Reflection #2

I was fascinated by today’s lecture about the importance of photography. Although I found the documentary a bit dry and difficult to take notes on, I found the commentary to be quite insightful. It really put the expression “a picture is worth a thousand words” into perspective. Seeing those photos of the dust bowl I thought were the most interesting, since The Grapes of Wrath is one of my favorite novels. Steinbeck along with Lange truthfully bring out the honesty and harsh reality associated with American poverty.
I would relate Lange and her work to Annie Leibovitz. During Christmas break I saw Leibovitz’s exhibit in London, and there was a short 30 minute documentary about how she captured American culture through photographs in the 1960’s and 70’s. Her Vogue and Rolllingstones covers exemplify the simplicity and rawness of famous celebrities, just as Lange’s work brought the candidness of rural America to the forefront.
I think that many people take photographers for granted. They assume that its nothing more than a quick click of a button, deserving of little artistic praise. To the contrary, photographers like Lange are artists because their work not only captures a moment in time, but has the power to evoke change or in the words of Lange “every human action has consequences.”