Tony and the Afghan girl photograph

[xayraa33]

I don't know why the big deal, using today's political correctness standard for something that was done in 1984.

Are we going to over analyse every notable historic photo taken in past and rubbish the photographer for what we think are non PC 'ness or trespasses or even staged fakery?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuFKpaV_jjo

 

[farlymac]

I don't know why the big deal, using today's political correctness standard for something that was done in 1984.

Are we going to over analyse every notable historic photo taken in past and rubbish the photographer for what we think are non PC 'ness or trespasses or even staged fakery?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuFKpaV_jjo

Oh, I think Steve McCurry did a fine enough job of trashing his own career/reputation when he tried selling photos that had various body parts in the image that were not attached to their humans after a heavy dose of Photoshopping.


PF

 

[kuuan]

Imo it's bad..but unfortunately hardly surprising.
( later edit: What is insinuated in that video is bad and since my only experience with a "Pro", related below, had been very negative the allegations did not surprise me and I mistakenly may have jumped to believing them. However I have not the slightest idea about how McCurry actually had gone about his photography and for lack of knowledge certainly cannot condemn him! )


Only once I have encountered a "professional photographer in the field". That was during the Mahashivaratri festival inside Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu, Nepal. There had been many colorful pilgrims and "well selling" Babas and Sadhus. The "Pro" photographer was behaving pushy, disrespectful, invading, even aggressive and..abusive. He had a local translator with him who carried a stack of "model releases" which he immediately had people sign, often for free, sometimes for a donation of a few 10s of Cents. One day some Babas had made a big, quite violent performance with hundred of onlookers. He had tried to get close but the Babas did not like him, threatened him and scared him away. His reaction was waving his credit card in the air. The Babas had not been impressed. They did not object me to get close. I had been camping out with them for some weeks. Once I overheard the translator telling the "Pro" that I have been spending full days and nights with the Sadhus, that I may have taken the better photos. He gave me a stern look but did not know that I had been quite new playing with manual lenses, doing it badly, too st.ned most of the time and that I did not have a single model release signed. What I did was printing out some 100 or 150 photos which I handed out to the pilgrims. Certainly he must have had a "stunning" story published somewhere.
( my photos taken that time: https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=8003463%40N03&sort=date-taken-desc&text=mahashivaratri&view_all=1 resp. more from that time here but also including some others taken at Pashupatinath: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kuuan/albums/72157607731424404/page1 )

 

[Huss]

Excellent photos kuuan

 

[Wenge]

That work is really good kuuan, thanks for sharing.

 

[richardHaw]

i quit following that couples page for several years now. it's a waste of time 😱😱😱

 

[Out to Lunch]

An in depth analysis of the 'Tony' post by these two guys (the art of photography):



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gjHhOi3wak

 

[kuuan]

Excellent photos kuuan

That work is really good kuuan, thanks for sharing.

thank you Huss and Wenge, glad you like them and for letting me know

 

[CharlesDAMorgan]

Stunning images kuuan - the reactions of the subjects show you had shown them total consideration and respect.

 

[robert blu]

Good photo and good and interesting story Kuuan. Thanks for sharing it.
robert

 

[kuuan]

Stunning images kuuan - the reactions of the subjects show you had shown them total consideration and respect.

thank you for that observation Charles, very happy for that!
That time someone had written, in a forum, that my photography isn't good but that I am lucky with motives. ( I should add that this guy obviously hated me and had to hit on me whenever possible..)
I always have thought that often it may not be the quality, photographically or technically speaking, that's my merit but the closeness and familiarity with my sometimes, if they were, "exotic subjects".

 

[kuuan]

Good photo and good and interesting story Kuuan. Thanks for sharing it.
robert

thank you Robert.
It seems that I kind of hijacked this thread, I am sorry for that, but happy that you like my story and photos

 

[CharlesDAMorgan]

thank you for that observation Charles, very happy for that!
That time someone had written, in a forum, that my photography isn't good but that I am lucky with motives. ( I should add that this guy obviously hated me and had to hit on me whenever possible..)
I always have thought that often it may not be the quality, photographically or technically speaking, that's my merit but the closeness and familiarity with my sometimes "exotic subjects".

I would give my right hand (metaphorically, obviously) to have such wonderful photos. People like that are best ignored - glad you carried on!

 

[retinax]

Sorry, I won't subject myself to watching Northrup for this. But yes, we will continue to analyse what we like, as much as we like.

 

[michaelwj]

Is anyone really surprised by all of this thread? There are three facts that come to mind:
1. kuaan’s photo’s are excellent
2. Tony is all about clicks and loves spouting pseudo knowledge (ISO anyone?) and creating a controversy (the current video). He’s also annoying but that’s more of a personal feeling.
3. Photojournalists and now also “travel photographers” (predominantly white middle class men in both cases) shooting in third world countries exploited and still exploit the huge power imbalance for their own needs.

 

[kuuan]

I would give my right hand (metaphorically, obviously) to have such wonderful photos. People like that are best ignored - glad you carried on!

thank you Charles 🙂 I never doubted to carry on, having way too much fun doing it ( but left that forum 😉 )


I must add a note to the original theme of this thread, about McCurry, his photography and his famous Afghan girl in particular:
Due to my only experience with a Pro "out in the field" that had been shocking enough to me the allegations against McCurry did not surprise me. However I do NOT have any knowledge of McCurry, his photography or how he has gone about to take his famous photo of the Afghan girl. I cannot and will not condemn him as I simply don't know. As for me he may well be a very conscious and respectful photographer and it is only people out there hunting a dime by making him look bad. I wouldn't know either way.

 

[p.giannakis]

I don't know why the big deal, using today's political correctness standard for something that was done in 1984.

Are we going to over analyse every notable historic photo taken in past and rubbish the photographer for what we think are non PC 'ness or trespasses or even staged fakery?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuFKpaV_jjo

What a load of bull$hit was that. We can construct any narrative we like a posteriori in order to fit a specific assumption or have a specific affect. These assumptions have very little to do with real intentions of someone's actions. Very often victims of abuse will assume feelings of fear later on in reflection to fit the social discourse (in the M. Jackson story many of his victims did not feel abused but "privileged". The felt abused when they were told that they were abused).

The "squareprinnts.c0m" guy who had a break from his emotional assumption in order to advertise his sponsor, is 35 years too late. He can make assumptions with his 2019 logic, sitting on a comfy sofa. McCurry was on the mountains with his camera back in 1984.

How do I know? I work with victims of historical abuse - I do this day in and day out.

 

[vbsoto]

Interesting, but when he starts using the words "I'm guessing" and "I think", I shut it off. This is not investigative reporting, nor should anyone expect that from him. That is not Tony's trade. The overall message of should that happen or be allowed to happen today is valid. It should not.

 

[kuuan]

Is anyone really surprised by all of this thread? There are three facts that come to mind:
1. kuaan’s photo’s are excellent

haha, thank you Michael

3. Photojournalists and now also “travel photographers” (predominantly white middle class men in both cases) shooting in third world countries exploited and still exploit the huge power imbalance for their own needs.

sure true. oops, what am I getting into here 😉 ..when I watch videos of some "great" from time ago, how he preys on his subjects in markets I can see a big social distance between the "privileged, rich man with the camera" and the poor laborer who has no way to object. That may not be so anymore within western countries, but still exists wide spread nevertheless.

 

[Out to Lunch]

Photojournalists and now also “travel photographers” (predominantly white middle class men in both cases) shooting in third world countries exploited and still exploit the huge power imbalance for their own needs

1. As you should know, the term ''third world'' hails back to the Cold War era, which ended in 1991
2. twenty seven years down the line, that term is not used any longer
3. today, many ''travel photographers'' include men and women: black, white, and yellow, and they hold many different passports
4. ''exploiting power imbalances'' is a concept as clear as mud

I am living in Asia. My partner is brown...or perhaps yellow...her passport is dark blue. Our daughter is light brown...or, perhaps, beige. Her passports are red and bluish. Where do you live?

Spare me your bull****.