Introduction: 

Critics will always debate what’s right and wrong or acceptable and unacceptable, but where is this line for photojournalism, and when does reporting on an issue or topic become morally unjust and adherently wrong? Is there a point when taking photographs of something or someone has gone too far or is it the journalist and the audience’s right to know about that topic. Furthermore is there a moral imbalance to underreporting on an issue? These are the questions that have been at the center of our class discussions throughout this course. They are heavy topics with substantial grey areas, but important for the protection of individuals and cultures being photographed and reported on. Through comparing and contrasting the two documentaries Salt of the Earth (Sebastiao Salgado) and Don’t Blink (Robert Frank) one forms a better understanding of morality and the difficult struggles photojournalists face with the topic. These two transcendent photographers are famous for pushing the envelope on photojournalism and being questioned about the morality behind their work. Throughout this video essay, I will be comparing and contrasting the different moments in which each photojournalist’s morality is called into question. Photojournalism is a necessary evil that is needed in order to express world disaster and garner relief efforts, although it begins to get morally contradictory when photographing unique cultures and ways of life. Additionally, the intentions of a photographer behind a photograph or film must be morally sound. A Photojournalist’s intentions must be called into question when reviewing the work morally. 

Opening:

While the Introduction is being read in the background by a narrator, I would have pictures of Frank and Salgado appear on the screen followed by some of their most prestigious early photographs. All the while explaining to the audience who these men are and why they are so renowned. Additional giving a brief summary of the documentary’s that were analyzed. 

Music used:

I would like to find some somber background music to reflect the tone of the movies.  

Salgado: The Salt of the Earth, which is a 2014 biographical documentary film portraying the life works of Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado. The film was co-directed by Wim Wenders and Salgado’s son Juliano Ribeiro Salgado. The duo created a harsh, yet inspiring documentary about Salgado, who many regards as one of the most influential photojournalists of the 20th century. The film follows the timeline of his life, using his photos and experiences to explain his storied carrier. Salgado made it his life’s works to document and bring to life the lives of neglected and oppressed cultures and societies throughout the globe.

Frank: Don’t Blink Leaving home, coming home is a 2016 documentary film produced by Laura Israel depicting the famous life of Robert Frank. The film centers upon his book The Americans, where he traveled around America and took black and white photographs of different hardships. Originally Frank received harsh criticism for his bleak almost hopeless portrayal of America. Although now it is regarded as one of the most groundbreaking pieces of photojournalism and overall report on America. The film also discusses his bizarre relationship with his two children, and the odd artist lifestyle he and his wife lived.   

(Frank)

(Salgado)

Film Style and Flow: 

Just Like the two documentary films, I would like the film to be kept completely in black and white. These two photographers are synonymous with using black and white imagery, and that effect would further emerge the audience. Additionally Having soft music in the background is important due to the fact that most of the time the audience is looking at black and white image stills and this can get boring without something else to stimulate the audience.   

I would then present to the audience graphic and gruesome images from Salgado’s work with reporting on mass transit and genocide. This is a critical step in the process as we establish the necessary evil aspect of photojournalism. As awful as some of these images are, it is important for the audience to keep in mind that these photos are what drove people to end these horrid acts. Without this stark view of reality, the true pain and suffering behind the truth are not revealed. , in order to explain to the audience why these awful images are a necessary evil.

Shown on screen: images from Rwanda genocide (1:09)

After establishing the necessary evil aspect of photojournalism I would then begin presenting to the audience different ways in which each photographer crossed a moral line.

Shown on screen: 

I would first start with times were Salgados images were not properly representative of the action or still being photographed. You actually get this feeling from the opening images which look like 1,000s of enslaved individuals being forced to work in Brazilian mines.

These images are Jarring for the audience at first glance, but what looks like true suffering in the images is in actuality just hard work. These were not enslaved individuals though, some had pretty good educations and came from all walks of life. Without Salgado directly explaining that aspect then their story of striking it rich for gold gets lost in the harsh black and white images. This is where Salgado, in my opinion, walks a morally thin line. Clearly its a moving important image but could he have captured them in a different way. 

The next morally questionable piece of photojournalism displayed will be the pictures of the Infant coffins (39:48-41:50) from Salgados time spent with marginalized native tribes in northern brazil. These images are a dark reminder of the hardships other cultures face.

Show clip (39:30-40:58):

The infant mortality rate in this area of Brazil was extremely high. Children dying had become such normality that they began renting the coffins at local general stores. The Next image is of children who have never been baptized.

It is in these brutal images that Salgado reveals the truth behind the hardships these poor forgotten about fathers face. Although I would argue that without proper explanation to an audience these image’s effectiveness is lost. This is again where I think Salgado struggles with morality. He is trying so hard to capture brutal and “inspiring” images that he forgets about paying respects to the villagers and their culture. 

Transition:

The next piece of the morally questionable film shown is the works of Robert Frank. Franks’s downfall in terms of morality is different though. Where Salgado at times didn’t express culture to the fullest, some of Frank’s work had questionable motives behind even doing it in the first place. The images being presented will be from after Frank published The Americas. After such poor initial feedback about how he portrayed the lives of the Americans he was photographing, he decided to focus more on film. He felt he could represent the story he was telling in a more real, appropriate way. 

Shown on Screen (52:55-53:48) Initial interviews with Children:

Here Frank is interviewing his children and here you first start to see the odd relationship they had started developing. Frank and his wife were far from present in their children’s lives and it shows. He treated his kids as an art project by ignoring them and then constantly sticking a camera in their faces. They needed a father, not someone who was just asking how life was without one

This scene continues with Frank explaining how this went on for years and eventually drove his son mad. After moving away from the Vermont compound/school his parents dumped him at, He began suffering from severe schizophrenia. The son Continued struggling with this disease and would be in and out of mental hospitals before dying in his early 40s. He drove insane by his father who continued to shove a camera down his face, until the day he died. 

Shown on Screen:

It is a sad image to look at known the pain his son was experiencing. All Frank needed to do was put down his camera and be a real father, not some artist. It is clear here that Frank violated the moral code, although in a slightly different manner than Salgado. Where Salgados is at fault for his perception of the photographs, On the other hand, Frank is the guilt of having poor motives. What possibly told him inside that he should turn his family into a airt project? I do not know but what I do know is that his intentions were poor.  

Conclusion:

Shown on Screen: Final pictures

(Salgado)

(Frank)

These two storied carriers are perfect for forming a better understanding of the morality of photojournalism and the struggles these people face. It is a hard yet fully necessary job, these men and women have to be cut from a different cloth. Ultimately though mistakes will be made over a lifetime of photojournalism, trying to represent cultures accurately and keeping intentions good are two of the best ways to ensure the practice of good photojournalism.  

Lights fade… The End.