Photo visuals of Japan: The Tact of Photography

After viewing the films “Life Through a Lens” and “War Photographer”, the two distinctly different photographers discuss their takes on the tact and technique of photography. While Annie Leibovitz focused on both real and idealized life, James Natchwey launched his career in photography with a single purpose—to effect change. Although their subject matters are vastly different, it is a testament to the wide range of photography and the depiction of our surroundings. Despite their differences, they share a uniquely similar perspective concerning photography: photos have a large impact upon the public and the compositional aspects give the photo a voice.

"Richard Nixon leaving the White House, Washington, D.C." 1974.
From Annie Leibovitz: At Work (Random House, 2008)

Leibovitz grew up under the scrutiny of the lens, so her natural inclination was to gravitate towards photography. Throughout the film, she explains her habit of constantly taking photos and how in doing so, it has helped her to develop her individual sense of photo composition. In order to find the right shot or the desired effect in one’s photography, he or she should be willing to explore both with the equipment and the subject matter. Leibovitz achieved much of her fame by not only constantly exploring the elements of photography, but also by displaying a sense of daring when depicting the subject matter. Photos are fragments of life and therefore as the photographer, one has the opportunity to both voice an opinion as well as provoke a response from the viewers.

Lance Armstrong, photo by Annie Leibovitz Dec. 1999 issue Vanity Fair

Natchwey was strongly influenced by the images of the Vietnam War and became inspired to become a war photographer. It was the war photos that had effected his perception and in an effort to make a statement, he launched into his career. His career choice is proof in itself that images do have an effect on those who view them—this points towards the importance of depicting events accurately. The gruesome and disturbing images that Natchwey produces, embody the awfulness of human conflict.

In the film, there were many instances in which Natchwey seem to overstep his bounds as an observer to the grieving victims of war, but he states that in those situations the normal etiquette is temporarily ignored. He explains that his desire to show the world the wrongs being committed against humans coincides with their desire to in turn gain a voice through their suffering. Similar to Leibovitz, Natchwey also uses tact when dealing with the subjects of photos—one must approach slowly and show interest in the victims so as to gain their trust and in turn convey the mutual desire of the tragedies of war. From these two photographers, it is clear that they do not simply shoot photos, instead both as humans behind the camera lens regard their human subjects with mutual care and understanding.