Left meets Right?

[mr. sullen]

I have only recently begun to understand the market of photography so please

excuse my ignorance of the subject and maybe you can give me your thoughts to

help me better hone my view. I have started to look into the stock agencies and

I get the feeling that many of them have a left side of the aisle sort of view

on the world. What I find most interesting is that their biggest clients are of

those that which they usually claim as a problem for society. So are they

hypocrites? I guess is one question. I am still learning and hope you can help

me in understanding. So maybe I am way off but the more I read the more I get

the feeling I am right. And this is just the stock agencies. I am reading about

other areas and find such a strange world I never knew exisited. What is it

with the market in the photography world that makes is all so strange I don't

know. Maybe you can help.

[zoewiseman]

When you are a stock photographer, you just go out and shoot what you like. You aren't

hired nor shooting for a corporation. Most artists that I know are a bit "left leaning" and so it

shows in their work. When they submit the images to their stock agent, they have no idea

where these images will even end up. Corporations know that if they show warm fuzzy

feelings through photography or video (left leaning artistic views) the can then win over the

general public. The only way to not sacrifice your integrity where politics is concerned, is to

not be a stock photographer.

[AJHingel]

I agree with Zoe but I would like to ask Shay how she draws the conclusion that" ...stock

agencies... I get the feeling that many of them have a left side of the aisle sort of view on the

world".

 

If Shay also could make the link to themes and types of photography (straight photograhy ! !),

the questions would be fully in the centre of what normally would be discussed here, in my

view.

[ellis_vener_photography]

"I have started to look into the stock agencies and I get the feeling that many of them have a left side of the aisle sort of view on the world."

 

They have a capitalist aisle view of the world. Period. Businesses are in business to make profits. If they are not then they should be in business and probably won't be for long.

 

 

Your attempt to politicize that to fit a "left" and 'right" polarization is no more than a projection on your part.

[bob_gentile]

<p><em>"... So are they hypocrites...?"</em></p>

 

<p>No more so than most. Those who lean to the Left <em>depend</em> on profits (generated

from capitalism) to pay for their programs. No profits... no welfare, no public housing,

no public medical care... </p>

[GerrySiegel]

Left and Right are almost meaningless paintball (unfruitful and splashy) labels that lead nowhere in adult discussion.

 

Last week had to listen in pain to 5 minutes of a Glenn Beck interview with Ann Coulter in the locker room at my gym, drying off after a swim. Lots of labels like those. Who is more liberal or left leaning than who and they stumbled over themselves as they tried to sort it out. And compensated by increasing the already high decibel level to the shouting level. No substance. Same old swill. Leads of course to a commercial break from Lunestra or Ambien:-).That is commerce,friend Shay.

[GerrySiegel]

Anders, I should re read what I write before submitting. LOL. No, in case one might wonder, Ann and Glenn were not in our men's locker room! (Good thing I would have tossed a towel at one or both of these Fox loudmouths).

These interviews with their shortcut language fill a public need for sure. And, they keep good old media mogel Rupert Murdoch profitable, where the capitalist bottom line counts..

Sleepy day in paradise. National holiday. gs

[pbalko]

I thought Glenn Beck was on CNN.

Just goes to show you, that Murdoch guy will go anywhere to make money.

[gary_watson]

What pays better than images feeding compulsive consumerism and celebrity worship? No one makes money like that covering the misery of Third World $hitholes. Hypocrisy and self-justification usually link arms but I don't see stock agencies apologizing or rationalizing much of anything. They just sell images.

[lex_jenkins]

Phil, Beck is on Fox radio nutworks during the day; CNN at night. There is *zero* difference in the news media, no matter what side of the fence they purport to be on. Left, right, two sides of a dialectic designed to produce cognitive dissonance, all controlled by corporations in the same bed.

 

If stock photo agencies *seem* to be catering to "leftist" issues, it's only because those images sell.

 

If you want a better perspective on how stock images can be manipulated to suit any purpose, take a look at The Onion. At least they don't pretend to be real news.

[GerrySiegel]

Lex, apropos of idle chit chat,when CNN added that stupid crawl thing to the bottom of the screen, they lost me. The gym TV is tuned to Fox in the locker room. I can stand on a bench but the TV has the volume control mototooled out. Conspiracy thought coming now. Fox is paying the XX Hour Fitness Center to run the channel. And then, another loudmouth, there was this Nancy Goodgracious something on. Help. I want to fight back for a little escape when I go to exercise the old bod. I would actually like an ECM jamming device I read about,anyone have one?It is my ear space. It is like second smoke to me. Anyway, the cable channels,Lex, have convinced me I may never really need a high def TV. What is to watch. Wife says Nat Geographic specials. Discovery. OK. I buy that. Or will buy that:-) Caio for now. gs