Andrew Fildes writes --- >>. I've suspected staging with many Doisneau images - i.e. the one of >>the couple peering into the antique shop window, she at the object >d'art, he at the nude painting to one side. Funny, a neat comment but >a little too contrived to be a candid. The couple are just too perfect >for their roles. that was one of a series, wasn't it? The story I heard was that he bunged the nude picture in the window and set up a camera specifically to record reactions of passing people (I also heard he had to stop doing it as it raised huge crowds and upset a few of the more puritanical folk) Luis responds: > Funny, I have had the same suspicion long before the controversy about "the kiss" emerged, about the images you mention, and others, specially some of children. They're still great, iconic images, no matter what....and let's face it: Perhaps .05% of the American public knows of Doisneau. Probably .001% of them know the faux-thenticity of the Kiss. In other words, outside of France, all of this is so obscure as to be beyond irrelevant, except to those of us who steal photons. The image sells as a poster here in Oz along with many iconic B&W's of years gone by. Very popular.. >In the end, the camera can neither lie nor tell the truth. All it can do is project echoes >of light onto film, pixel, and paper (or screens) and transform what is before it. ..into a 2 dimentional, smaller representation of what was there, to be interpreted by humans as they please (ever heard someone say "oh just look at that cake!" when staring at a photograph? ..funny really, dogs never drool when confronted with an image of food) Looking back through my pics there are many that please me for their ability to evoke memories of stuff. Some are straight image captures (techy bits left out) while others are staged in such a way as to transcend the limitations of the media or the timing, creating a subjective representation of that which was percieved at the time - (girl sticks head fleetingly out of window to look at weather, recreated by shouting 'Oi, look at the rain!' .. wait for shot then grab it) I don't know if it's 'honest' or not, but if anyone asks how the picture was made I'll tell them all I can. karl
