Post 5

“Photography records the gamut of feelings written on the human face, the beauty of the earth and skies that man has inherited, and the wealth and confusion man has created. It is a major force in explaining man to man.” ~Edward Steichen




I agree with this quote. Without photographs, a vast part of our universe would be lost. I think about those old pictures of the Chinese women with the curled up feet. They wrap their feet with gauze to make them smaller and desirable to men. I can talk until I’m blue in the face, about the state of those decrepit toes, but until you see photos of them, it is really difficult to understand the grotesqueness. This is just one of the many photos needed to explain man to man.

“I just think it's important to be direct and honest with people about why you're photographing them and what you're doing. After all, you are taking some of their soul.” ~Mary Ellen Mark




I suppose I understand what Mark means about taking a part of someone’s soul as you take their photograph. A piece of who that person is, is trapped in the photograph forever. I just think calling a picture part of a person’s soul is a little overly dramatic.  Honestly, I can’t take this quote seriously because it reminds me of the horcruxes in Harry Potter. The idea that someone’s soul is in a photograph gives me the impression that the person’s ghost is going to come back from the dead and haunt me, just because I have their face on my hard drive.

Additionally, I do think you should tell people why you’re taking their picture. It’s rude if you take it without asking.