Friday 23 September 2011

Spin

I've admired Maciej Dakowicz's Cardiff After Dark photographs since I first found them. To me they are street photography at its best. And something that couldn't have been easily done before the advent of digital technology.

As far as I'm concerned the images simply show what goes on in a non-judgemental way, always trying to make pictures and usually succeeding.The captioning is generally sparse and without much comment. The viewer is left to interpret the photographs as they feel fit.

Dakowicz's photographs have rightly achieved wide acclaim in various photo publications, on websites, and in photography shows and festivals. It is really good photography.

When the Daily Mail gets their hands on his shots they are used (and cropped) to promote their particular vision of 'broken Britain'. A set of photos of upper class twits in similar drunken states is required to redress the balance!!

What this helps to illustrate is that photographs in themselves make no statements. That is all down to teh viewer to impose on them. Or in this case, for the media to ram down the viewer's throats.

PS - http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/23/st-mary-street/

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