photographer vs Newsweek

Out of context: Reply #26

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  • version30

    not to say that i agree but this is well stated...

    It reminds me of the famous case of the Mountain of the Holy Cross, photographed in 1873 by William Henry Jackson on an expedition in Colorado to document the American west. A natural feature of the mountain is a craggy cross-shape defined by the contours of the mountain on one side. It is only visible, and only when the conditions are just right, in winter when a thin layer of snow settles into the contours of the mountainside.

    Not many people know that Jackson altered his glass plate negative afterwards to exaggerate the visible cross-shape. His images were shown in Washington and the cities of the east, where Congress and devout Christians interpreted his “photograph” of the cross as a message from God, justifying westward expansion and the U.S. policy of Manifest Destiny.

    Photography is a powerful medium, and has the unparalleled ability to touch passions and inflame public opinion.

    It should be respected.

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