EXPOSED: Photographer Reveals Market, Not Truth, Behind Conflict Images
October 10, 2011 15:07 by Simon Plosker
In an EXCLUSIVE email interview below, Italian freelance photojournalist Ruben Salvadori tells HonestReporting his views on ethical photojournalism, the role of photojournalists in the Mideast conflict and the effects on the industry.
Salvadori, in a revealing video that has been spreading over the past few weeks, blows the lid on the dynamics between photojournalists and Palestinian stone throwers at the scene.
He exposes how the dramatic images come about and how they distort the reality of the clashes they cover, reinforcing many of the conclusions of HonestReporting’s Shattered Lens, a six-part study of photo bias in the wire services.
Watch Salvadori’s eye-opening video presentation below and then read our exclusive interview where he expands on the issues that his video raises.
Photojournalism Behind the Scenes [ITA-ENG subs] from Ruben Salvadori on Vimeo.
Your video describes the characteristics of the ideal photo for editors. Can you elaborate on that? How does that influence the content of the photos?
More precisely, my project describes the characteristics of the ideal photo for the Media market, which goes from the one who produces the image, all the way to the viewer. What we (photojournalists, editors, public) expect form a photograph is a dramatic shot, which simplifies complicated concepts in one single frame. In order to break down a complex situation in just one photo, we are forced to use stereotypes.
The Media has no time, everything has to be immediate, and stereotypes do the job. But the main focus of my project is the fact that the market expects us to produce dramatic images. It’s a very competitive market in which we constantly compare our work to the other professionals’ and therefore produce images that are good according to the taste of other photographers, not of the general public.
The “dramatic” model is pushed by the highest standards of the profession; if you take a look at the major awards in the field in fact you’ll see how they promote a search for tragedy. Take the current Pulitzer Prize winner of the breaking news photography session for example; it clearly states that the winner was chosen for the “up-close portrait of grief and desperation” (Pulitzer Prize Website) or 2009 winner for his “provocative, impeccably composed images of despair” (Ibid).
What’s wrong with editors asking a photographer for certain types of images? What’s the line being crossed?
I don’t think it’s the editor that asks the photographer for a dramatic image. The photographer seeks for drama automatically. This is problematic because many of us tend to over dramatize situations that are not dramatic at all, as you see in many cases shown in my project. What derives from this is a perception of the conflict that is someway distorted from the actual gravity of the events. Additionally, the need for speed in the image-production process does not let the photographer understand deeply what he is photographing to an intimate level. Due to the lack of time, we have to rely on a superficial understanding of the event and its dynamics, and this creates images that are not well rooted in a meaningful context.
This is the main difference between photojournalism and documentary photography, where the former is a fast gathering of news, while the latter is a deeper research within the essence of a topic. Unfortunately there is more business in the photojournalistic world, and we can hardly afford to take the time and money to develop an in depth reportage, which is also harder to sell than single, dramatic spot-news images.
Is collusion a fair word to describe the interaction between the photographers and the stone-throwers?
It is clear that the one’s presence is convenient for the other. They need us to send their message. While there are often tensions between the photographers and the Israeli forces trying to keep us away from the scene, it is very rare to see them between photographers and rioters. It would be against their interest to turn against us and, on the other hand, we need their presence to document the riots, it’s reciprocal. I would not define this a collusion, or a collaboration, as this does not happen on an active and direct way, but I do believe that we both play a role in the other’s interests.
Ruben Salvadori
What is a photographer supposed to do when it’s clear that his presence is influencing the actions of the people he’s covering?
First of all a photographer needs to realize this. You’re taking for granted, as I also did, that all photographers believe that their presence has an influence to some extent over the events, but it is a wrong assumption. I was shocked by hearing how many photographers were completely sure that seeing us arriving on the spot in a pack, carrying helmets, gas masks and an average of two big cameras each, had no effect whatsoever on the parties in conflicts.
I think this is the most important (first) step to be achieved, which is the understanding that we have an impact on what we witness, for the simple reason that we are there (let go with all our equipment, I’m talking about being there as any person, not necessarily in the photographer’s shoes).
This is the most basic concept that many other fields have already achieved since a long time ago; look at the “observer effect” in physics, according to which a situation cannot be witnessed without changing it to some extent, or the Anthropology of the 1900s which began already back then to realize how it was not possible to observe another culture without having an influence on it. It’s time that we also realize this. We are there; we are part of the show just like any other one we take photos of.
Acknowledging this is the most important thing a photographer can do about it. We need to be aware of the fact that we cannot seek for the utopian dream of documenting an objective reality. There is no such thing, and we need to get over it. Every photograph is an interpretation of some sort and every time we witness an event we are part of it to some extent. We might not throw rocks or shoot tear gas, but this does not mean we are invisible entities that do not alter the scene.
The next step is not for the photographer. He needs to continue his important work of documenting the events, we cannot do without him. The next step needs to be taken by the public, which generally speaking is lazy and often does not think further than what is being shown. The public needs to approach the photographs with a critical view, being aware of the way the image was produced, checking the source, confronting with others.
I am not pointing an accusing finger against the photographers, this would be hypocritical as I am myself one, and I am aware of the fact that I work according to the same standards of the market. I am not saying that I’m better then others, as some have misunderstood my message. What I am trying to do is to educate the public to be an active observer; I do not have the pretentious aim to change the whole Media giant.
I am also aware of the fact that with this project I raise many questions that I then left unanswered. I think the ethic discourse in the photojournalism world is in such a primordial stage that it is still to early to find all the answers, because we first need to ask the right questions. This is what I attempt to do.
What kind of reaction have you received from the photographers who work these clashes?
There were different reactions depending on the photographers.
Some liked the project a lot and backed me up with great support, while others were strongly against it. I want to point out that some of the photographs were initially uploaded on the Internet with a general caption for all the shots. Since the message I was trying to send was beyond the single frame content, I was strongly criticized for doing the unprofessional act of using the same general caption for more frames.
“You claim that we influence the events, so you need to show it in the photograph” was one of the comments that I mostly remember, “show the photographer telling a boy to pose for the camera”. This was clearly missing the point, as influencing an event does not mean actively manipulating it. Others said that the photographs are not good at all, that anybody could have taken them. And this was one of my aims, to produce non-dramatic and non-over “aestheticised” photographs. But many would argue that a photo without drama and some vignetting is just another “Facebook picture”.
Other than this the project is having a huge success recently both among the professionals and the general public. It was an award winner at the PhotoDreaming Contest, organized by Forma, an institution founded by Contrasto, the major Italian photo-agency that deals with a deeper documentarist side of visual research. Moreover the video of the presentation had a massive amount of views, reaching a peak of more than 18 thousand hits in just one day. I was also contacted by different organizations to lecture about the topic on University campuses in Italy, U.S. and Canada.
Now that you’ve spoken out, do you still have a future working in the Palestinian areas? Where do you go from here?
I must say that I’m very curious to see what it would be like to go back. Some told me that I shot myself in the leg if I wanted to work as a photojournalist in Israel, but fortunately this is not my plan. My main interest is anthropology, and I use photography as a way to satisfy my curiosity for human behavior. I approached the topic of my project with an anthropological method and I think this is what gave me the tools to analyze the issue in a “different” way.
At the moment I’m taking a short break form my studies (I just graduated). I will use this year to work on projects for which I haven’t had the time so far, like a documentary of visual anthropology that I’m making. For next year I’m considering a master degree in documentary cinema, but we’ll see where this year takes me. I would like to expand the project on photojournalism to other areas of conflict, if I find funds, connections and time.
You can find updates on Ruben’s website www.rubensalvadori.com or on his blog www.rubensalvadori.wordpress.com
Please help spread the video above so that the important issues covered start to enter mainstream consciousness.
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Well-loved. Agree or Disagree:
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John Versteege
6:17 pm
Oct 11, 2011
Terrific presentation by this young man.
However…
The danger, I think, is for the viewer to become so cynical that he/she will
be tempted to look for, or imagine where the media chaps were to get this picture…
Not ALL pictures are set, and some indeed are the “real thing” (sadly!)
My comments at not directed at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but all conflicts or
dramatic situations the world over. I was a photo-journalist for many years in my youth
and I can assure you that not all reporters/photo/video persons are driven by the almighty
$$$..Case and point…The highest loss of life among persons exposed to conflicts is
among the media reps…
Please do NOT generalize… Honest media coverage does exist.
It is a little more difficult to find.
Thanks to your work, we are getting better at it.
Well-loved. Agree or Disagree:
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Dave
6:54 pm
Oct 11, 2011
He should watch the Pallywood videos. They show complete collusion with journalists to fabricate the news.
Well-loved. Agree or Disagree:
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David Silver
6:55 pm
Oct 11, 2011
This behavior of the rock throwers is related to the caged animal syndrome. Animals will act differently wheb observed or caged. The rock throwers are in a setting which can be construed as a type of cage. Most riots are like this, people will act in another way when a camera is present.
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Nathan Zafran
7:21 pm
Oct 11, 2011
Pallywood has for too long been rampant in the ME conflict. But the sad fact is that even if photography proves to be false, distorted and doctored, the Arabs don’t care. They justly feel that they can get away with anything – even atrocities. Thus when a “body” was being displayed on a borne stretcher and suddenly fell off, amazingly the “body” got up, back to the stretcher and the march continued. As if by magic, ambulances, alarms blaring, arrive on the scene of “shot” Palestinians within thirty seconds of the alleged event. One cannot overlook the prepositioned cameras during the Muhhamed Dura event, which raised a furor across the Arab world and beyond. Later, independent investigations proved that this was the greatest hoax of them all. and that the boy had in fact been shot by the Palestinians. No one apologized and there are still streets named after Dura. During the first Lebanon War, Israel was accused, along with photography as evidence, of killing a sweet little girl. Even president Reagan had a picture of her on his desk. Guess what! That poor little girl was later seen walking the streets of Beitut. No one even batted an eyelid. What happens when a reporter and/or photographer do their job with honesty and integrity? In Gaza they’re taken hostage or if they’re lucky they get packed home. In Ramallah, an Italian photographer covered the lynching of two Israeli reservists, which took place in a police station. the photos were gory, bloodied hands were displayed and bodies were thrown out of a second-floor window. The photographer had to flee for his life and return to Italy. Thus, no matter how often Pallywood is exposed and even shown to be as outrightly absurd and ridiculous, the Arabs don’t care. All coverage of Palestinians should be taken with more than a pinch of salt.
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Sid
8:35 pm
Oct 11, 2011
Well said. So accurate. Yet for 20 plus years I have highlighted this but nobody would listen to me – I have VHS tapes of UK BBC and ITV news broadcasts for over 20 years that time and again proved the point, but the so called movers and shakers who claimed to be so Pro Israel refused to listen – so the fault is our own and that of all the Israeli goverments including the current one for failing to control the media who portray Israel in such appauling terms
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EXPOSED: Photographer Reveals Market, Not Truth, Behind Conflict Images « THE BLACK KETTLE
8:40 pm
Oct 11, 2011
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steve mann
11:12 am
Oct 12, 2011
If I am not mistaken HR has published this report before- and should keep doing so-
However how do we get it into the national press? Last time I read it I forwarded to a few national media outlets- never herd or saw a word.
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Brent Pudsey
2:37 pm
Oct 12, 2011
This brings to light an excellent analysis of an important issue in news coverage. The public needs to be aware of shoddy journalsm and to seek out the truth behind the headlines.
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Nathan Zafran
1:24 am
Oct 13, 2011
Listen Brent! We’re not talking about normal rivals with whom one can debate issues, these are fanatic morons who don’t care (justly), what others think of them. Oil, petrodollars and terrorism reign supreme so don’t waste your breath on these ragheads. A total waste of time.
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Understanding the Business Behind Conflict News | THE REAL ISRAEL
6:38 pm
Oct 17, 2011
[...] the interview here. GA_googleAddAttr("AdOpt", "1"); GA_googleAddAttr("Origin", "other"); [...]
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sav'ta shel Cohen
10:50 am
Oct 26, 2011
Excellent presentation! This staging is similar to the way images on “reality TV” shows are set up, shot and then edited for maximum effect. Totally unprofessional not to mention how frightening it is that “truth” can be manipulated and created in order to influence the thinking of others. Now a principled journalist needs to get in there and do a documentary on why the truth about this conflict is being manipulated and expose the driving forces behind such a push. I’m guessing that such a documentary would never make it to air!
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Channa
6:10 pm
Oct 26, 2011
WE are naive to believe that journalists have been raised to believe in integrity. No journalist can print what he wants if the powers to be don’t want the truth revealed. Why they side with the leftists, and pro-Islamists is because they have infiltrated the masses by slowly converting them to their side and we are helping them when we resort to political correctness. Our society at large is confused about what “freedom of speech” means as opposed to the spread of hatred. The Islamists have been using this tactic to their advantage. I suspect that the editors either biased to begin with or they are controlled by by the bottom line which is greed. Stories about saints do not sell papers but drama does especially when makes the rape victim into the perpetrator . It may also be prudent to check out who owns these newsmedia outlets to ascertain whose agenda are they promoting.
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Photographer Reveals Market, Not Truth, Behind Conflict Images | IsraelSeen.com
4:50 pm
Oct 31, 2011
[...] Simon Plosker Thanks to Honest Reporting for this re-post. In an EXCLUSIVE email interview below, Italian freelance photojournalist Ruben [...]
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Therealtruth
4:30 am
Nov 05, 2011
Ruben Salvadori receives my credit for being realistic and honest about how news is
photographed and reported. “A picture is worth a million words” is exactly how the
rest of the world would like to perceive Israel; as an aggressor rather than showing who
really ARE the aggressors. If these photographers could only realize that by bringing calm and
togetherness in this corner of the world, it could only help bring peace and prosperity to
this area. This goes for the Muslim media (as well as the rest of the world media, (which includes “America), could make a POSITIVE INFLUENCE IN PROMOTING REAL PEACE amongst all the various peoples there and especially in the “hot-spots” where hatred is spread daily like butter on bread to the little children and up, via school, cartoons, shows, newscasts, papers and lies by their various leaders who have, themselves, been brought up with violence and hate and obviously (plus sadly) enough don’t know what love of humanity is like. Israel, as alone and as small as she is, must somehow get more journalists involved, that expose the goodness that Israel has done for not only the Gaza people but for the Lebanese and many countries around the world. Does one even remember that Israel was in Haiti and had saved someone who’d been buried for 10 days plus gave medical aid to many? Does one even know about how many groups have been sent to Darfur to help the Muslims who were being raped and killed by their own Muslim brethren and how the Israelis came to the survivors aid? Does the world remember that it was Israel that saved 10,000 Ethiopians when there was a genocide going on?, how about
Israel helping out in Indonesia when the Tzunami hit, the Katrina catastrophe, the help they
gave and still give to Islamic Arabs who need specialized medical attention of whom had to come to Israel to get it? and the list goes on and on and on….Whoever it was that started anti-semitism has “Karma” to pay back big-time because it’s plain WRONG! This photographer explained to the world, the truth as has been shown but ignored by so many and for his efforts, I commend him!
“Where are the photographers that would defend Israel with the attacks
on her?” Where are the peacemakers that would be able to (interject) the news with
way more civility, compassion and news (with photos of course), that would bring about
peace and coordination between the Arabs and the Jews? They would be the ones who
truly would deserve a “Nobel Prize.” If sanity and compassion can be sustained in humanity, then we would stay alive in a world of fellowship and peace.
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Dec 03, 2011
[...] Qui l’articolo su honestreporting.com in cui potrete leggere una piacevole intervista all’autore del video (in inglese, ovviamente). [...]
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1:27 pm
Dec 15, 2011
[...] an exclusive interview following up, Salvadori told [...]
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Dec 16, 2011
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Photo-Journalism Behind the Scenes: Ruben Salvadori, Monday February 6, Concordia U | Honest Reporting
12:53 pm
Feb 10, 2012
[...] Salvadori blew the lid on collusion between photojournalists and Palestinian stone throwers. In his remarkably documented video, Photo Journalism Behind the Scenes, Salvadori describes how the David-and-Goliath images come [...]
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