10.24.2007 | 03:41 PM • Filed in:
Photography:Writing:Art
If you haven't been following Errol Morris'
indefatigable research into which of Roger Fenton's
two pictures of the Valley of the Shadow of Death
came first, it is definitely worth a read (
part1,
part2,
part3). Like a one-manned JFK assassination
inquiry, Morris tries to refute Susan Sontag's claim
that the photo with the canon balls on the road was
staged, "a fake." This whole subject is fascinating
for photographers like me who strive to document
reality, but know that aesthetics often trump when
the subject is mundane. Here are the two photos in
question. Now, which was shot first and why?
OFF
ON