The Set Up

I think that out of all the FSA photographer's work, “You Have Seen Their Faces” is the most interesting. Every time the work is brought up, we hear all about Agee, Evans, and Dorothea Lange, but Margaret Bourke-White for some reason isn't mentioned as frequently in the same category.

Margaret Bourke-White: The photographer posing with her camera.

When I fist saw, “You Have Seen Their Faces,” I admired the way it seemed to give the subjects a voice. I liked the use of quotes and of personal stories next to the photographs, so that the people become more humanized and engaging to the viewer. It is often difficult to relate to a photograph of a subject in need when we know nothing about them and seem to have no connection to them. The use of quotes is very much lacking in a lot of current photojournalism, which will include a photograph of the person and a caption written by the journalist, but no quotes or simply short ones that don't really convey a point of view or personal anecdote. HOWEVER, when I learned that the quotes were made up by the authors/editors, I was shocked. My entire conception of the book was turned on it's head and suddenly I found it offensive, distasteful, and completely ridiculous. I wondered if readers at the time had any idea that these quotes were fabricated and the images set up...

I also wonder with all of the FSA images how much of the subject's action/pose were unplanned and spontaneous, as opposed to set up or influenced by the photographer. Of course the photographer's eye plays a role, as no photographs are entirely subjective. But there are definite ways for a photographer to get a subject to behave differently or react to the camera in a certain way. Although I couldn't find the article and am still searching for it, I was told by one of my photography professors that Dorothea Lange told the children in “Migrant Mother” to look away from the camera to increase the dramatic effect. With their faces turned away, the children came to represent a wider public, becoming icons for all children of the depression. In a way this is a good thing, but on the other hand, it also dehumanizes and depersonalizes them more than they would have been, had we seen their facial expressions. I don't know how true this claim is, but I suppose all of the photographers did direct their subjects to an extent, at least in some of the images, to get their point across.

I think it is important to remember that all of these photographers had a very specific agenda that is reflected in their images intentionally. They set out to prove a point about the effects of the Depression and returned with images that did so. I appreciated Agee's honesty in feeling conflicted about the project, worrying about objectifying his subjects and how his images would affect their situation. I wonder if the other photographers had similar thoughts...