Andre Kertesz and Henri Cartier-Bresson versus the work of Eugene Smith and Sebastio Salgado.
Compare the work of Andre Kertesz and Henri Cartier-Bresson versus the work of Eugene Smith and Sebastio Salgado. They are photojournalists with different approaches.
- What are the main differences and similarities?
Andre Kertesz is a photographer from Hungary, who then went to Paris in 1925 to begin his career in freelance photography. Kertesz is considered to be a pioneer of photo-journalism. Kertesz prides himself on the fact that he always carried a small camera around and took candid, informal photographs. His photographs were able to freeze a moment in time and capture them at the right moment. The reason he was able to capture the moment so perfectly was just by “feeling it”. He says, “Look at the atmosphere, the reflection. Why did I do it this way? Instinct. I have no other explanation. The subject offered itself to me and I took advantage” (p.70). He took the approach of a photojournalist without being aware of it.
Kertesz: Behind the lines, Gologory, Poland, 1915 Instead of the heroic images, Kertesz’s camera was focused on the life behind the lines
Henri Cartier-Bresson is considered the godfather of photojournalism yet he does not see himself as a photographer. The way that Cartier-Bresson explains his work is similar to Kertesz, “I was puzzled… I said: I don’t know, it’s not important” (Cartier-Bresson, 1952). Cartier-Bresson believes in the importance of The Decisive Moment, “To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organization of forms which give that event it’s proper expression”. This is similar to Kertesz “feeling” that he gets before capturing a photograph. Another similarity between Kertesz and Cartier-Bresson is that when they started photography, neither of them thought about reporting through the means of photos. Cartier-Bresson also believes in taking pictures while being invisible, similarly to Kertesz who always carried around a small camera to take photos that way they are not interrupting the scene.
Eugene Smith took his first photographs at the age of 15 for two local newspapers in Wichita, Kansas. He worked as a war correspondent for “Flying” magazine (1943-44) and a year later for “LIFE”. Smith is similar to Kertesz and Cartier-Bresson in the way that he wanted to capture reality with his photographs, but the way he wanted to capture reality was different from them. Smith relied on editing his photographs and manipulating the photo to capture the image that he wants. A colleague tried to convince Smith to submit a photograph but he replied, “I can’t show it. This face here needs toning, needs burning in. This thing down here needs changing. The eyes are wrong” (Lasko, 1989). Kertesz and Cartier-Bresson knew exactly when and how to capture a photo at the right moment to bring that image to life and tell a story but Smith not only wants to portray the reality he felt and saw through the camera lens but by also editing and adjusting the light.
Photo 20: Eugene Smith: Spanish wake (W. Eugene Smith and the Photographic Essay, Glenn G. Willumson, 1992, p.128-129)
The light, constructed in the postproduction process, dictates the objects and people that audiences should focus on.
Another difference between Smith and his other photojournalists is that Smith was not invisible in producing and capturing images. Kertesz and Cartier-Bresson take pride in being invisible and capturing the scene as it is without interfering whereas Smith would interfere with his subject in his photographs. He often tended to become part of the subject’s community. Smith also tended to build tight bonds with the people he was capturing whereas the other photojournalists would never do that.
Sebastiao Salgado is a photographer who believes that he needs to have interactions with the people in his photographs. He is similar in this sense to Smith because Salgado feels that he must enter the circle of the subjects in the photo and become those people. Salgado also expresses his position on global politics and the economy through his work, which Cartier-Bresson and Kertesz do not do. Salgado, just like Smith, focuses a lot of his attention and time on the post production work in his photos.
- What’s the better journalistic approach?
In my opinion, the better journalistic approach is the one done by Cartier-Bresson and Kertesz. I say this because I believe that their approach represents realism more than Smith and Salgado’s approach. The long post production process that is done by Smith and Salgado, goes against the basic principles of photojournalism. According to the Code of Ethics of the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), photojournalists should respect the integrity of the photographic moment. According to John Long, the Chairman of the Ethics and Standards Committee of the National Press Photographers Association, he claims that the post production done by Smith does not capture the “truth” of the photograph.
“Eugene Smith used dark room technique to create images that he thought were communicating a certain ‘truth’… He felt that that is a part of the process. I don’t. I think he went too far for the most part. I think moving objects and excessive dark room technique is too much… Ethics… the principle stays the same, but how they are applied and how they are interpreted would change over time. Stuff they did in 40’s and in the 50’s we wouldn’t do today. And I think looking back that his stuff was over manipulated. Just because it is a dark room doesn’t make it right….. The computers can be used technically to make a beautiful print, they can be used beyond technical tools to create a lie. They themselves are not a problem, it’s whether you are using that technique to deceive the public. Whether you are using that technique to create something that was not part of the normal presentation of the photograph” (Long , Personal communication, 2008).
I also don't agree with the fact that Smith and Salgado become a part of the community that they are photographing or the bonds that they create with their subjects. Randall (1996) says that in journalism, your subjects should always be aware that you are doing your job and that you are not one of them. You should do this to maintain professionalism, to avoid emotional reactions and to present the reality as it happened it is important not to cross the line between photojournalists and their subjects. Smith allowed his emotions to become a part of his work which in the end influenced the product. Finally, one of the principles of photojournalism is to “resist being manipulated by staged photo opportunities” (NPPA, Code of Ethics, 2004). Most of the photographs Smith took during his lifetime show that he tended to plan in detail how and what he shot. For example in a photograph of Smith’s son and daughter, Smith made the two of them walk about 3-4 times in front of his camera to get the perfect shot that he envisioned. I don’t think this is a factual representation of reality or the correct way to tell a story, you should capture the raw emotions and ultimately your photo should be able to freeze a moment in time accurately.
Eugene Smith: The Walk to Paradise Garden, photograph of Smith’s son Patrick and daughter Juanita, 1946 (W. Eugene Smith Shadow and Substance, Jim Hughes, 1989)
Smith’s son remembers that he and his sister had to walk 3-4 times in front of his father’s camera
References
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1A5-L9TQjX6CVMwiR5Hv869eWbPELs3NSWNG4flgU41o/edit
https://www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/w-eugene-smith/
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vIoMOSYSUkFlPc3UaSMbvEEfW2CB4-nPO8tfyeFocus/edit