky to be there\u00e2\u20ac\u009d, or \u00e2\u20ac\u0153what great timing\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.\u00c2\u00a0 They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be in a constant state of confusion.<\/p>\n

So – I would agree that this loosening of the definition is important – but it does not exonerate the photographer from responsibility.\u00c2\u00a0 They can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t simply come out with \u00e2\u20ac\u0153well, the admins accepted it\u00e2\u20ac\u009d when the group is currently described as one about candid moments.\u00c2\u00a0 While the admins themselves might even spot that the photo (or parts of it) are staged and still accept it into the pool, the photographer should think about the viewer more – most of whom would quite rightly assume that the photo was a candid one.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"charlie6\"
Photo by Charlie Kirk. From his “Japanese people are strange<\/a>.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

So in conclusion, while this is certainly not the most important issue in street photography right now, it is one that I thought would be worth spending some time writing about.\u00c2\u00a0 Integrity is important in all walks of life, and I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see why street photography should be any different.\u00c2\u00a0 Perhaps I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m becoming more like xxx by the day\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Follow Charlie<\/h2>\n