I love this! One of the tips I was once given in a high school photography class was to make a press pass for yourself with the name of a (real or imagined) blog/ news site/ etc. before going to events where you want to shoot. It can help you get in for free, skip lines, and get special access to events, and security will seldom question you. Make your own credential, back it up with a healthy dose of confidence, and get the shot.
Fabulous, really liked the inclusion of how we bring our biases to everything and how the very context (itself a bias) we carry around about what is "photos" or "photojournalism" also heavily influences how we interact and take pictures. Thank you for these insightful explorations!
I remember doing a photo project as a model, where we were setting up a fake VIP tour on campus for a made up pop star. I made a CD cover for the new release and sent it to everyone. My role was a campus VIP providing the tour, and we had a bodyguard, manager, fan, paparazzi, and the singer herself. Unfortunately it rained the day we were going to go out and fake this tour, but I feel like that would have been a great set up for this assignment as well, documenting the tour but also the reactions of bystanders to this singer being ambushed by paparazzi and fans and all that.
Are we not going to distinguish the differences between art and journalism? And asserting that it's impossible to be objective requires arguments. It would be interesting to hear a conversation on the philosophy behind objective and subjective thought.
Reportorial photography goes way back. Civil war, Crimean war, Modoc Indian war. Lewis Hine made his powerful pictures of child labor, often lying about who he was and what he was doing.
Ok here is the deal though. When he made those cards and went out on assignments for a fake newspaper, that's was a breach of trust. People trust reporters and photographers with with their names, stories and lives. The takeaways he got from it are all true, that people are hungry for attention. But when they looked for the paper later or looked online for the article, what did they find? Nothing. They found a lie. Maybe not a hurtful lie, and maybe nothing was damaged. But he was given access on the basis of false credentials. That can make a source feel betrayed, feel like they were made fun of. I'm a reporter and I love my work. But people talk to me, they trust me, when they know who I work for and its reputation. When someone takes time out of their day to tell me their story, it's an honor. A privilege. And I owe them honesty on my side too. I like Alec's work and the history of it, but he owed those people honesty. Even if it is just a suburban cat story.
+Sara Jane Pohlman I don't think he was dishonest to his subjects about his credentials or intentions. He just used the approach and format of a local newspaper as inspiration for the project. And after all, he is a member of Magnum Photos and has more than enough credentials as a photo journalist.
+Fast N Bulbous from what he said it was more than an inspiration or stylistic choice. He said he made up a paper, made up business cards, and talked to these people as though he were writing for publication. Sure, he has credentials. He didn't use them in gaining access to the lives of private people. He used dishonesty.
+ARTiculations I love the onion. They tend to say what others are thinking but don't have the room or allowance to say. Or just a really witty take on a trend or event. Hilarious and on point. I take no issue because they make it clear that it's satire, and they don't interview real people posing as genuine journalists. It's clear they are performing a different role.
+Sara Jane Pohlman I definitely see your point and I think I'm not sure if I could do what he does with Songbook. But then, if your speaking about the broader topic of the ethics of being a reporter: sometimes, writing something the subject doesn't agree with is necessary and important, right?. Otherwise, media would be full of nice articles that tell nothing. Yes, he's sort of "using" people for a wider statement he wants to make, but that's one aspect of making art.
I also find myself uncomfortable with the fake newspaper tactic. Newspapers are already wrongly maligned in America, something we can little afford. Not sure I'm thrilled about people going out and pretending to be members of the press without any of the accompanying ethical obligations of real journalists. Interesting artist though and something to think about.
+Gurks of Being a Wallflower I don't think this assignment requires you to lie and "pretend to be a member of the press." For instance, you could say " I'm taking photos for my Tumblr blog, in which I'm writing about this cat." Plus, people start their own independent publications all the time. I have friends who were first year journalism students who started their own magazine in order to gain experience. They were mostly 18 years olds and by no means professional journalists - but they could still be honest and just say "I'm writing a story for a student publication, can I take a photo of your cat for this week's story?"
+ARTiculations Yes, I meant it more of a critique that Alec Soth lied, not as much that assignmenters(?) might. You raise a good point about student journalists. Still though I think it is different for a professional artist to lie to subjects or at least to approach them with false pretenses. We should just all try to be as honest as we can, I think. I don't know. Art is hard. Edit: Also your channel is awesome! New subby.
All is Subjectivity is it self a myth...! If all is subjective then the statement "all is subjective" has no value as it is itself just a subjective statement with no truth valve... and one is left in an infinite regress in attempting to prove such a statement has any substance at all. On the other hand the statement of preception following: The Art Assignment is a channel on RU-vid. Is this just "subjective" ? Or is it varifiable in the emeprical world?
I'm sorry he pretended to work for a newspaper in order to get material for a project he intended to (and possibly did) make money from. 😵😵😵 What a disgusting creep. How could The Art Assignment sign off on this kind of unethical BS let alone celebrate it? Not okay.
