At 12:55 AM 1/5/2003 -0800, Robert G. Earnest wrote:
I see everything I show as manipulation. I don't know if this is common, but it's certainly how I see it. It's more in the selection than anything else - staged or unstaged, I edit to a specific vision that manipulates, even if it's into a rage :-) Because I don't separate the two, there's an ambiguity that is very intentional.If I discover that the photograph was staged, I feel manipulated. That's fun too but not the same.
What strikes me as odd is that people don't pick up on the staged ones more (this one, for instance - http://www.spirer.com/colorport/pages/semanasanta2.htm - is a total setup) but often see grab-and-run street shots (such as this one - http://www.spirer.com/images/smokeandview.jpg) as being staged.
Regarding the Doisneau photo - I thought it was schmaltzy before I knew he staged it and I thought it was schmaltzy after I knew he staged it. Nothing changed for me...
Jeff Spirer
Photos: http://www.spirer.com
