Way back in 1992 I got Bruce Gilden‘s ‘Facing New York‘ to review. It was filled with powerful street images, taken close, often using flash. I can’t recall what I then wrote, but although I found the pictures amazing, they also appalled me, seeming at least in some cases to be going far beyond a line that respected the dignity of the subjects.
I’ve often taken pictures of people which have accidentally caught them looking idiotic, perhaps because of a particular gesture or momentary expression. I have a simple rule which is to try and think what I would feel if I saw a picture of me looking like that, and if I would be hurt.
It’s a rule I apply whether I’m taking pictures with actual or implied permission – for example of politicians speaking at public events – or photographing without the permission of those in the picture. Often there are good and entirely justifiable reasons to take pictures of people without permission, and I certainly don’t think that we have rights over our appearance, but I’ve always felt that as a photographer I have a responsibility to those whose pictures I take not to misrepresent them.
Perhaps its a difference in culture. Another New Yorker (Gilden actually comes from Brooklyn) often tells me that as a photographer I’m too nice, too soft, which is one of several reasons why my pictures aren’t as good as they should be!
I thought again about Gilden on reading The Online Photographer, which a few days ago carried a link to a video of him working on the streets of New York. It’s interesting to see the reactions of some of those that he photographs, which are fairly varied, with some clearly thinking it a great joke, while others look frightened or aggreived by the photographer’s actions.
The video also includes some of his stronger images from ‘Facing New York‘ and you can see more of his work on his Magnum pages. As is pointed out on the site, images on Magnum are published rather small and with intrusive visible watermarks that often make images almost impossible to view.
The discussion continues on The Online Photographer, which published a clearer version of one of his images on 1 Jan. A later related post there is entitled When A**holes Do Good Work.
