A farmer unloads his donkey in front of his home. His wife throws out the dirty dishwater. Extremadura. SPAIN. 1951. Copyright: Magnum Photos via Eric Kim: 7 Lessons W. Eugene Smith Has Taught Us About Street Photography
With all the fuss of late about digital manipulation of Steve McCurry’s pictures (for an insightful article on this topic see: Steve McCurry and photojournalism’s burden of truth on Disphotic) it was refreshing to come across this quote from W. Eugene Smith. Philippe Halsmann interviews Smith and at one point asks if a famous picture by Smith of a Spanish woman throwing water into the street (see above) was staged. Smith replied: “I would not have hesitated to ask her to throw the water. (I don’t object to staging if and only if I feel that it is an intensification of something that is absolutely authentic to the place). “Halsmann replies: “Cartier-Bresson never asks for this…. Why do you break this basic rule of candid photography?”. Smith’s response is brilliant:
I didn’t write the rules — why should I follow them? Since I put a great deal of time and research to know what I am about? I ask and arrange if I feel it is legitimate. The honesty lies in my — the photographer’s — ability to understand.
The rest of the interview is well worth reading.