Replies: 13 - Last Post: 01-Jul-2005 01:51 Last Post By: PhilipC
michelholi
2
Is the photo intended to motivate people to take some action, big or small, to provide assistance? Is the photo meant not only to raise consciousness, but also to encourage action? If so, then I think it's legitimate in general, of course there are also questions of permission and respect offered to the subject of the photo. I was initially disturbed in the same way by the photo of the two boys walking down the street, one with a leg missing, the other in a bad way with sibling attached, but I read the caption and other posts by the photographer and I think I understand his motivation.Palin 2012
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ngythanh has taken some outstanding photos and I have the utmost regard for him and his photographic skill. Having said that, I don't understand the attraction in going to a garbage dump to take pictures of poor kids. If the photos are used to bring awareness to the plight of these young children, that's one thing, but it seems to me that, with all these photographers going to this site, some are probably just going in hopes of catching a few glimpses of human depravity on film.Lonely Planet supports plagiarism, bribery and false reporting. Fuck 'em.
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QuoteBecause people went and took photos of the dump, published them somewhere and raised, depending on your perspective or intent - awareness, interest, desire, etc. Had no one, for whatever reason, bothered to take photos in the first place not only would we not be having this conversation but most of us would have never heard of the Stung Meanchey garbage dump or what goes on there. Raising awareness of such conditions - that children forage through toxic garbage dumps for survival - is, I believe, best achieved by a shotgun effect. Take the photos - spray them out there like shotgun shells - knowing that you will reach as many people as possible... some will be indifferent, some will try to make a difference - donations to an aid organization working at the dump, and some will turn up and have a look of their own for whatever reason. You can't expect only to have altruistic individuals shooting photos solely for the consumption of altruistic viewers who will take altruistic actions to save the world from such injustice as children foraging in garbage dumps.
but I'm also curious as to how this gardage dump became such tourist attraction
Stories and photos of Asia at:
http://talesofasia.com
5
There is a fabulous book called 'Regarding the Pain of Others' by Susan Sontag. It is worth the read. It is an account of photography and war but many of the issues she raises are about the ethics of photography...that is taking, using and viewing photos of other peoples' suffering.6
My interest is psychology, not photography. Nor it is my hobby.Quote
‘If It Bleeds, It Leads’
Je suis bon marché et stupide. Aidez svp à m'enseigner ce que je suis mal et à ignorer ce que j'ai dit, parce que je suis cheap'nstupid.. Merci.
8
"I was in this really squalid market and there was this old woman begging there, sitting in the mud and muck, just dressed in rags, all skin and bone, with two little kids with her, and she had just a tin cup with a few coins, looked as if the kids hadn't washed in weeks and hadn't eaten in days, and there were flies crawling in their eyes and they had sores and ringworm, and people were just going by and just ignoring them..." "Really? What did you give her?" "F6.7 at 1/250"http://prawnseyeview.blogspot.com
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I need to get something clarified here. Is this photographer responsible for this dump becoming a tourist site because of his photograph.10
I'm not aware of the debate preceding this thread or the photograph in question, but I was at Stung Meanchey twice last week with my camera. Despite it's proximity to the Choeung Ek Killing Fields I'd say it's a vast exaggeration to label it a tourist attraction; there may be some voyeruristic snappers who come by but I'm not aware of them."After a week in the country I thought I could write a book. After six months I thought I could write a story. After a year I didn't know what to say."
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#10: The OP was asking what we (the TT community) thought of the ethics of taking photos at Steung Meanchey (and by extension photos of the disadvantaged in general). The phot he refers to is by another user called ngythanh, who is a former war photographer. That's just to fill you in the background.http://prawnseyeview.blogspot.com
12
I am new to this forum.13
#12 - On the photo you're talking about, (it shows 2 children in a street in Siem Reap, one of them missing one leg), the photographer (ngythanh) said this to introduce it:http://prawnseyeview.blogspot.com
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