The saddest picture.......

[dr.strangelove]

14. Does it matter

My first thought was that it was touching and sad, my second was that it was a wonderful photographer. Neither of these things is in any way connected with it being staged. Some of the most powerful photos I have ever seen are staged. I just went to a wonderful show at the Clamp Gallery in NY where a photographer named Frank Yamrus had a series of self portraits displayed showing major events in his life recreated. It was incredibly moving and the man is a gifted artist. I rarely buy work at such shows, but I found myself compelled to buy his book and a print because it was so moving. Yet they were all staged. His decision on whether to father a child and a shot of his witnessing the death of a friend were some of the best work I have ever seen. A great photographer staging a shot has nothing whatsoever to do with the power and emotion such shots invoke. If this orphan shot was staged, does it make the terror that a young orphan that lost his mother to war any less real? Does it change your feelings on the tragedy of such a young orphan?
I have no idea if this was a staged shot or not. But staged or not, the sadness and passion the photo invokes is real and the tragedy it depicts is real. If its a created work of art meant to convey these feelings, I commend the artist for doing such an amazing job. If its a unscripted and candid photo, I commend the photographer for capturing reality so well and moving me with an impromptu photo. But in either event, its not an insult to anyone to suggest this was set up by a wonderful artist to show a tragedy. Why attack someone who suggested the photo was set up by an artist. It certainly might have been, just as it might not have been. Who really cares? It depicts reality, where set up or not. Lets not take away from the sad reality that results from war by arguing over this.