Commentators are debasing the term with unwarranted hyperbole
A couple of weeks back, the Reuters photographer Jonathan Bachman took a picture of a black woman standing calmly in front of advancing police officers at a rally in Louisiana (see page 82 for more of the story). The picture was immediately described as ‘legendary’ by commentators. Now, what follows is not a critique of Mr Bachman and the portfolio he created that day, which contains many notable images. The issue is, what was so legendary about the image, how does an image become legendary, and who decides?
Things achieve a legendary status over time, as they seep into our consciousness. It is an unexplained phenomenon, born of many small things that seem to accumulate a mass. But simply telling me that something is legendary is not enough. And doing so 30 seconds after the event is certainly insufficient.
Esta historia es de la edición Issue 12, September 2016 de Professional Photography.
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Esta historia es de la edición Issue 12, September 2016 de Professional Photography.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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Beauty And The Banal
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World Press Photo 2018 Gallery
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Modern-day Daguerreotypes
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Something Really Wonderful Is Going On
A seagull is suspended, sunlit and spread-winged against a lowering sky. Men unknown to each other march together as if advancing on an unseen enemy. A woman with polished shoes searches through a large, pale handbag. Young girls in matching dresses look to be fleeing impending disaster. Eamonn Doyle shows us fragments of moments in a world of uncertainty and human frailty, with a unique and potentially devastating voice. A relative newcomer to the world of photobooks and photography galleries, he has become a powerful force in the art photography world since 2012.
Share Your Photography, Support A Charity
A new photography competition for positive social change.
“With no whipped cream available, we ended up using mentholated shaving foam. Oh, does that sting the eyes!”
“With no whipped cream available, we ended up using mentholated shaving foam. Oh, does that sting the eyes!”