Gilles Peress surveys a Bosnian
city through a window pierced by a bullet. The angle of the camera tilts
the horizon slightly so the two towering buildings seem off-balance. The
photograph conceals more than it shows and what it does show is not very
clear. This could be any city in the world, and the bullet hole could
be evidence of any disaster, from a family tragedy to a civil war. That,
perhaps, is the point.
Photojournalists like Peress know that publishing photographs in the
mass media can create confusion. Editors who have other points of view
and interests of their own can change the meaning of a photo with titles
or captions, cropping and placement of a picture in a publication. Consider
a photo of a famine victim next to an ad for a new Honda. The personality
of a publication can have an impact as well. Think about the same photo
appearing in Time and in Playboy. The selection process
itself can change the meaning of a photograph. Most photojournalists are
required to submit all the photos they have taken for an assignment so
an editor can choose. How can photojournalists maintain control of their
work? For Gilles Peress, the answer is the professional cooperative Magnum.
(To find out more about Magnum, click on the bar above.)
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