Magnum photo of the week

[nksyoon]

These are "news" images. They should stand on their own merit without any need for defence. When I looked at the photographs I did as the OP, Jarle, requested and posted what I thought. This hasn't changed. As PJ work, and stand-alone images I think they are well below par.

As part of an "art work" they would be looked at using different criteria and I would be looking to be engaged by the photographer/artist in a two way dialogue. Perhaps as part of a wider portfolio exploring new ways to interpret the political world around us while also offering a critique on traditional reportage photography and the sanitised world of the political photo op. they may have some merit, I would need to see more of the photographer's work and understand what his agenda is. These few photographs neither give me that insight, or are good enough (in my subjective view) to make me want to look further.

Art is something completely different from reportage.

That being said, art can come from reportage, but it is accidental, incidental, or done with that as a specific objective and trumpeted as such - we send out war artists and not to be forgotten the Great War produced some fine poets.

What I understand from speaking to a Magnum photographer is that they see themselves as being different from news photographers. They're not competing with Getty, Reuters, AFP, etc. Some prospective members have not have been accepted because they were seen as being "news" photographers, and not having their own individual artistic vision/style/purpose.

So I don't look at a Magnum "Photo of the Week" and try to judge it as a news photo.

On the idea of alternative perspectives on political reportage, one notable success in recent years has been the book "My America" by Christopher Morris of VII Photo.

http://www.popphoto.com/photographynewswire/2909/my-america-by-christopher-morris.html
http://www.time.com/time/audio/2006/morris/
http://www.viiphoto.com/detailStory3.php?news_id=543