Genius 3

What is described as “One of the most familiar concepts in photography”?

“The decisive moment”; this is a moment or opportunity that has to be “pounced on” by the photographer before the chance is missed.

Should you trust a photograph?

A photograph is easy to trust because it appears to capture and freeze the reality of life; however, this is not the case. A person or situation can be portrayed in a certain way which the photographer or the subject can choose how it is viewed. This is why the photograph should not be trusted.

What was revolutionary about the Leica in 1925?

Before the Leica, photographers had to use larger cameras which were harder to transport, which caused difficulties when taking photographs on the street. The Leica is much smaller and easier to conceal and to move around; meaning photographers had the ability to take photos more easily and more discreetly.

What did George Bernard Shaw say about all the paintings of Christ?

That he would trade all of them for just one snapshot of Christ. This describes how powerful photographs are when documenting,

Why were Tony Vaccaro’s negatives destroyed by the army censors?

They contained images of dead G.Is which the world was not ready to accept at the time.

Who was Henryk Ross and what was his job?

Ross was one of the ghetto’s official photographers. He documented the everyday life of the ghetto and the production of the goods made there. His photos often showed Nazis, the ghetto itself, jews, the holocaust .etc.

What show was a “sticking plaster for the wounds of war”, how many people saw it and what “cliché” did it end on?

‘The Family of Man’, which was an exhibition that opened in New York in 1955. 500 images from 273 photographers were selected to be presented and the show had nine million visitors. The photos all came from social realities and showed what it was like to be human. The show has a sort of optimistic cliché about it; despite the same humanistic message, the individual views of the photographers were suppressed. It was as though the photographers were all the same and this was not the case.

Why did Joel Meyerowitz photograph ground zero In colour?

To keep it a pure document; photographing in black and white would add drama and keep it a tragedy. Meyerowitz spent eight months photographing the aftermath of the event in a large-format camera.