Journal: Genius of Photography part 3

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

‘The decisive moment’

Should you trust a photograph?

I don’t think we should fully trust photographs, as this is the photographer’s point of view, and the way he captures certain form is to make us look ‘through his eyes’ so we are automatically catching some of his emotions.

What was revolutionary about the Leica in 1925?

Leica was revolutionary as it was first quiet, small and easy to carry camera.

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

Shaw said: ‘I would exchange every painting of Christ for one snapshot’

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

Vaccaros’ negatives were destroyed as they contained images of dead soldiers, and army censors believed that the world was not ready to see these images.

Who was Henryk Ross and what was his job?

Henry Ross was a Polish Jewish photographer engaged for propaganda by the Department of Statistics for the Jewish Council in Lodz’s ghetto. His job was to record life in ghetto and the production of goods produced by inhabitants.

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 show called 'Family of man' was a photography exhibition curated by Edward Steichen. Exhibition represented 508 photographs by 273 photographers. First time exhibition was shown was in 1955 in New York, where by 1964 million visitors viewed it. The pictures presented a striking snaps of human being everyday experiences; birth, love, joy, war, illness, and death, as the invention was to visually represent the journey which all of us have to pass, and also the role of photography as documentation. The last image by W. Eugene Smith of his children walking into the light of his garden, concluded whole exhibition as memoriable journey throughout life.