#chapnick

Photo essays, like photojournalism, have gone through its own unique history in development. LIFE and Look helped spur the creation of the modern photo essay - a series of photographs that tell some form of a story or narrative, or aim to document a certain topic or idea. As Chapnick emphasizes, it was the early masters - Margaret Bourke-White, W. Eugene Smith,  Leonard McCombe, etc., were the originators for the art of the photo essay.

In particular, W. Eugene Smith’s work exemplifies the the sheer power and artistic value the photo story could have. County Doctor, and Spanish Village, in particular, were the epitomes of these tropes. The former mixed artistic values with storytelling, portraying the story of the titular country doctor who worked in a remote Colorado country town. Spanish Village, meanwhile, is the ultimate example of the artistic power of photojournalism. Via the simple power of exposure and composition, Smith portrays the power of the photographic image. 

One interesting thread that both Kobre and Chapnick pick up on is the proper and best way of creating a successful photo story. Kobre notably focuses on the importance of selecting and approaching the right topic (e.g, how do you broach this topic with care?). He notes that photojournalists can best think of a photo story in three categories - the photo essay, documentary report, or narrative story. Each brand has their own unique strengths and weaknesses as a means of conveying information in captions and photographs. There is no “best format” - there is only the format that works best for what you are trying to say.

Going to what Kobre and Chapnick said, Smith’s seminal work, Country Doctor, is a great example of the balance between photojournalistic content and artistic content. W. Eugene Smith’s own style of photographic art and his commitment to his work is frankly admirable; the fact that he has been behind multiple famous photo stories (the aforementioned Country Doctor, Spanish Village, Minamata, etc) is a testament to his work.

Country Doctor stands out to me so much as it is the balance between artistic and telling a story. The work of rural healthcare is often ignored, and having a story that highlights them and their own stories is magnificent. Smith allows us to get invested in the story, weaving us into a tale of the doctor who works in the last remaining remnants of the Wild West. It is his depiction of the hardworking man - Dr. Ernest Ceriani - that earns my attention. We get to know Dr. Ceriani as if he we knew him himself; Smith’s relentlessly intimate portraits feel almost disarming at times, as we are thrust into this life that he depicts. Even though this story was published 70+ years ago, this seminal work still remains just as enchanting and effective. I myself am a big fan of this story (and Smith’s work at large) and I imagine there are many others who feel the same way.

Tattooed Man at a Carnival, Md. 1970

My first main impression of this chapter was that Chapnick was extremely familiar with a plethora of photojournalists, to a rather impressive extent. I loved his own personal anecdotes of each photojournalist, highlighting his own closeness with them and his own passion for his work. A key aspect of success in any career is having a clear value and happiness for what you do, and it is rather clear with Chapnick that he lives and breathes photojournalism. His stories - my personal favorite being Eugene Smith getting frustrated with Chapnick for knocking down his various (expensive) photography equipment as I relate to Chapnick in this scenario - are key to showcasing the various lessons and maxims one can draw from the field of photojournalism.

A Puerto Rican Housewife, NYC

His own musings on how important the camera was as an instrument is just as relevant. Photojournalism has been used as a great vehicle of change so many times in the past - Gordon Parks’ captures of the struggles of African Americans fighting for a better life, Jacob Riis’ captures of the poverty and struggles of people poverty, etc - all are clear highlights of the power of the photographic image. Gordon Parks’ quote - “I’ve long since learned there’s no such thing as not being able to do something you really want to try” (p.135) captures very well the sentiment common amongst many a photojournalist. We are responsible for changing the world, and bringing about such great social change. It is in our hands, and we must have the drive and passion to bring about the truth to the people. We can’t half-ass it or try to avoid it - we must confront it. And when we have the drive, the want, we will succeed - like what Parks said.

A Jewish giant at home with his parents in the Bronx, N.Y.'

Diane Arbus, born in 1923 in New York City (and passed away due to suicide 48 years later in New York City) was a testament to the power of the camera. Arbus, herself admitted that her oft-tagged descriptor of being a photographer of freaks was true - she loved the unknown and the bizarre. She charged headfirst into the world of the underground, capturing who she called “the aristocrats” - those born different than the rest of the world.

Lady Bartender at Home with a Souvenir Dog, New Orleans L.A. 1964

Arbus’ work blurred the lines between documentary photojournalism and art. She wasn’t afraid of imperfections, of blurry subjects and lurid subject matter. She captured the world as she saw it - worn, tired, and with a lot of weirdness. Her record of the “flaws” (as she called them) in people force us to confront our own perceptions of the world.

Identical Twins, Roselle, New Jersey, 1967

Do we shun these “freaks” like how everyone else does? Or do we befriend them, embrace them, and love them, like what Arbus did?

Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park, N.Y.C. 1962

"Freaks was a thing I photographed a lot....There's a quality of legend about freaks. Like a person in a fairy tale who stops you and demands that you answer a riddle. Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats.” - Diane Arbus

What is photo manipulation? It can best be described as the editing of a photo. Whether it be simply enhancing the contrast, or converting the image to black and white, or heavily changing the composition of the photograph, photo manipulation can encompass quite a lot of things simply. 

As photo manipulation can very easily distort the truth, it is thus rather unsurprising that practically every major photojournalistic publication is against the manipulation of photos (bar very light enhancements). In Chapnick’s writing, he is against the use of photo manipulation, as he emphasizes the importance of honesty when publishing photojournalistic works As he writes in Chapter 21 “Photojournalists should take pictures, not make pictures.” With the rise of smartphones and the increased democracy of photojournalism, there is less need for the recreations and fakery of yore. With the rise of “fake news” and deep fakes, the need for the truth in the visual word is more than necessary. Rampant photo manipulation - especially by news sites and organizations - heavily damages credibility and the truth. It is of utmost importance for photojournalists to stick to the truth, and nothing but the truth.

Kobre’s own writing gels well with Chapnick’s writing. His examples - namely the Mike Meadows and Yeah Eckerd - illustrate just how vital telling the unvarnished truth is in our work. Even seemingly casual situations can turn sour with any potential tampering with reality. In Mike Meadows’ case, a simple suggestion to a worn out firefighter to cool himself off with a nearby hose and pool led to a photograph being taken - and lead to Meadows being suspended for a week without pay because he more or less set the image up.

Same thing happened with Norman Zeisloft and the “Yeah Eckerd” photo. Zeisloft’s suggestion that one of the fans write the titular phrase on his feet led to an amusing photo, and a firing from the Evening Independent. While these examples may seem a bit harsh, they reveal the ever important truth of photojournalism - don’t embellish. Setting up a photo may be cute, but in the end you are creating a deliberate scene - which is far from reality and what naturally happens.

The Errol Morris article brought out a rather interesting point in photojournalism. We often see photos of discarded dolls and toys, strewn about to create a heart wrenching scene. And yet, how often do we see these photos? How often do we see these scenes? They make for good pictures, yes, but the fact these scenes appear so often casts doubts on their veracity. And in this article’s case, how likely was it we were to find a doll abandoned perfectly in the middle of the street, nary a scratch?

The interview, on the other hand, was somewhat bizarre. He seemed a bit aggrandizing, what with his laser focus on captions. His note that it’s hard to tell when a photograph was taken and thus questions about authenticity should be constant was interesting. He did feel extremely defensive throughout the article as well. Overall, a great article, but an odd subject.

Ian is a sophomore college student here at CSUN. His major is in film, but he also specializes in dance and in theater. “I like to consider myself multi-talented. I can do tap dancing, hip-hop, act, and film.”, he said. 

After scouting around to find a subject for these portraits, Ian was gracious enough to volunteer for the project. Witty and effervescent, Ian was more than charming to collaborate with. Despite the inherent awkwardness of being photographed up-close and personally, he managed to bridge that gap and showcase quite a few of his moves for the camera.

Ian’s dancing and acting showcased two aspects of his personality. On one end was his dancing - effortless and graceful, he was able to showcase tricks like spins and handsprings, alongside coordinated performances like vouging. One the other end was his acting - funny and amicable, he was able to showcase various scenes from various theatrical shows for the camera (Hamlet and A Chorus Line being the most notable ones).

All of these photos were taken in student housing, where Ian lived. As this was his first time on campus, there was a great contrast between the cold concrete environments of student housing, and the warm vibrancy that emanated from Ian. For Ian, this was his home away from home - where he would spend not only this year, but the next two years of his life working on attaining a degree and finding a future career path. To utilize this new environment in portraiture showcasing who he is as a person was a simple decision.

Relentlessly talented and easy to work with, it is simple to say with confidence that Ian has a bright future ahead of him. Multifaceted in all aspects of the word, it is easy to say that he has a bright future ahead for him.

Environmental portrait: A portrait taken in the subject’s environment that illustrates their life and surroundings. As Chapnick said, portraits tie us to our predecessors - it is a way for us to visualize our past selves, our ancestors, all of those who came before us. There is a good reason for the myth that cameras take away our souls - the photograph freezes you into the moment, a moment that is so fleeting and ephemeral. You may not be the same person in that photo a day later, a hour later, even a minute later. Our whole worlds and lives can easily change in the blink of an eye - and the portrait is a capture of our life, our soul, our very being, into a single flat image.

As Chapnick wrote, portraits have to go above and beyond being simple photos. A portrait that is simply a photo of the subject is just that - a simple photo. Where is the subject’s personality? Where is their life story? Rather, the best portraits capture the subject as they are, who they are, and where they are.

Including the smallest details in portraits can transform them from being a simple picture to being a moving work of art. The tiny things - positions of hands, body language, even the background behind them - can reveal so much about the subject. Focusing on the face helps as much too - like what Kobre, the de facto expert on photojournalism wrote, “the face still carries a disproportionate amount of psychological weight”. Simply put, faces are how we recognize others. Humans are innately conditioned to look for faces everywhere (thus pareidolia being a thing). It is our natural human instinct to look at faces. It is how we tell enemy from friend, how we recognize who we can and who we can avoid.

For my own portraiture, I wanted to focus on movement and faces. When photographing those who perform - musicians, dancers, actors - capturing and translating movement into a photograph is essential. I’ve always had a slight preference for movement in photography; there is something beautiful about freezing a frenzy of action into a single photo, something so ephemeral captured for eternity. As I’ve worked quite a bit in theater and dance, learning to capture motion is not only ideal, it’s essential - you can’t really call yourself a theater photographer if you can’t even manage to capture an actor moving across the stage.

In my environmental portraits, I labored as so to capture the idea of movement and flow. Dance, in so many ways, is moving from step to the next. For these photos, I planned with my subject, Ian, on what dances and outfits to wear. I decided to contrast the world of acting with the world of dance - dance outfits, for the most part, are focused on allowing the wearer to move. Thus, sweats, tank tops, and shorts rule that world. Acting is a full body performance, and as such costume matters just as much as your own skills. For his dancing, Ian wore a long sleeve shirt and sweats; for his acting, he wore a tuxedo vest, slacks, and a white button shirt (sadly, the prerequisite hat was missing).

Chapnick very succinctly captured the meaning and value of portraiture with his statement on how the best portraits “capture the human spirit by responding to the subtleties of facial expressions, the sardonic or sympathetic lines of the mouth, the brittle hardness or soft compassion of the eyes, and the inevitable lines and folds that define the facial landscape.” We can learn someone’s whole story just from a single picture - funny how that works. From a combination of pixels or chemicals on paper, one can learn just a little more about the world.

In my own portraiture, I caught Ian’s own effervescent and relentlessly charming personality. My original plan was to shoot just two sets of photos - one of him dancing, and one of him acting. The photo sessions turned out well enough that I wound up capturing him doing multiple dances and acting poses. All of them illustrate his talent in the performing arts, and his own unique way of viewing the world.

Just like what Chapnick said, paraphrasing Arnold Newman’s perspective of the work of art that is portraiture, the portraits we take fail to capture the multifaceted aspects that is humanity. Overall, this environmental portrait project was an ideal way to broach this idea across to multiple people. Ian’s work and talent is captured in these photos. But do they capture all of him? No, they do not. And so, I encourage you, the reader, to move past the digital gap and learn more. Talk to your neighbors, your classmates, your professors, to anyone you meet. One cannot learn more about the world without learning about those who are near them. Failure to do so would be dooming yourself into ignorance.