Hi All:
In honor of my birthday today, I thought I'd give you all a pretty new blog post, complete with ribbon. Actually, there is no ribbon...I suppose there could be one if I decide to post a piece of ribbon clip art or something. But, if i were you, I'd find that kinda lame...so we'll go with the traditional variety.
Blogging music today...Bob Mould Live DVD from his 2005 show at the 9:30 club in Washington, DC. One of the best concert DVD's I own - it spans from his time with Husker Du, through Sugar and up through some of his best solo work. Good times.
I saw something recently that I've been wanting to mention here - this is big news for the photo industry and something that I found to be a little disconcerting. It concerns an inconic image by legendary photographer Robert Capa called "Falling Soldier." The image was taken during the Spanish Civil War in 1936, and was reported to show a Republican soldier at the exact moment he was fatally shot in the back: 
Now, apparently there has been some controversy about the authenticity of the subject matter for many years. Many art historians said the image was "too perfect," and doubted that it could actually be genuine. However, I was unaware of this when I studied this image in art school and when I saw the photo in person during a Robert Capa retrospective several years ago. After all, a big part of a photography - especially photo-journalism, is being in the right place at the right time. I just figured that, as a stroke of luck, one of the world's leading war photographers happened to snap the shutter at just the right moment.
Turns out I was wrong, or at least oblivious to what many already suspected. Barcelona-based newspaper El Periodico carried out a study of the photograph and determined that the photo was taken in an area called Espejo - where there was no fighting - rather than near Cerro Muriano in the southern Andalusia region, as has long been claimed. To back this comment, the newspaper published current photos of Espejo which show that the landscape corresponds to the Capa image.
The issue of "staged" documentary photography is a major issue these days, mainly because of how much easier it is now for a photographer to do post-production on an image using Photoshop or other methods. But, this issue goes back a long way - from claims that Matthew Brady and his team "re-arranged" corpses on the battlefield in the 19th century, to WPA photographers like Dorothea Lange "constructing" their images and cleaning/dirtying up their migrant worker subjects for the sake of the shot. The thing is, I don't get as crazy over this stuff as some people do - it is a photographer's job to create the best image possible to convey their message. I don't believe for one second that the amount of grime on a laborer's face takes anything away from the authenticity of a photo. Such images still maintain their integrity in my view.
This case is different, however. This particular image's place in history is based solely on the fact that it was photographed at the exact moment someone was killed. The way in which the photo was taken was meant to give that impression. If the image is indeed a fake, it was created, in my view, with the intention to deceive - and that I find to be incredibly disappointing.
I have some major news personal news, but I need to wait to post it until my next entry. But, needless to say, it will be worth the wait - so check back soon. In the meantime, enjoy what's left of your weekend and happy Monday!
-Marc
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