Short story behind "American girl in Italy" photo

Since when is the woman in this photo stunning? ;)

Anyway, I never realized it was "staged"...

"As for whether or not the photo was staged, Craig says no way. "The big debate about the picture, which everyone always wants to know, is: Was it staged? No! No, no, no! You don't have 15 men in a picture and take just two shots. The men were just there . . . . The only thing that happened was that Ruth Orkin was wise enough to ask me to turn around and go back and repeat" the walk down the street."

Yes, i.e. staged. :)
 
Neare said:
I wouldn't say it's staged, the men weren't in on it. Call it great photographer insight instead.
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Not truly staged as in a play, but they knew the reaction she was going to get because they had already walked down the street. So, then they went back and did it again. To me, that means the men are in on it a little bit at the very least since they already saw her walk by. Additionally, she's a model...so it wasn't just some random moment that the photographer came by... which, perhaps naively, I thought it was.
 
Italian men can be quite overt, they have no compunctions about expressing their emotions even at passers by. I witnessed this when I was best man in a wedding in Rome while walking with the married couple to be, to the embassy for the nuptials. Whether 14 or 80, 3ft or 30ft away, all the men along the road shouted out "auguri, auguri" (greetings) and paid their respects to the couple.

Wouldn't find it at all strange if they paid more than a little attention to an attractive well dressed lady walking up and down their beat, without it considered being the least bit odd.
 
I've always liked this photo. But yes... this is a staged photo. Orkin didn't happen to come across this scene and capture the moment. She had her model friend walk by the men several times. That is staging the photo.

Regardless, I still like the photo.
 
Well, does it matter if it was staged or not?
Does the picture change because you know how it was made?

Gary
 
gns said:
Well, does it matter if it was staged or not?
Does the picture change because you know how it was made?

Gary
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Well yeah, to the individual. If a person knows the context the photo was taken in it will form a different scene to a person who doesn't know the context. Knowing leaves less to the imagination.

It's still a great photo.
 
Ok, so a picture is good or bad depending on what assumptions the viewer brings with them about how it was made?

BTW: I like the picture too, regardless of how it was made.

Gary
 
jsrockit said:
Since when is the woman in this photo stunning? ;)
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Oh yes, she is. At age 23 and at 73.

EDIT: Um, that's 83, of course. I got the anniversary wrong, not the math, if anybody will believe that.

At any rate, just goes to show, she doesn't look a day over 73 ;-)
 
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gns said:
Ok, so a picture is good or bad depending on what assumptions the viewer brings with them about how it was made?
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Of course not. I said the viewer's interpretation of the photograph might change. I didn't mention anything about the photograph being good or bad.
 
Andy Kibber said:
Of course not. I said the viewer's interpretation of the photograph might change. I didn't mention anything about the photograph being good or bad.
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I think there was an implication in some of the posts (and even by the woman who was in the photo) that it would not have the same value if it had been staged. Otherwise, as I said, why would it matter?

Gary
 
I'm sure I saw this lovely young woman countless times throughout my life. The first time may have been in Yorkville Toronto in the 60s. Then maybe it was when I was in San Francisco in the 80s, or was it last year getting out of a bus in Calgary or just yesterday, she was walking by a local coffee shop where some of us old geezers sip Cafe Americanos and read the paper.

I frankly don't care how or why the picture was taken but I do like the story.
 
gns said:
Well, does it matter if it was staged or not?
Does the picture change because you know how it was made?

Gary
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Yes, it matters... No Gary, the image doesn't change: it's just as staged as it's always been... Every men there knew the photograph was being taken... She did too... They were exaggerating everything: they were having fun while acting.

Good or bad? Good. Staged or not? Staged.

To me it's a frame in a movie, and I enjoy it.

Cheers,

Juan
 
gns said:
Well, does it matter if it was staged or not?
Does the picture change because you know how it was made?

Gary
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Yes, it does to me. I've always thought it wasn't staged. So after so many years to hear the whole story kind of blows my mind. That's all. Still a cool photo, but it is different now.
 
I think it's an interesting question that has to do with our willingness to accept that the camera tells the truth.

Gary
 
In the series "American girl in Italy" some other shots, for example the one in a museum, by the fountain, in front of a door or asking for direction by a policeman; all were portions of a story Mrs. Orkin intended and probably staged too. Frankly, what it mattered for me was the quality: What she wanted to convey out of that specific moment, she accomplished it masterfully.
 
What is nice is the Italian character fulfilling the image: that's not part of a play role... Their knowing about the photograph gave them space to have fun... They really were like that... I guess that's why the image works well... But obviously more than a dozen guys looking at a girl that way at the same time, just couldn't be a natural scene...

Cheers,

Juan
 
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