Photo columns in newspapers

Many newspapers run "pictures of the [time period]"

for example:

20 photographs of the week

[perhaps someone would like to delete the ancient and accidentally re-awakened Paris ......

[perhaps someone would like to delete the ancient and accidentally re-awakened Paris ......

Thanks for the link. Some eloquent photos, to be sure.

Can you explain the red statement, please? Sorry to seem clueless. but I don't get what you're referring to ...

I confess the motivation was to move the very strange "Paris Boudoir" post of the lead for this topic.

I was hoping that somebody with the power to do so, would delete that one

Can you explain the red statement, please

"Syrians, who have been displaced due to the ongoing attacks carried out by the Assad regime and Russia, stay at a makeshift camp".

Propagandist's sh*t again. What about faked chemical attack? I am not supporter of Assad at all, but that is like the broken record. We are shown everyday as we sent thousands of tons of food and medicines to Syria and they are throwing at it. We are told we have saved Syria.

Link

And there are lot of childred sent into best Moscow hospitals to be treated for free. We are shown those chindren every day on TV.

Where is the truth? But honestly, Russian people are normally against that help to Syria. We don't comsider them "brothers", nor are we rich enough, it is all propagandist's sh*t again. Many mass media publish crap nowadays. That annoys too much.

It is perfect example why camera sales are down, photography simply became boring. Just look at miserable quality those images, let alone any idea of long lasting impression they supposed to have on viewer.

I beg to differ on several counts. What do these documentary news photographs have to do with photography becoming boring? I see nothing 'boring' about at least 10 of the photographs shown. How are photographs of people with their lives on the line fighting fire, protesting oppression (or even cycling through mud) 'boring'. Then there is your reference to 'quality', are you upset with the sharpness or dynamic range of documentary photographs taken under stressful conditions? Does your standard require they be posed and shot with expensive lighting gear? Last but not least, what do any of these opinions have to do with 'why' camera sales are down? Maybe the quality is poor because they were shot with cell phones, so rather than these poor quality images being the 'cause', the poor quality is rather the 'effect' of camera sales being down. In any case happy new year.

Great link, @JDMvW! Powerful photos. Thanks for this,

Mike

I beg to differ on several counts. What do these documentary news photographs have to do with photography becoming boring? I see nothing 'boring' about at least 10 of the photographs shown. How are photographs of people with their lives on the line fighting fire, protesting oppression (or even cycling through mud) 'boring'. Then there is your reference to 'quality', are you upset with the sharpness or dynamic range of documentary photographs taken under stressful conditions? Does your standard require they be posed and shot with expensive lighting gear? Last but not least, what do any of these opinions have to do with 'why' camera sales are down? Maybe the quality is poor because they were shot with cell phones, so rather than these poor quality images being the 'cause', the poor quality is rather the 'effect' of camera sales being down. In any case happy new year.

I am not really upset, but those are supposed to be pictures of the week, published in somewhat respectful publication. They are look more like cheap snapshots to me, anybody who knows how to release shutter on cellphone can do it, that dirt bike photo is nice exception.

And if we are constantly lowering standards of acceptable quality, with publications not hiring photographers anymore, any writer can snap few shots on his phone for his article.

It is just like Uber, it is way cheaper, but from my personal experience, consider yourself lucky if your driver knows the city and traffic.

Which is bring us to camera sales question, if low quality images became established norm, why someone would want to invest time and money in photography at all.

A sorry state of our very own Pnet is perfect example of the state of the industry as a whole.

anybody who knows how to release shutter on cellphone can do it

Ahh, it’s the old “my six-year-old” could have done it. The important difference is these photographers did it and published them and “anybody who knows how to release shutter” didn’t.

consider yourself lucky if your driver knows the city and traffic.

I’ve taken Ubers in many cities throughout the U.S. and had very different experience. No problems and great service.

why someone would want to invest time and money in photography at all.

Because I don’t do photography to compare myself to general trends.

A sorry state of our very own Pnet is perfect example of the state of the industry as a whole.

Neither the state of PN nor the state of the industry affects my own photography very much.

The good thing about all this for me is I can spend more time enjoying photography, being creative, and expressing myself and less time complaining about states of affairs mostly out of my control.

Well, everybody entitled to have their own opinion.

On side note, isn't it interesting that Hong Kong wants to be British colony again:)

Well, everybody entitled to have their own opinion.

On side note, isn't it interesting that Hong Kong wants to be British colony again:)

Do you really think they wanted to be part of the PRC in the first place?

They really needed the supporting text.

It could also be the case that some or most or all these photos were meant not to have supporting text but actually to support the text they were originally accompanying. That could change both the equation and expectations of just what the photos are attempting to provide. These kinds of photos are often adding a visual kind of impact and exclamation rather than themselves telling the story or providing narrative information.

Do you really think they wanted to be part of the PRC in the first place?

Don't know, but 350000 Canadians are living there, if we take populations numbers into account, number of British or US citizens probably even higher:)

We need photographers like Frank again, to show us all reality of our "developed" world, our pink bubble about to burst.

The Photographer Who Captured America’s Dark Side - Mental Floss - Pocket

We need photographers like Frank again, to show us all reality of our "developed" world, our pink bubble about to burst.

The Photographer Who Captured America’s Dark Side - Mental Floss - Pocket

You might. I don’t. Much as I love Frank, I expect the world, photography, and documentary approaches to evolve rather than keep repeating. Frank actually did some great work when he moved on from himself and I’m quite sure he’d encourage contemporary photographers to seek new paths even while those others can begin by learning from his work.

I beg to differ on several counts. What do these documentary news photographs have to do with photography becoming boring? I see nothing 'boring' about at least 10 of the photographs shown. How are photographs of people with their lives on the line fighting fire, protesting oppression (or even cycling through mud) 'boring'. Then there is your reference to 'quality', are you upset with the sharpness or dynamic range of documentary photographs taken under stressful conditions? Does your standard require they be posed and shot with expensive lighting gear? Last but not least, what do any of these opinions have to do with 'why' camera sales are down? Maybe the quality is poor because they were shot with cell phones, so rather than these poor quality images being the 'cause', the poor quality is rather the 'effect' of camera sales being down. In any case happy new year.

As for the quality, first, I did not want to touch that. If you ever want to sell your photos of similar quality to stock agency, like mentioned Getty, they will consider them not to require the quality demands, as they want it to be "pixel sharp and noiseless"

They publish technical crap, and they make slaves out of the stock photographers and idiots out of the readers.

they will consider them not to require the quality demands

You mean "do not meet the quality demands":)

quality demands, as they want it to be "pixel sharp and noiseless"

Depending on the photo, of course, many times those that are “pixel sharp and noiseless” are less about quality and more about sterility. The quality of documentary photos is in their ability to tell a story or show something of social or political significance. Sharpness and noiselessness may ... or may not ... support those goals.

You mean "do not meet the quality demands":)

Yes I do.