THE THING WHICH HAS
ALWAYS FASCINATED ME HAS BEEN
THE ENDURING POWER OF THE STILL IMAGE,
BECAUSE WE'RE ALL VERY MOVIE CONSCIOUS TODAY,
WE WATCH TELEVISION, WE'RE USED TO SWIFT CUT, JUMP CUTS,
AND THERE'S ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT WORK BEING DONE.
AND YET, AND YET--THE STILL IMAGE HAS THIS FANTASTIC POWER
OF SURVIVING AND MAKING AN IMPACT.
YOU KNOW, IF I MENTION WORLD WAR II TO YOU,
RIGHT AWAY YOU THINK OF EITHER CAPA'S PICTURE
ON THE BEACH AT D-DAY
OR YOU THINK OF JOE ROSENTHAL'S PICTURE.
EVERYBODY'S MIND THINKS THAT WAY.
SO THE STILL IMAGE IS STILL THE WAY WE CATALOG
LIFE'S HISTORY IN OUR MINDS.
I THINK THE FROZENNESS OF THE IMAGE,
REPRESENTING EXACTLY WHAT IT WAS
THAT WAS GOING ON IS MORE POWERFUL
THAN SEEING A MOVIE OF IT.
WHEN YOU CAPTURE
A TREMENDOUSLY
BRILLIANT IMAGE,
YOU HAVE FROZEN THE VERY ESSENCE
OF WHAT IT WAS THAT WAS GOING ON.
AND IT ONLY GIVES YOU THIS MUCH OF A SLICE OF WHAT WAS GOING ON,
BUT IT WAS THE RIGHT SLICE.
YOU SEE THE STILL PICTURE,
IT'S THERE AND YOU LOOK AT IT, AND YOU STUDY IT,
AND THEN YOU SEE IT AGAIN SOME OTHER PLACE.
YOU SEE IT IN THE NEWSPAPER, YOU SEE IT IN A MAGAZINE,
SO YOU NOT ONLY HAVE THE FIRST IMPACT,
BUT THEN THERE'S THE SECOND IMPACT AND THE THIRD IMPACT,
AND PRETTY SOON, THAT PICTURE IS JUST IMBEDDED IN YOUR MIND
AS FULLY AND AS COMPLETELY AS IT CAN BE.
[orchestral fanfare-- full & bright]
♪ ♪
THIS WAS THE SUMMER OF '63.
ALL ACROSS THE SOUTH, THE SOUTH WAS ON FIRE, YOU KNOW.
IT WAS REALLY THE PEAK OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT,
AND SOME PEOPLE HAVE SAID THAT I PHOTOGRAPHED
THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.
[electric guitar-- soulful blues tones]
♪
I WANTED TO MAKE PHOTOGRAPHS.
AND I WANTED TO MAKE
PHOTOGRAPHS OF THAT
BECAUSE IT WAS JUST A COMPELLING SUBJECT.
I WENT TO ALBANY, GEORGIA.
I SOON FOUND MOVEMENT HEADQUARTERS
AND RAN INTO JAMES FOREMAN, AND HE SAID, "YOU GOT A CAMERA?"
HE SAID, "GO INTO THE COURTHOUSE.
THEY GOT A BIG WATER COOLER FOR WHITE PEOPLE AND A LITTLE ONE,
A LITTLE BOWL, FOR BLACK PEOPLE."
HE SAYS, "GO TAKE A PICTURE OF THAT."
THINGS LIKE THAT EXISTED ALL OVER THE SOUTH.
THERE MUST HAVE BEEN THOUSANDS. . .THOUSANDS!
YOU KNOW, ALL THESE SEGREGATION SIGNS,
AND SO FEW PEOPLE TOOK THESE PICTURES, YOU KNOW.
(Dorie Ladner) THE INITIALS "SNCC" STOOD FOR
THE STUDENT NONVIOLENT COORDINATING COMMITTEE.
IT WAS FORMED
BY A GROUP OF STUDENTS FROM ACROSS THE SOUTH
WHO HAD COME TOGETHER TO INTEGRATE PUBLIC FACILITIES.
LUNCH COUNTERS, BUSSES.
(Joyce Ladner) MANY OF THEM WENT ON THE FREEDOM RIDES INTO MISSISSIPPI,
AND THEY WERE ARRESTED AND SENT TO PARCHMAN STATE PENITENTIARY.
SO WHEN THEY GOT OUT OF PRISON, SOME OF THEM STAYED ON
IN MISSISSIPPI TO ORGANIZE FOR VOTER REGISTRATION.
IT WAS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTINUE
BECAUSE THE LOCAL POLICE IN ALL THE TOWNS BY 1964
HAD ALMOST CRUSHED US. THEY WERE CLOSING IN LIKE. . .
THEY MURDERED PEOPLE, THEY BEAT PEOPLE,
ARREST WAS ABOUT THE LEAST HARMFUL THING THAT COULD OCCUR.
(Lyon) THERE WERE TERRIBLE BEATINGS, BRUTALITIES.
WE FLEW TO A BLACK HOSPITAL. I SAID,
"I DIDN'T KNOW THERE WERE BLACK HOSPITALS."
I MEAN, THERE WERE WOUNDED PEOPLE ON THE FLOOR,
PEOPLE WITH BROKEN NOSES, LACERATED BREASTS,
REAL HORROR SCENE, YOU KNOW.
IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST BRUTAL POLICE ATTACKS
IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT-- IT WASN'T COVERED BY ANYONE.
THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT HAD BEEN RAGING,
AND I'M TALKING RAGING FOR YEARS BEFORE THAT OCCURRED.
OTHERWISE, THERE IS NO WAY THAT A WHITE BOY FROM QUEENS,
20 YEARS OLD, COULD HAVE GONE DOWN TO THESE PLACES
AND BEEN THE ONLY PHOTOGRAPHER THERE.
WE HAD NO FRIENDS IN THE LOCAL MEDIA.
OUR STORY HADN'T BEEN TOLD. (Joyce) THEY WEREN'T COVERING US.
THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT DIDN'T BECOME
A BIG MEDIA SUBJECT UNTIL BIRMINGHAM.
(Buell) WE HEARD ABOUT VARIOUS THINGS GOING ON DOWN THERE,
AND SUDDENLY WE SEE POLICE TURNING POLICE DOGS LOOSE
ON A CROWD IN BIRMINGHAM,
AND THE STORIES TAKE ON
A NEW EXTRA DIMENSION OF REALITY
THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE WITHOUT THE VISUAL DOCUMENTATION.
THE USE OF DOGS IN THAT SITUATION
JUST TURNED PUBLIC OPINION DRAMATICALLY
AGAINST THE AUTHORITIES IN THE SOUTH.
(Dorie Lyon) IF YOU HAD NOT SEEN THOSE WATER HOSES
BEING PUT ON THE PEOPLE, YOU WOULD HAVE NO IDEA. . .
(Joyce Lyon) ON THE CHILDREN ESPECIALLY.
(Dorie) . . .YOU WOULD HAVE NO IDEA AS TO WHAT HAPPENED.
AND SEEING THE WATER HOSES KNOCKING PEOPLE DOWN,
I MEAN, CAN YOU IMAGINE HOW THE WORLD FELT WHEN YOU SAW THIS?
(Dan Czitrom) THOSE PHOTOGRAPHS CIRCULATED INTERNATIONALLY
AT A TIME WHEN THE UNITED STATES WAS
REALLY TRYING TO MAKE A PITCH
FOR THE EMERGING NATIONS OF ASIA
AND AFRICA TO ALLY WITH
THE UNITED STATES. THEY HAD
A BIG PROBLEM WITH THE WIDE REPRINTING
OF THESE PHOTOGRAPHS OF POLICE DOGS IN BIRMINGHAM
OR FREEDOM RIDERS BEING ATTACKED.
THAT WAS THE MOMENT WHEN THE GROWING CIVIL RIGHTS STRUGGLE
AND THE TENSIONS AROUND IT BEGAN TO HAVE IMPLICATIONS
FOR AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY,
IMPLICATIONS THAT WERE WORLDWIDE.
AND I DON'T THINK THAT CAME FROM TELEVISION,
I DON'T THINK THAT CAME FROM THE MOVIES,
THAT CAME FROM STILL PHOTOGRAPHIC PICTURES.
HORRORS PERPETRATED BEFORE WORLD WAR II WERE FAR WORSE.
I MEAN, LYNCHINGS WERE, IF NOT AN EVERYDAY OCCURRENCE,
AN EVERY MONTH OCCURRENCE AROUND AMERICA.
BUT THOSE PHOTOGRAPHS WEREN'T WHISKED AROUND THE WORLD
BY UPI, AND AP AND REUTERS, PREWAR.
AND THEY WERE NOT PART OF A PANOPLY OF PROTEST
AGAINST THE MORAL UNDERPINNINGS OF SEGREGATION.
AND SO, WHEN THEY WERE LINKED TO A MOVEMENT AND PROPELLED
AROUND THE WORLD AND AROUND THE COUNTRY,
SO THAT PEOPLE OF GOODWILL WOULD HAVE TO MOVE OUT OF DENIAL,
AND IT WASN'T JUST FOREIGNERS, IT WAS AMERICANS
AND WHITE AMERICANS IN THE SOUTH.
LIKE THE PEOPLE OF THE ATLANTIC CONSTITUTION SAID,
"WE DON'T WANT TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS.
"WE DON'T THINK WE CAN ENGAGE IN INTELLECTUAL
"AND OTHER KINDS OF COMMERCE AROUND THE WORLD
WHEN WE ARE PAINTED WITH THIS." AND IT FORCED SOME CHANGE.
FOR CERTAIN SUBJECTS,
STILL PHOTOGRAPHY IS
THE MOST POWERFUL MEDIUM,
AND I THINK WAR IS ONE OF THOSE SUBJECTS.
(Buell) YOU KNOW, IT'S A COMMON WISDOM
TO BELIEVE THAT TELEVISION
HAD A GREAT IMPACT ON THE AMERICAN PSYCHE
DURING THE VIETNAM WAR--
THE VISUALS OF TELEVISION.
I DISAGREE WITH THAT.
I THINK THAT PICTURES, STILL PICTURES,
HAD A MUCH GREATER IMPACT ON AMERICAN READERS
THAN THE TELEVISION DID.
NO WAR WILL EVER BE COVERED
THE WAY THE VIETNAM WAR WAS COVERED.
THERE WAS NO CENSORSHIP IN VIETNAM OF ANY KIND,
PHOTOGRAPHERS HAD GREATER ACCESS TO THAT WAR
THAN THEY DID EITHER KOREA OR WORLD WAR II.
AND IT WAS THAT INTIMACY WITH THE WAR
THAT CAME THROUGH THAT HAS NOT COME THROUGH
IN ANY OTHER WAR PHOTOGRAPHY BEFORE OR SINCE.
(Malcolm Brown) I THINK IT WAS THE NIGHT OF JUNE 10, 1963,
I HAD A CALL FROM
TIC QUANG DUC SAYING, MR. BROWN
COME OUT TO SUCH AND SUCH A PAGODA TOMORROW
AT 6 IN THE MORNING, SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT WILL HAPPEN.
AND I COULD TELL INSTANTLY THAT SOMETHING VERY UNUSUAL WAS AFOOT
BECAUSE OF THE HUGE CROWD
OF BUDDHIST MONKS AND NUNS
WHO HAD GATHERED IN THIS PAGODA,
MANY OF THEM WEEPING.
TWO YOUNG MONKS BROUGHT OUT A PLASTIC JERRY CAN OF GASOLINE,
AND POURED IT OVER THE OLD MONK, STEPPED BACK.
TIC QUANG DUC THEN LIGHTED A MATCH THAT HE HAD IN HIS LAP
AND SET FIRE TO HIMSELF.
WITH A VIVID IMAGINATION ONE CAN, ONE CAN THINK
OF WHAT IT WOULD LOOD LIKE,
TO SEE A MONK BURNING TO DEATH,
BUT THE ACTUAL IMAGE THERE,
SORT OF IN THE FLESH, HAS A DIFFERENT IMPACT.
I WAS STUNNED, A COLD SWEAT HAD BROKEN OUT ON MY HEAD,
AND I COULD, YOU KNOW,
IT WAS ONLY WITH THE GREATEST DIFFICULTY
THAT I KEPT MY ATTENTION FOCUSED ON THE EXPOSURES
THE FOCUSING AND THE MECHANICS OF PICTURE TAKING,
BECAUSE IT WAS HORRIFYING.
I HAD NEVER SEEN, ANYTHING,
ANYTHING TO APPROACH IT.
THE NEW YORK TIMES WOULDN'T PRINT IT BECAUSE THEY REGARDED IT
AS SUCH AN OFFENSIVE PHOTOGRAPH, THAT IT WAS NOT SUITABLE
FOR A BREAKFAST NEWSPAPER FOR FAMILIES.
BUT MOST OTHER NEWSPAPERS DID PRINT IT,
AND PRESIDENT KENNEDY SAW IT THE FOLLOWING MORNING,
AND AMBASSADOR LODGE WAS ABOUT TO GO OUT TO SAIGON,
TOLD ME LATER THAT KENNEDY HAD POINTED TO THIS PICTURE
OF MINE AND SAID, "THIS JUST WON'T DO,
IT'S TIME TO GET RID OF THE DIEM REGIME."
(Goldberg) WHEN EDDIE ADAMS' PICTURE OF GENERAL LOAN
EXECUTING A SUSPECT ON THE STREET OF SAIGON,
APPEARED FIRST ON TELEVISION AND THE NEXT MORNING
IN THE FRONT PAGES OF THE PAPER, PEOPLE WERE STUNNED
BECAUSE THEY HAD NEVER BEFORE SEEN THIS MOMENT OF DEATH.
WE'D HAD THIS ACCUMULATION OF DEMONSTRATIONS,
AND DEATHS AND BURNING HOOCHES AND TELEVISION FOOTAGE,
AND SUDDENLY IT ALL CAME DOWN TO
THE PHOTOGRAPH OF A POLICEMAN EXECUTING A SUSPECT.
AT THAT VERY MOMENT THE BULLET WAS ENTERING THIS MAN'S BRAIN.
HE WAS DYING IN FRONT OF OUR EYES.
AND IT STRUCK HOME IN SOME TERRIBLE, FIERCE WAY.
AND BECAME SYMBOLIC
OF EVERYTHING THAT HAD HAPPENED IN THAT LONG WAR.
(Harold Evans) THE FAMOUS PHOTOGRAPH OF A YOUNG VIETNAMESE GIRL
RUNNING DOWN THIS ROAD
HAVING BEEN NAPALMED
BY THE AMERICAN ARMY.
NOW, YOU CAN SAY IN WORDS
A YOUNG GIRL WAS BADLY BURNED YESTERDAY
AND ACTUALLY SUFFERED SEVERE WOUNDS, SO ON AND SO ON.
AND YOU'RE KIND OF SHOCKED BY THAT.
SAY SHE WAS SCREAMING, SHE WAS ANGUISHED.
YOU CAN GET SOME IDEA.
BUT WHAT YOU CAN'T GET IS THE EMOTIONAL FORCE.
AND ACTUALLY THE REINFORCING
AND CORROBORATIVE ELEMENT ALSO
IN THE PHOTOGRAPOF THAT GIRL
COMING TOWARDS YOU.
BECAUSE SHE WAS PHOTOGRAPHED HEAD-ON.
AND SO YOU ARE SEEING HER,
YOU WERE THERE,
YOU WERE ON THAT ROAD.
(Nash) A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF A PHOTOGRAPH THAT
CHANGES THE WAY YOU FEEL
ABOUT A CERTAIN SITUATION
WAS THE JOHN FILO PHOTOGRAPH
OF THE MURDERED STUDENT AT KENT STATE.
IT HAPPENED MAY 4, 1970.
THE STUDENTS AT KENT STATE WERE DOING
WHAT THEY THOUGHT THEY HAD THE AMERICAN RIGHT TO DO,
WHICH WAS TO PROTEST GOVERNMENTAL ACTION.
AND THEY WERE SLAUGHTERED FOR IT BY THE NATIONAL GUARD.
[Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young] ♪ FOUR DEAD IN OHIO ♪
FOUR OF THEM DIED.
THIS PHOTOGRAPH SHOWS A GIRL LEANING
OVER THE PROSTRATE BODY OF ONE OF THE SLAIN STUDENTS
WITH HER ARMS OUT QUESTIONING,
"WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED HERE?"
NEIL YOUNG SAW THE IMAGE, HAD HIS GUITAR,
WALKED OFF INTO THE WOODS AND CAME BACK AN HOUR LATER
WITH A SONG CALLED "OHIO"
WRITTEN FROM ABSOLUTE ANGER
THAT WE WOULD DO THIS TO OUR STUDENTS.
SO THAT WAS A GREAT IMAGE
THAT REACHED DEEPLY
INTO YOUR EMOTIONAL SOUL AND SHOWED YOU WHAT HAD HAPPENED.
DURING THE VIETNAM WAR,
WE COVERED THE WAR ENDLESSLY,
WEEK AFTER WEEK AFTER WEEK.
AND WE DECIDED, YOU KNOW WHAT WE SHOULD DO,
"WHY DON'T WE RUN JUST THE FACES
"OF A WEEK'S DEAD--
JUST THE FACES."
THE ENTIRE NATION, I THINK,
MOURNED THOSE SOLDIERS.
YOU KNOW, YOU COULD HEAR IT ON THE NEWS,
YOU COULD BE INUNDATED WITH IT.
BUT UNTIL YOU SAW THOSE FACES,
THAT'S WHAT BROUGHT IT HOME TO EVERYONE.
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT CHANGED EVERYONE'S MIND.
[Jimi Hendrix plays "The National Anthem"]
♪ ♪
THIS IS A 60s STORY--
WHERE DID THE IDEA OF THE PHOTOGRAPH
OF THE WHOLE EARTH COME FROM?
IN JANUARY 1966, I TOOK SOME LSD
AND SAT AROUND THE ROOF OF MY APARTMENT IN SAN FRANCISCO,
AND WATCHED DOWNTOWN SAN FRANCISCO.
THAT'S WHAT YOU DID WITH ACID IN THOSE DAYS.
YOU JUST TOOK SOME AND THEN WATCHED-- SEE WHAT HAPPENED.
AND WHAT I SAW WAS THAT THE BUILDINGS OF SAN FRANCISCO,
TALL, AND APPARENTLY PARALLEL,
WERE ACTUALLY DIVERGING SLIGHTLY,
LIKE A WIDE-ANGLE LENS.
I REALIZED, OH, I'M LOOKING AT THE CURVE OF THE EARTH
FROM AN ALTITUDE OF 3 STORIES.
I JUST STARTED THINKING, WELL, YOU KNOW, IF WE HAD
THE PHOTOGRAPH OF EARTH FROM SPACE,
PEOPLE WOULD CHANGE THEIR MIND
ABOUT THE INFINITENESS OF THE EARTH AND REALIZE
IT'S VERY FINITE, AND I STARTED SELLING A BUTTON SAYING,
"WHY HAVEN'T WE SEEN A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE WHOLE EARTH YET?"
WHICH IS KIND OF A PARANOID QUESTION.
WE HAD BEEN IN SPACE AND THE RUSSIANS HAD BEEN IN SPACE
FOR 10 YEARS AT THAT POINT, AND THERE WERE STILL NO PHOTOGRAPHS
OF THE EARTH AS A WHOLE FROM SPACE,
ALTHOUGH WE COULD HAVE DONE IT IN THE FIRST YEAR.
SCIENTISTS HAD NO USE FOR IMAGES FROM SPACE, EITHER
BEFORE THEY ACTUALLY HAD THEM.
THEY THOUGHT IT WAS TOO FAR TO SEE ANYTHING IMPORTANT.
SOME OF THESE BUTTONS SIFTED INTO NASA.
SOME I SENT THERE ON PURPOSE AND TO CONGRESS PEOPLE HERE,
AND ACTUALLY IN RUSSIA AS WELL.
AND A FEW YEARS LATER, WE GOT THE PHOTOGRAPHS.
(male astronaut) APOLLO 8, HOUSTON. I CAN SEE THE ENTIRE EARTH NOW.
(male narrator) ON CHRISTMAS EVE, 1968,
ASTRONAUT WILLIAM ANDERS WAS CIRCLING THE MOON.
ALONG WITH HIS FELLOW ASTRONAUTS IN APOLLO 8,
HE BECAME ONE OF THE FEW HUMAN BEINGS
EVER TO SEE THE MOON'S DARK SIDE.
BUT AS THE SPACE CAPSULE ROUNDED THE HORIZON,
ANDERS SAW AND PHOTOGRAPHED AN EVEN MORE ASTOUNDING SIGHT.
THE HALF-LIT PLANET EARTH
RISING OVER THE BLEAK LANDSCAE OF THE MOON.
(Neil Tyson) IT WAS THE FIRST REAL OCCASION
WHERE PEOPLE SAW EARTH,
NOT AS YOU SEE IT ON THE GLOBE
YOU BUY IN THE MAP STORE,
WITH POLITICAL BOUNDARIES COLOR-CODED.
ALL IT WAS, WAS OCEANS AND CONTINENTS AND CLOUDS.
AND IT WAS AT THAT MOMENT THAT PEOPLE STARTED CALLING OUR PLANET "SPACESHIP EARTH,"
BECAUSE WE'RE ALL IN IT TOGETHER, MOVING THROUGH SPACE.
THE PLANET SEEING ITSELF FROM OUTSIDE WAS
A MAJOR SELF-REALIZATION OF ITS EXISTENCE AS A PLANET,
AS A BEAUTIFUL THING,
AS A KIND OF FRAGILE APPEARING THING.
IT IS CLEARLY ALIVE.
PHOTOGRAPHS WITH THE MOON IN THE FOREGROUND ARE LIKE--
EMOTIONALLY DRAMATIZE THE DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN A DEAD PLANET AND A LIVING PLANET.
IT'S NOT HARD TO IMAGINE, WELL, YOU KNOW, A LIVING PLANET CAN
BECOME A DEAD PLANET UNLESS STEPS ARE TAKEN.
THIS PHOTOGRAPH, THIS IS SPRING 1969, A YEAR LATER,
SPRING 1970 YOU HAVE THE FIRST EARTH DAY,
AND THE REAL TAKING OFF OF THE ECOLOGY MOVEMENT,
WHICH DID NOT EXIST AS A MOVEMENT BEFORE THAT TIME.
[orchestra plays "The Blue Danube Waltz"]
♪
[saxophone plays softly]
♪
(Deborah Willis) ONE OF MY PHOTOGRAPHS,
IN MY FAMILY ALBUM,
MY FATHER ACTUALLY PHOTOGRAPHED
MY SISTER AND I SEATED ON A SOFA.
I'M SMILING, MY SISTER'S SMILING.
I HAVE A BLACK DOLL, MY SISTER HAS A WHITE DOLL.
I WAS REALLY INTERESTED IN
THAT PHOTOGRAPH BECAUSE I BEGAN
TO THINK ABOUT IT, AS A WAY OF,
AS A STARTING POINT TO IDENTIFY MY OWN INTERESTS
IN AFRICAN AMERICAN CULTURE.
♪
YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF MEMORY IN PHOTOGRAPHS,
I THINK THAT THAT'S WHERE WE ALL AS FAMILIES, AND AS INDIVIDUALS,
BEGIN TO FIND OUT WHERE WE ARE.
CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHERS TODAY ARE ACTUALLY REFLECTING ON,
AND LOOKING AT THE HISTORY OF IMAGES OF BLACK SUBJECTS.
REDEFINING FROM THE CARICATURES
AND THE STEREOTYPICAL IMAGES THAT WERE MADE EARLIER,
ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICANS IN PHOTOGRAPHY.
THEY WERE ALWAYS KIND OF HUMOROUS IMAGES,
EATING WATERMELON, OR SEEN AS ALLIGATOR BAIT.
DURING THE 20s AND 30s, THERE WERE ALWAYS KIND OF
THE IMAGES THAT WERE PROJECTED OF, OF BLACK CHILDREN
WHO WORE TATTERED CLOTHES,
OR UNHAPPY, OR HOMELESS KIND OF IMAGES.
IT REALLY KIND OF TOLD A STORY
THAT WAS NOT NECESSARILY TRUE OF BLACK FAMILIES,
BUT THEY WERE THE IMAGES THAT WERE PERVASIVE.
THE CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHERS TODAY,
THEY'RE REALLY INTERESTED
IN TELLING ANOTHER STORY.
WE CAN ACTUALLY TURN THE IMAGE AROUND.
THERE'S NOT ONE IMAGE OF BLACKS AMERICANS,
BUT THERE ARE A RANGE OF IMAGES THAT WE CAN ALL REFLECT UPON.
YOU CAN'T TAKE A PICTURE
OF SOMETHING THAT IS NOT
IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA.
YOU CAN SLANT THE ANGLE WRONG, YOU CAN LIGHT IT WRONG,
YOU CAN LIE IN WHAT YOU SET BEFORE THE CAMERA,
BUT THE CAMERA ITSELF DOES NOT LIE.
YOU CAN FIDDLE WITH THE PICTURE AFTERWARDS, YOU CAN DEVELOP IT,
BUT WE IMPLICITLY KNOW THAT THERE HAD TO BE SOMETHING
IN FRONT OF THAT CAMERA, AND SO WE TEND TO BELIEVE IT
SINCE WE TEND TO BELIEVE OUR EYES.
(male film clip announcer) THE POSITION OF THE BODY
AND ALL OTHER PHYSICAL DETAILS OF THE CRIME,
ARE PHOTOGRAPHED BY THE POLICE FOR FURTHER STUDY
AND LATER USE IN COURT.
(Goldberg) THE PHOTOGRAPH BEGAN TO BE USED VERY EARLY
IN CRIME DETECTION
AND THE SOLVING OF CRIMES.
WE THINK THERE WERE MUG SHOTS
WITHIN A YEAR OR 2 OF THE INVENTION OF PHOTOGRAPHY.
BUT PHOTOGRAPHS HAVE CONTINUED TO BE EVIDENCE,
AND THEY WERE PRESENTED IN COURT OFTEN,
TO SHOW WHAT HAD HAPPENED, AND FOR VERY GOOD REASON.
THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS YOU CAN'T FIND OUT ANY OTHER WAY.
(Rikki Klieman) I THINK THAT THE PROSECUTOR'S GREATEST TOOL,
IN PHOTOGRAPHS,
IN A CRIMINAL CASE HAS TO BE
CRIME SCENE PHOTOGRAPHS AND AUTOPSY PHOTOGRAPHS.
AND FOR VERY GOOD REASON.
ALTHOUGH PROSECUTORS LIKE TO SAY THEY ARE ENGAGED IN A SEARCH
FOR THE TRUTH, THE REALITY IS, IS THAT THEY ARE ENGAGED
IN A QUEST TO WIN.
AND ONE OF THE WAYS THAT PROSECUTORS WIN CASES,
IS THAT THEY ALSO AFFECT THE SYMPATHY--
THE HEARTS AS WELL AS THE MINDS OF THE JURORS.
AND THE PHOTOGRAPH IS
SUCH A CRITICAL ELEMENT OF THAT.
MOST SKILLFUL PROSECUTORS WILL MAKE SURE
THAT THEY TRY TO GET IN AT LEAST A PHOTOGRAPH
OF THE VICTIM AT THE SCENE, AND HOPEFULLY SOME SNAPSHOT,
SHOWING THE PERSON IN GOOD HEALTH.
SO THEY HAVE A CONTRAST BETWEEN THIS LIVING BEING THAT WAS,
AND THIS PERSON WHO NO LONGER IS, THAT MAKES IT REAL
IN A WAY THAT HAS NO LOGICAL EVIDENTIARY IMPORTANCE.
BUT WHICH, IN AN EMOTIONAL WAY, DRAWS THE JURY CLOSER
TO THE PERSON WHO'S DECEASED.
(Klieman) THE TRIAL THAT TOOK PLACE OF JOEL STEINBERG
WHO HAD BEEN A LAWYER IN NEW YORK CITY--
HE AND A WOMAN HE LIVED WITH NAMED HEDDA NUSSBAUM WERE
ACCUSED OF THE HORRENDOUS DEATH OF A CHILD THAT LIVED WITH THEM.
THE PHOTOGRAPHS TOLD US SO MUCH
ABOUT WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO THIS CHILD.
BUT, I THINK THE PICTURES OF HEDDA NUSSBAUM,
TOLD ME MORE ABOUT THE CASE EVEN THAN THE PICTURES OF THE CHILD.
WHAT YOU SEE OF HEDDA NUSSBAUM IS A WOMAN
WHO HAD SUFFERED MASSIVE, MASSIVE PHYSICAL ABUSE,
AT THE HANDS OF JOEL STEINBERG.
AND IT MADE YOU UNDERSTAND,
SHE HAD REALLY BEEN AS MUCH HIS VICTIM,
AS THE CHILD WAS BOTH THEIR VICTIMS.
SO IF YOU CAN SHOW A JURY
A PHOTOGRAPH WHICH DOES REPRESENT A TRUTH,
BUT IT ALSO GETS THE FEELING OF THE JURY OF ANGER,
AND OUTRAGE, AND PERHAPS EVEN VENGEANCE,
THAT'S WORTH A GREAT DEAL.
WE FORGET, OVER TIME, THE GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION,
OF WHAT HAPPENED AT THE CRIME SCENE.
WE CAN'T FORGET IF IT STARES US RIGHT IN THE FACE.
(narrator) IN TRIALS, PHOTOGRAPHS ARE USED TO CONVICT INDIVIDUAL CRIMINALS.
BUT UNTIL RECENTLY, MASS MURDER PERPETRATED
BY ENTIRE GOVERNMENTS HAD GONE UNPUNISHED.
THERE WERE HORRIBLE PHOTOGRAPHS
THAT CAME OUT OF THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS OF THE NAZIS
THAT WERE USED AT NUREMBERG.
(man) YOU MUST PLEAD GUILTY, OR NOT GUILTY.
[German translator translates]
NEIN!
(Brown) AND THEN THERE WERE OTHER PHOTOGRAPHS
THAT CAME OUT OF CAMBODIA IN THE LATE 70s,
THE KILLING FIELDS, THAT SHOW HUMAN SKULLS PILED UP
IN EVIDENCE OF OBVIOUS ATROCITIES.
IN THE 90s, ATROCITIES AGAIN IN THE BALKANS AND IN RWANDA
IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION OF AFRICA.
THE COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE OF HUMANKIND,
ESPECIALLY IN THE WEST,
WHERE THOSE PHOTOGRAPHS HAVE BEEN SO WIDELY PUBLISHED,
LED TO A POLITICAL MOMENTUM THAT FORCED THE U.N. TO SET UP
TWO TRIBUNALS, ONE IN RWANDA, AND ONE FOR YUGOSLAVIA.
WHICH WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED, HAD YOU LEFT IT
TO THE INTERESTS OF THE GREAT POWERS TO DO.
BUT IT WAS THE IMPETUS OF PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, SAYING,
"LOOK, WE WON'T COUNTENANCE THIS KIND OF WHOLESALE SLAUGHTER."
AND THE VISUAL REALITY, THAT THESE WERE NOT
JUST TALES OF SLAUGHTER, BUT PHOTOGRAPHS.
IF I HAD TO POINT TO ONE SOURCE, OF THE POWER THAT DROVE HUMANITY
TO TRY TO SET UP COURTS TO DEAL WITH THESE ISSUES,
I WOULD POINT TO THE PHOTOGRAPHS AS THE PRIMARY SOURCE
BECAUSE IT CARRIES THAT
HUMAN MISERY ACROSS THE SEAS,
AND IT MAKES IT REAL TO PEOPLE.
AN INNOCENT SNAPSHOT PHOTOGRAPH
OF A POTENTIAL PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE,
GARY HART, STOPPED HIS CAMPAIGN DEAD.
DONNA RICE, SITTING ON GARY HART'S LAP,
ON THE BOAT, MONKEY BUSINESS,
WEARING THE T-SHIRT THAT SAID "MONKEY BUSINESS"
DESTROYED A POTENTIAL CANDIDATE.
THE PICTURE OR THE ACTION? WHAT ACTUALLY DID IT?
PROBABLY IT WAS THE PICTURE!
I NEVER LET A CAMERAMAN
GET ON HIS KNEES IN FRONT OF RONALD REAGAN
BECAUSE ALL YOU'D SEE IS THIS.
YOU KICK HIM, IF HE GETS DOWN ON HIS KNEES
AND IT DOESN'T TAKE TOO MANY OF THOSE BEFORE THEY UNDERSTAND
THAT DEAVER ISN'T GOING TO ALLOW SOMEBODY
TO GET DOWN ON THEIR KNEES BEFORE THEY TAKE A PICTURE.
I DIDN'T HAVE TO KICK PEOPLE VERY OFTEN.
AMERICAN PRESIDENTS OF ANY REAL INTELLIGENCE,
HAVE ALWAYS KNOWN THE POWER OF THE PHOTOGRAPH.
THERE'S A WONDERFUL PHOTOGRAPH
OF THE 332-POUND PRESIDENT TAFT, PLAYING GOLF.
AND TEDDY ROOSEVELT WROTE TO HIM AND SAID,
"YOU'RE AN ABSOLUTE IDIOT FOR ALLOWING YOURSELF
TO BE PHOTOGRAPHED IN THAT POSTURE."
(Buell) THE WORD PHOTO-OP COMES INTO THESE CONVERSATIONS,
BUT ALL PRESIDENTS HAD AN ELEMENT OF CONTROL.
THE QUESTION WAS: HOW THEY USED IT.
(Evans) HERE WE HAVE A PORTRAIT OF FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT.
WHAT DID ROOSEVELT DO TO AMERICA IN 1932?
HE REINVIGORATED THE COUNTRY WITH CONFIDENCE,
"YOU HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR BUT FEAR ITSELF."
AND THE EBULLIENCE, THE GAIETY, IF ONE COULD USE THAT WORD,
OF ROOSEVELT IS CAPTURED IN THIS PHOTOGRAPH
WHICH IS THE EPITOME OF RESILIENCE, OF OPTIMISM,
OF ENTHUSIASM, OF CHEERFULNESS IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY.
AND THAT QUALITY CONTRASTS
WITH THE PASSIVITY AND DOURNESS OF HOOVER,
WHICH WAS ALSO CAUGHT IN PHOTOGRAPHS, AND REINFORCED
PEOPLE'S FEELINGS THAT THEY WERE IN AN IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION.
BECAUSE LOOK--THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,
HERBERT HOOVER, LOOKS ABSOLUTELY MISERABLE.
KENNEDY HAD THE LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE CAMERA,
AND NIXON HAD THE HATE AFFAIR WITH THE CAMERA.
AND IF YOU COULD PUT THOSE TWO SIDE BY SIDE,
THEY MAKE A MARVELOUS STUDY IN PHOTOGRAPHY.
(Halstead) KENNEDY WAS THE FIRST MODERN MASTER OF THE PHOTO-OP.
PHOTOGRAPHERS USED TO
CALL KENNEDY "JACK THE BACK."
AND THE REASON THAT THEY CALLED HIM THAT IS
BECAUSE KENNEDY HAD THIS HABIT OF TURNING HIS BACK
TO PHOTOGRAPHERS THE MINUTE THEY CAME IN,
AND NOT TURNING AROUND UNTIL HE WAS TOTALLY COMPOSED
AND READY TO DO THE PICTURE.
AND HE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT PERSONA HE WANTED TO PROJECT.
NIXON WAS JUST THE ANTITHESIS OF THAT.
HE DIDN'T PHOTOGRAPH WELL. HE HAD A BAD BEARD,
AND HE LOOKED OUT FROM UNDER HIS EYES,
AND HE JUST DIDN'T REGISTER PHOTOGRAPHICALLY SPEAKING.
THAT FACE, WAS CONSTANTLY IN REBELLION AGAINST ITSELF.
THE EYES WOULD SAY ONE THING,
THE MOUTH WOULD SAY SOMETHING ELSE, THE MOISTURE--
AND IT DIDN'T MATTER WHAT THE LINE WAS,
THAT THE WHITE HOUSE WAS TRYING TO SPIN,
EVERYBODY COULD SEE LOOKING AT THIS GUY'S FACE
THAT THIS IS A DEEPLY DISTURBED PERSON.
JOHNSON BELIEVED THAT,
THAT CANDOR AND PHOTOGRAPHS
THAT CONVEYED THIS WONDERFUL SENSE OF CANDOR,
WOULD SPEAK VOLUMES.
(Richard B. Stolley) HE WAS SHAMELESS.
DRIVING THROUGH TEXAS OUT IN THE DESERT,
AND HE'D JUMP OUT OF THE CAR,
WITH PHOTOGRAPHERS AROUND, AND URINATE.
I'M SURE THERE ARE PICTURES ALL OVER AMERICA,
OF LYNDON JOHNSON PEEING THAT ARE UP ON PEOPLE'S WALLS.
BUT THEY CLEARLY NEVER GOT RUN IN THE MAGAZINES.
I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYBODY IN THAT JOB WHO WAS
MORE COMFORTABLE IN HIS OWN SKIN THAN RONALD REAGAN WAS.
BECAUSE OVER THE PERIOD OF BEING AN ACTOR,
HE HAD BUILT UP THE STAGE CRAFT.
IT WAS SO SEAMLESS,
THE STUFF THAT HE WOULD DO.
THE EAST WING WAS THE TRAILER, AND SO, YOU KNOW,
HE'D GET UP IN THE MORNING, HE'D PUT ON HIS COSTUME,
AND HE'D COME OUT OF THE TRAILER,
AND HE WOULD GO TO THE SET, AND HE WOULD DO HIS LINES,
HIT HIS MARKS, BUT EVERY DAY,
IT WAS LIKE BEING ON THIS MOVIE SET.
AND THE SET WAS BEING DIRECTED BY MIKE DEAVER.
THERE ARE PHOTOGRAPHS, OBVIOUSLY, MILLIONS OF THEM
THAT JUST HAPPEN THAT ARE VERY DRAMATIC.
THAT THERE IS NO PRETHOUGHT TO THE PHOTOGRAPH.
IT'S INSTANT AND IT HAPPENS. IT'S AN ACTION.
THAT IS THE LAST THING I EVER WANTED TO HAPPEN
WHEN I WAS IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
I DIDN'T WANT ANY KIND OF A SURPRISE.
SO, EVERYTHING I DID WAS PREPLANNED, PREMEDITATED.
THE LIGHTING WAS ALL SET.
THE BACKGROUND WAS PERFECT.
THE CAMERA ANGLE WAS SELECTED.
I'LL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.
THERE WAS THIS FEELING THAT REAGAN MIGHT BE MORE LIKELY
TO GET US INTO A WAR, THAT HE WAS HAWKISH.
I WAS FOREVER ARGUING WITH THE PENTAGON PEOPLE
ABOUT GETTING HIM TO CHRISTEN A NEW SUB,
OR GO ON TO AN AIRCRAFT CARRIER,
OR ALL OF THESE MILITARY SYMBOLS.
AND IN 1984, WHEN HE WAS RUNNING FOR REELECTION,
THEY CONVINCED ME THAT THERE WERE 40,000 JOBS IN CALIFORNIA
THAT WERE DEPENDENT ON THE B-1 BOMBER,
AND WE HAD TO GO OUT AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT.
AND SO THE NIGHT BEFORE HE APPEARED,
WE DRAPED THE BOMBER WITH A SIGN THAT SAID, "PREPARED FOR PEACE."
SO THAT THE PHOTO OF THE PRESIDENT THE NEXT DAY
WAS MAKING A SPEECH WITH A SIGN BEHIND HIM,
AND THE WORDS, P-E-A-C-E WERE REALLY ALL THEY SAW.
IF THERE WAS A TELEVISION CAMERA AND THEY GOT A WIDE ANGLE,
YOU SAW "PREPARED FOR P-E-A-C-E."
AND I REALLY DO BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE ABSORB IMPRESSIONS
RATHER THAN SUBSTANCE,
PARTICULARLY IN THIS DAY AND AGE.
(newsman) THIS SHELTER WAS HIT EARLY MORNING
AFTER A NIGHT LONG BOMBING CAMPAIGN AGAINST BAGHDAD.
(David Turnley) WELL, THE GULF WAR WAS REALLY
BY FAR THE MOST SOPHISTICATED
MARKETING SCHEME I'D EVER
RUN AGAINST IN TERMS OF GOVERNMENT CENSORSHIP OF IMAGES.
AND IT WAS FIRST EXERCISED IN GRENADA AND THEN IN PANAMA,
AND BY THE TIME THEY GOT TO THE GULF WAR,
THEY WERE REALLY GOOD AT IT.
THE GOVERNMENT POLICY TOWARD THE PRESS OR MEDIA
IN THE GULF WAR WAS APPALLING.
THE WHOLE SENSE THAT AMERICA IS GETTING THE STRAIGHT STORY--
THE SACRIFICE, THE BLOODSHED, THE HEROISM--
THAT WAS JUST A SHAM, IN THE GULF WAR.
WE GOT WHAT THE GOVERNMENT WANTED US TO GET.
(Paul Fussell) IT HAD LEARNED FROM THE VIETNAM WAR HOW POWERFUL
PHOTOGRAPHS OF WAR CAN BE.
AND THEY DIDN'T WANT TO RISK
THAT SORT OF DIVERSION, LET'S CALL IT,
OR COMPLICATION OF ITS MISSION, AT THAT POINT.
(Turnley) WHEN I ARRIVED IN THE GULF, THE PRESS CORPS WAS
PRESENTED WITH, REALLY SORT OF THE FOLLOWING OPTION:
IF YOU WANT TO WORK IN THE THEATER OF WAR,
YOU HAVE TO JOIN A PRESS POOL.
AND THE RULES OF THE PRESS POOL ARE THE FOLLOWING,
THAT YOU WILL BE ATTACHED TO A PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER,
AND AS PHOTOGRAPHERS, IT WAS ESSENTIALLY VERY CLEARLY DELINEATED
THAT WE COULD NOT PHOTOGRAPH CASUALTIES OF WAR.
AND THIS WAS A FRIGHTENING DYNAMIC.
I COULD SEE PRETTY CLEARLY I WASN'T GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO MY WORK.
AND I ESSENTIALLY WENT AWOL, AT THAT POINT.
I LEFT THIS UNIT, BECAUSE IT MADE NO SENSE TO ME,
TO WORK UNDER THOSE CONDITIONS.
WHILE I HAD BEEN ON THE BORDER, I DISCOVERED AN ELITE MASH UNIT,
WHICH IS WHAT PUT ME IN A POSITION TO THEN BE
ON A BLACKHAWK HELICOPTER ON THE LAST DAY OF THE WAR
IN WHICH I MADE A PHOTOGRAPH THAT BECAME VERY MEMORABLE.
THE PHOTOGRAPH IS A MOMENT DEPICTING THE MEDICS
JUST HAVING PLACED THIS BODY BAG IN THE HELICOPTER,
AND THE SOLDIER ON THE LEFT OF THE FRAME UNDERSTANDING
FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT THIS WAS
HIS BEST FRIEND WHO HAD BEEN KILLED.
(John Morris) IT WAS A REMARKABLE PICTURE.
TURNLEY FOUND IT ON THE DESK OF THE CENSOR,
AND IT WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN SENT OUT.
IT WOULD NEVER EVEN HAVE BEEN TAKEN EXCEPT FOR THE FACT
THAT DAVID MANAGED TO EVADE THE MINDER THAT WAS GIVEN HIM.
AND MY WORSE FEAR WAS REALIZED WHEN I GOT BACK TO THE REAR
TWO DAYS AFTER THE WAR WAS OVER TO FIND OUT
THAT THE PICTURE EDITORS HAD NEVER RECEIVED MY FILM.
SO I WENT TO THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS PEOPLE AND SAID,
"LET'S BE STRAIGHT WITH EACH OTHER.
"YOU'RE DENYING THESE YOUNG GUYS THEIR DUE RIGHT TO BE HEROES.
"THEY DID RISK THEIR LIVES,
"AND THIS PHOTOGRAPH'S GONNA SHOW THAT.
"AND IF PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SEND THEIR BROTHERS AND THEIR SONS
"AND THEIR CHILDREN AND THEIR RELATIVES TO WAR,
"THEY SHOULD AT LEAST KNOW WHAT THE REALITY OF WAR IS.
(Deaver) I DON'T KNOW, I THINK IT'S VERY DANGEROUS
FOR A FREE SOCIETY TO HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION
DISTILLED AND PACKAGED BY OUR GOVERNMENT, AND GIVEN TO US.
DO WE KNOW TO THIS DAY WHO WE KILLED, IN IRAQ?
I DON'T THINK SO.
IF BRINGING WAR INTO THE LIVING ROOM MEANS THAT,
THAT WE AS A PEOPLE WILL SAY
"WE DON'T WANT TO DO IT THAT WAY ANYMORE,
WE WANT TO FIGURE OUT OTHER WAYS TO SOLVE THESE CONFLICTS,"
THEN I WOULD SAY, PHOTOGRAPHY AND TELEVISION
HAS DONE US A GREAT SERVICE.
WHEN AH. . . PHOTOGRAPHY WAS INVENTED,
IT WAS THOUGHT TO BE
AN EQUIVALENT TO TRUTH.
IT WAS TRUTH WITH A CAPITAL "T."
(narrator) WHILE PHOTOGRAPHS COULD ALWAYS BE ALTERED,
UNTIL RECENTLY, IT WAS A MATTR OF CUTTING AND PASTING.
THE RESULTS WERE SOMETIMES CRUDE,
AND THE DECEPTION WAS EASY TO DETECT.
THE COMPUTER CHANGED ALL THAT.
THROUGH THE MAGIC OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY,
THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE SEAMLESSLY TRANSFORMED
THE PAINTER, JACKSON POLLOCK,
INTO A NONSMOKER.
THE HANDLING OF PICTURES DIGITALLY HAS BROUGHT WITH IT
A GREAT BENEFIT, AND THERE ARE ALSO SOME PROBLEMS.
THE PROBLEMS ARE THE PICTURES CAN NOW BE MANIPULATED
A GREAT DEAL.
YOU CAN ACTUALLY PUT PEOPLE IN PICTURES THAT WEREN'T IN THERE,
YOU CAN TAKE PEOPLE OUT OF PICTURES THAT ARE IN THERE.
YOU CAN CHANGE COLOR, YOU CAN CHANGE COMPOSITION.
(narrator) ON JUNE 27, 1994,
TWO MAGAZINES APPEARED ON THE NEWSSTANDS
WITH EXACTLY THE SAME PHOTOGRAPH ON THEIR COVERS--
A MUG SHOT OF O.J. SIMPSON,
TAKEN BY THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT.
"NEWSWEEK" PRINTED THE PHOTOGRAPH
EXACTLY AS THEY RECEIVED IT.
"TIME" MAGAZINE CHANGED IT DIGITALLY,
GIVING HIM AN UNSHAVEN LOOK
AND MAKING HIS SKIN TONES DARKER.
THE ALTERATION CAUSED ENORMOUS CONTROVERSY.
ONE PAPER SUGGESTED THAT "TIME" MAGAZINE
WAS DELIBERATELY CHANGING SIMPSON'S APPEARANCE
TO MAKE HIM LOOK MORE SINISTER.
MAGAZINES FOR THEIR COVERS
DIGITALLY MANIPULATE THE SKIN COLOR
OF SOME OF THE SUBJECTS OR DIGITALLY MANIPULATE
THE TEETH OF SOME OF THEIR SUBJECTS--
WHAT YOU'D THINK WOULD BE A SUBJECT THAT ONLY EDITORS WOULD CARE ABOUT,
BUT IN FACT CABDRIVERS ARE TALKING ABOUT IT,
AND SPINMEISTERS ON TELEVISION.
AND WHEN SOME OF THESE CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE
ON COVERS OF MAGAZINES--
YOU BETCHA THIS CULTURE IS TALKING ABOUT IT.
THERE ARE STRICT POLICY REGULATIONS
THAT AP PHOTOGRAPHERS MAKE,
AP PHOTO PEOPLE WILL NOT ALTER PHOTOGRAPHS.
THE REASON THAT THAT'S THE CASE--
AND THAT'S TRUE AMONG MOST PAPERS--
THE REASON THAT THAT'S THE CASE IS
BECAUSE IF YOU BEGIN ALTERING THE PHOTOGRAPH,
AND THIS NEWSPAPER OR MAGAZINE ALTERS IT THIS WAY,
YOU HAVE THE SAME PICTURE APPEARING
IN DIFFERENT WAYS IN DIFFERENT PUBLICATIONS.
THE READER LOOKS AT THAT AND THEY SAY, "WHO'S KIDDIN' WHO?"
SOMEONE'S LYING IN THAT EQUATION.
AND THE PAPERS, THE PUBLICATIONS WILL LOSE CREDIBILITY.
AND THE WHOLE ROLE OF GOOD JOURNALISM IS LOST
IF THERE'S NO CREDIBILITY.
WE HAVE ENOUGH TROUBLE MAINTAINING CREDIBILITY
WITHOUT HAVING PICTURES THAT LOOK LIKE THIS SIDE BY SIDE.
(narrator) THE DIGITAL MANIPULATION OF PHOTOGRAPHS
HAS AN IMPORTANT NEW APPLICATION--
FINDING MISSING CHILDREN.
CHERYL MORRIEN WAS 7 YEARS OLD
WHEN SHE WAS KIDNAPPED BY A STRANGER.
HER FAMILY HASN'T SEEN HER FOR 10 YEARS.
TODAY, SHE WOULD BE 17.
STEVE LOFTIN IS A FORENSIC ARTIST WITH AN UNUSUAL SKILL.
HE CAN ALTER A PHOTOGRAPH TO PRODUCE AN IMAGE
OF HOW CHERYL'S FACE MIGHT HAVE AGED.
HE USES A PICTURE OF HER SISTER AS A GUIDE.
(Loftin) HER SISTER IS 19 IN THIS PHOTOGRAPH.
NOW THE COMPUTER WILL STRETCH THE FACE.
I'LL GO BACK NOW AND MERGE CHERYL'S SISTER'S FACE HERE
AND I'LL LINE THOSE TWO IMAGES UP, USING THE EYES
AS A PLANE OF REFERENCE SIMPLY BECAUSE THE ORBITS
WILL NOT CHANGE POSITION.
AND I'M GONNA BORROW THOSE
MATURE FEATURES FROM HER SISTER.
WHAT YOU SEE IS TWO IMAGES, BUT I'VE ATTAINED
THE MATURITY HERE IN THE CHEEKS AND THE MANDIBLE AREA,
AND HAVE APPLIED THAT TO CHERYL'S FACE.
WE'RE GOING TO GO AHEAD AND ASSUME
IF SHE WERE STILL OUT THERE AND ALIVE AND WALKING AROUND,
SHE'D HAVE A NICE SET OF TEETH.
I'M BORROWING THOSE TEETH.
I'M PLACING THEM IN CHERYL'S MOUTH HERE.
I'M ALSO GOING TO BORROW THE NECK AND DRESS,
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THE SKIN TONES AREN'T THE SAME.
I'LL COME BACK WITH THE AIRBRUSH
AND MATCH UP THE SKIN TONES.
I WILL CONSIDER GIVING HER A MORE MATURE HAIR STYLE,
MORE IN KEEPING WITH A 17-YEAR-OLD.
(narrator) TRAGICALLY, CHERYL MORRIEN IS STILL MISSING.
BUT THE CENTER HAS HAD ITS SUCCESSES.
AND IT IS BECAUSE OF THE DISTRIBUTION
OF MILLIONS OF PICTURES LIKE THESE--
COMPUTER CREATED PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE ADOLESCENTS
THESE CHILDREN MIGHT HAVE BECOME.
[marching band plays "Hail to The Chief"]
[loud applause]
(Halstead) AS A PHOTOGRAPHER HERE AT THE WHITE HOUSE,
I FIND IT HARDER AND HARDER
TO BORROW A ROLL OF FILM FROM SOMEBODY
BECAUSE ALL THE PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE NOW SHOOTING DIGITAL.
I HAVE THE OPINION THAT
A LITTLE PIECE
OF PHOTOGRAPHIC LINT
STAYS IN THE MIND OF A PHOTOGRAPHER.
WHEN I FIRST SAW THE VIDEO OF MONICA AND PRESIDENT
ON THE LAWN OF THE WHITE HOUSE, I SAID TO MYSELF,
"I'VE SEEN THAT FACE, I DON'T KNOW WHERE,
"BUT I'VE SEEN THAT FACE.
I'VE PHOTOGRAPHED THAT FACE SOMEWHERE."
I HIRED A RESEARCHER, ANDREA FISHER.
SHE WENT THROUGH OVER 5000 TRANSPARENCIES,
AND AFTER 3 DAYS CAME ACROSS THIS ONE PICTURE.
IT WAS TAKEN JUST BEFORE THE ELECTION IN 1996
AT A FUNDRAISER AND I WAS JUST SHOOTING
WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE CROWD,
AND THERE WAS THIS PERSON WHO EMBRACED THE PRESIDENT,
AND I DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING OF IT AT ALL.
BUT THE TRULY INTERESTING THING ABOUT THAT--ON THAT STAGE
WITH ME THAT NIGHT WAS A PHOTOGRAPHER FROM REUTERS,
A PHOTOGRAPHER FROM AFP, A PHOTOGRAPHER FROM AP.
I HAVE A HUNCH THAT ALMOST ALL OF THEM SHOT THAT SAME PICTURE.
IN FACT, I SORT OF REMEMBER FLASHES GOING
WHEN I THINK BACK ON IT. SO THE QUESTION IS, WHERE IS
THE AP PICTURE, THE AFP PICTURE, AND THE REUTERS PICTURE?
MY GUESS IS 3 PHOTOGRAPHERS DELETED THAT MONICA PICTURE
THAT NIGHT BECAUSE THEY WANT TO SAVE SPACE ON THEIR HARD DISK,
AND SO WHAT THEY DO, THEY DELETE EVERYTHING
THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE WORTHWHILE.
TODAY, WE'RE IN THE TIME OF THE DIGITAL CAMERA.
WE SEE PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO WORK COVERING THE WHITE HOUSE,
COVERING MAJOR NEWS EVENTS, THINGS THAT ARE HISTORY,
THROWING 2/3 TO 3/4 OF THEIR PICTURES AWAY FROM THEIR DESKTOP,
JUST TO CLEAR THE SPACE WITH NO SENSE, WELL MAYBE TOMORROW,
MAYBE ONE OF THESE PEOPLE WILL TURN OUT TO BE REALLY IMPORTANT,
AND YOU DON'T KNOW IT TODAY.
THE STILL IMAGE IS STILL THE MOST POWERFUL TOOL
THAT WE HAVE INSOFAR AS HOW WE REMEMBER THINGS.
WE'RE IN THE MEMORY BUSINESS.
WE'RE LOSING OUR PHOTOGRAPHIC HERITAGE, AND THE QUESTION IS:
HOW CAN YOU ENABLE PEOPLE TO COLLECT THOSE MEMORIES?
THAT'S THE QUESTION.
STILL IMAGES DO STAY WITH US,
AND PARTICULARLY IF WE HAVE A LONG TIME TO LOOK AT THEM,
AND IF THEY GET REPEATED.
THAT KIND OF REINFORCEMENT REALLY BURNS SOMETHING
INTO THE MIND, AND THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WITH PHOTOGRAPHS,
BECAUSE THEY ARE INFINITELY REPRODUCIBLE,
THEY ARE INFINITELY REPRODUCED!
THERE IS SOME STATISTIC
THAT THE AVERAGE URBANITE SEES
SOMETHING LIKE 11,000 IMAGES A DAY, THAT THERE ARE
46 MILLION PICTURES TAKEN BY AMERICANS EVERY YEAR.
YOU WOULD THINK THAT THIS DILUTES THE POWER OF THE INDIVIDUAL PICTURE.
THAT SOMEHOW THE POWER OF PICTURES HAS DISSIPATED, I DISAGREE.
I THINK THAT WE'RE MORE--THAT THE SOCIETY IS VISUALLY ASTUTE.
THAT THIS PROLIFERATION OF PICTUREHAS MADE US
MORE COMFORTABLE LOOKING AT PICTURES.
THERE ARE CERTAIN CULTURES THAT LOOK AT CALLIGRAPHY.
THEY UNDERSTAND THE NUANCE.
WE UNDERSTAND THE NUANCE OF PICTURES.
WE UNDERSTAND WHEN A PICTURE'S TELLING THE TRUTH.
IN THE 60s,
AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE 60s,
THERE WERE A FEW PRESCIENT SOULS,
AND OF COURSE, MANY OF THEM WERE ARTISTS
WHO WERE PERCEIVING THAT PHOTOGRAPHY
HAD SO COMPLETELY INFILTRATED OUR PERCEPTIONS
THAT THERE WAS NO WAY TO CREATE A GREAT WORK OF ART
WITHOUT A PHOTOGRAPHIC ASPECT.
PEOPLE LIKE ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG
AND ANDY WARHOL
REACHED OUT TO THE CAMERA.
THEY TOOK IMAGES FROM THE NEWSPAPERS
AND APPLIED THEM OR INCORPORATED THEM
WITHIN THEIR CANVASSES.
SOMEONE LIKE RAUSCHENBERG RIPS OUT A PICTURE FROM A MAGAZINE,
RIGHT? AND DOUSES IT WITH LIGHTER FLUID,
AND SLAPS IT DOWN ON A PIECE OF PAPER,
AND THE INK FROM THAT PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGE
AS IT'S REPRODUCED IN THE MAGAZINE TRANSFERS TO THE PAPER.
AND HE TAKES IT AWAY, AND HE LOOKS AT IT,
AND HE SAID, "I MADE A DRAWING."
THAT'S A HUGE STEP!
THEY WERE TRYING TO, SORT OF, GET DIRECT OVERLAYS
OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC INTERPRETATION OF THE WORLD,
WHICH IS HOW WE SEE THE WORLD NOW,
INTO THE VERY SUBSTANCE OF THEIR ART.
(Heiferman) ANDY WARHOL GETS COMPLETELY, COMPLETELY FASCINATED
WITH PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES AND HOW THEY WORK.
WHAT DO MOVIE STARS MEAN? WHAT DO FASHION PICTURES MEAN?
WHAT'S GLAMOUR ABOUT?
WHAT MAKES SOMETHING SO ETHEREAL,
SO WONDERFUL AND SO WEIRD THAT YOU CAN'T STOP LOOKING AT IT.
AND HE TAKES THOSE PICTURES,
AND HE DROPS OUT THE DETAILING,
AND MAKES THEM ABSTRACT
AND KIND OF SPACEY-LOOKING
AND MAKES SILKSCREENS,
AND DOESN'T MAKE A SINGLE PAINTING,
BUT MAKES 10 PAINTINGS,
20 PAINTINGS, 30 PAINTINGS.
ALL BASED ON THE SAME IMAGE.
SO HE PAINTS ON, AND ONE'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT
THAN THE OTHER, BUT BASICALLY
HE ALSO IS LOOKING AT THE PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES
IN THE WORLD AS MANY PEOPLE AFTER HIM DID,
AND REALIZED THERE'S PLENTY OF PICTURES IN THIS WORLD,
I DON'T NEED TO MAKE MORE PICTURES.
LET'S THINK ABOUT WHAT PHOTOGRAPHS MEAN.
AND THAT CHANGES ART.
AND IN THE 70s, THE RESIDUE
FROM THE TRADITION OF PAINTING,
THAT IS, PAINT, AND. . .
THE SORT OF GESTURE OF THE HAND,
DROPPED AWAY ALMOST ALTOGETHER.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENS THROUGHOUT THIS CENTURY
IS THAT INFORMATION IS INCREASINGLY CODED INTO PHOTOGRAPHS.
ARTISTS BEGAN TO THINK THAT IF LIFE CAME AT US EXCLUSIVELY
IN PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES ON THE MEDIA,
THEN THEY WOULD BOTH USE
THOSE IMAGES IN THEIR ART
AND COMMENT ON THE MEDIA IN SO DOING.
CINDY SHERMAN BEGAN MAKING PHOTOGRAPHS OF HERSELF--
OF HERSELVES REALLY.
THE PHOTOGRAPHS LOOKED LIKE THE STILLS
THAT THE STUDIOS RELEASED FOR B MOVIES.
AND THE ROLES WERE THE STANDARD ONES: HOUSEWIFE,
SEXPOT,
LITTLE GIRL LOST,
BITCH.
LAURIE SIMMONS, WHO HAD GROWN UP ON TELEVISION,
WAS TRYING TO SAY THAT OUR IMAGE OF LIFE
WAS WHAT WE SAW ON TELEVISION, IN MAGAZINES, WHAT HAVE YOU.
AND SHE LOOKED AT IT THROUGH PLASTIC FIGURES PLAYING HOUSE.
AND SHE TOOK PHOTOGRAPHS OF THIS AS IF TO SAY THAT LIFE IS
SO SECONDHAND THAT EVEN PLASTIC FIGURINES
COULD REPRESENT IT.
RICHARD PRINCE INVESTIGATED
THE ROLE OF MASCULINITY
IN AMERICAN LIFE.
HE REPHOTOGRAPHED THE MARLBORO ADS,
AND THEN HE REMOVED THE TEXT, SO YOU HAVE
THIS BEAUTIFUL IMAGE OF THE WEST
WHICH HAD ONCE BEEN AN ADVERTISEMENT
AND HAD NOW BEEN TURNED INTO A WORK OF ART.
IN TODAY'S WORLD, IN THE END OF THE 20TH CENTURY,
ARTISTS ARE CLEARLY AWARE OF PHOTOGRAPHY
AS ALWAYS MANIPULATED.
NO MATTER WHAT IT IS--IF IT'S A PERFECTLY STRAIGHT PHOTOGRAPH,
IT IS A VERSION, OF A TRUTH.
IT IS NOT THE TRUTH.
PEOPLE THINK OF IT AS A WINDOW ON THE WORLD.
IT IS AND IT ISN'T--IT IS REAL,
BUT IT'S A NEW REALITY.
[footsteps]
(Hilda Gore) I WENT TO EUROPE AND I VISITED GRAVEYARDS THERE,
WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT TOURISTS DO.
AND ALTHOUGH YOU HAVE NO CONNECTION TO THE PEOPLE,
ON MANY TIMES IN MANY COUNTRIES,
THE CUSTOM IS TO LEAVE A PHOTO ON THE GRAVESTONE,
AND THE PHOTO'S USUALLY SURROUNDED BY FLOWERS,
AND THERE ARE LITTLE, YOU KNOW, THINGS UNDERNEATH
THAT BELONGED TO THE PERSON, SO THAT WAS REALLY,
SOMETHING THAT I THOUGHT WAS A WONDERFUL THING TO DO.
BECAUSE WHEN I LOOKED AT THOSE PHOTOS,
I BECAME INTENSELY INTERESTED IN THOSE PEOPLE.
AND I THOUGHT ABOUT THEM A LOT. AND I WONDERED WHO THEY WERE.
AND I MADE UP LITTLE STORIES IN MY HEAD ABOUT WHO THEY WERE.
AND THE WALL, THE VIETNAM WALL, IS VERY POWERFUL
AND WONDERFUL IN ITS OWN WAY, BUT IN A SENSE,
THEY'RE UNKNOWN SOLDIERS. THEY'RE ANONYMOUS.
WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING MORE ABOUT THEM THAN THEIR NAMES.
SO IT'S LIKE A SEA OF UNKNOWN SOLDIERS.
AND I WANTED LEO, NOT TO BE UNKNOWN.
AND, SO I BROUGHT THIS PHOTO TO THE WALL.
I MEAN IF YOU LOOK AT THIS PHOTO, YOU CAN SEE THAT HE,
THAT HE WAS A BABY-- HE WAS JUST A KID.
AND YOU CAN SEE A KIND OF KIDLIKE,
ALMOST BEWILDERED EXPRESSION ON HIS FACE,
AND THAT'S WHAT THE WALL DOESN'T TELL YOU.
THE WALL DOESN'T TELL YOU THAT THEY WERE ALL KIDS.
YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE WALL, YOU THINK OF THEM
AS MEN BEHIND THOSE, THOSE NAMES.
BUT THEY WEREN'T. THEY WERE JUST,
THEY WERE JUST BABIES, LIKE LEO.
AND, UM. . .HE WAS VERY HANDSOME
AND VERY SMART,
AND I THINK THE PHOTO GIVES YOU--
A PHOTO CAPTURES SOMEONE'S SPIRIT.
AND IT CONVEYS THAT SPIRIT TO OTHER PEOPLE.
AND SO THAT'S WHY I WANTED TO PUT HIS PHOTO ON THE WALL.
AND I THINK THAT THE MAIN FEELING ABOUT PUTTING
A PHOTO ON THE WALL IS THAT, WHEN PEOPLE LOOK AT THIS PHOTO,
AND THEY SEE HIM, I THINK I WANT THEM TO LOVE HIM.
BECAUSE I LOVED HIM.
AND, AND I THINK WHEN YOU LOOK AT A PHOTO,
YOU CAN HAVE THOSE FEELINGS.
AND THAT'S WHY I WANTED TO LEAVE IT.
(Della Femina) I THINK IT'S REALLY IT'S THE HISTORY,
IT'S WHAT WE WERE
AND WHAT WE ARE,
AND WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE.
I THINK THAT PHOTOGRAPHY. . . IMAGINE THE WORLD WITHOUT IT!
IMAGINE THAT THERE WASN'T PHOTOGRAPHY!
WHERE WOULD WE BE? HOW WOULD I KNOW,
HOW WOULD I REMEMBER WHAT I LOOKED LIKE AS A KID?
WHAT WOULD I THINK ABOUT,
HOW DID MY MOTHER LOOK WHEN SHE GRADUATED
FROM JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL ON MOTT STREET?
IT REALLY IS, IT LINKS US ALL.
IT KEEPS US ALL TOGETHER.
IT'S WHAT THE HISTORY IS.
IT'S REALLY WHAT OUR HISTORY IS.
IT'S IN PHOTOGRAPHS.
AND WHEN WE CLOSE OUR EYES, WHAT DO WE SEE?
WE SEE PHOTOGRAPHS, WE SEE PICTURES.
[piano plays softly]
♪
(man) AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHY CONTINUES ON THE WEB.
EXPERIENCE A VIRTUAL PHOTO-SHOOT WITH DOROTHEA LANGE,
EXPERIMENT WITH DIGITAL MANIPULATION,
AND LEARN HOW TO USE THIS PROGRAM
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♪
CAPTIONING BY ARMOUR CAPTIONING AND KTCA
[cellos & violins play]
(man) KODAK, MAKER OF MAX FILM,
IS THE PROUD CORPORATE SPONSOR
OF "AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHY, A CENTURY OF IMAGES."
MAY THE NEXT 100 YEARS BE PICTURE PERFECT.
KODAK--TAKE PICTURES. . . FURTHER.
(man) ADDITIONAL MAJOR FUNDING IS PROVIDED BY
THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS--
INVESTING IN OUR LIVING CULTURAL HERITAGE,
THE ARTHUR VINING DAVIS FOUNDATIONS,
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AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION
FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU.