Susan Sontag
[Writer, theorist, and critic, b. 1933, New York, d. 2004, New York.]
To speak of reality becoming a spectacle is a breathtaking provincialism. It universalizes the viewing habits of a small, educated part of the world, where news has been converted into entertainment... It assumes that everyone is a spectator. It suggests, perversely, unseriously, that there is no real suffering in the world.
Harold Evans
[Writer and editor, b. 1928, Manchester, England, lives in New York.]
People were murdered for the camera; and some photographers and a television camera crew departed without taking a picture in the hope that in the absence of cameramen acts might not be committed. Others felt that the mob was beyond appeal to mercy. They stayed and won Pulitzer Prizes. Were they right?
Bruce Davidson
[Photographer, b. 1933, Oak Park, Illinois, lives in New York.]
Most of my photographs are compassionate, gentle, and personal. They tend to let the viewer see himself. They tend not to preach. And they tend not to pose as art.
Werner Bischof
[Photographer, b. 1916, Zürich, Switzerland, d. 1954, Peña de Aguila, Peru.]
In the long run I don't think anyone can overlook these images of hunger, that people can ignore all my pictures—no, definitely not. And even if only a vague impression remains, in time this will create a basis that will help people distinguish between what is good and what is objectionable.
Shelby Lee Adams
[Photographer, b. 1950, Hazard, Kentucky, lives in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.]
I photograph people who are in pain, and I don’t want to make that romantic and ideal when they’re suffering. I photograph them looking at the camera in a very straightforward way and present their humanity to you in as straightforward a way as possible… if we don’t explore the dark side of our own selves and our own culture, then we’re not growing.
Luc Delahaye
[Photographer, b. 1962, Tours, France, lives in Paris.]
The denunciation of suffering by photography has replaced the religious justification of suffering in painting. Denunciation is a function of photojournalism, and in itself that’s a step in the right direction.
William Albert Allard
[Photojournalist, b. 1937, Minneapolis, Minnesota, lives in Charlottesville, Virginia.]
If a subject has a delicate surface to it, you do not want to go charging in there. You need to establish some kind of presence and understanding. I will say, “Try to forget I’m here. I won’t ask you to pose, I won't ask you to do anything.” It’s important that I just be allowed to be around, to be present. Photographing people requires a willingness to be rejected. So, I think the best approach is to be honest and direct. Very often, I tell them, “You don't know me. There’s no reason why you should trust me... the only thing I can promise is that I’ll try to do the most honest work I can.”
James Nachtwey
[Photographer, b. 1948, Syracuse, New York, lives in New York.]
For me the strength of photography lies in its ability to evoke humanity. If war is an attempt to negate humanity, then photography can be perceived as the opposite of war.
