Photography is an artistic numbers game. When Michael Angelo plots out a creation over months, that's one thing. When a photographer grabs an aestetically pleasing bit of snuff porn in a lucky 0.5 millisecond window, that's another.
Terrorism, you'll know when it works...they'll be talking about it 7 years later.
Most photographers don't get a good photo with each camera snap. They capture what's happening as it happens and go back to find it. So while Drew didn't capture any other photos - apparently - that took the nation's eye, this photo is still an excellent one.
It's that you call it snuff porn and dismiss its value as art. While I understand where you're coming from, I most wholeheartedly disagree - capturing an event as it happens requires quite a lot of courage and it results in really opening an audience's eyes as it happens.
Terrorism, you'll know when it works...they'll be talking about it 7 years later.
This is definitely the most concise version of my very long rant about the mere premise of this article. Please, for the love of god, let. it. go. I know we gotta go with the whole culture of fear thing, but it's time for a new platform already.
Of course I agree with you. But we could also have a wide-ranging discussion about what that photograph represents. Indeed, that to me is what makes it so memorable and artistic. It's photography at its absolute, 1000-word best. Still amid that, fear never comes close to my interpretation.
This romantic pandering about a horrible situation is just not making any sense. He jumped because, perhaps he got scared? Paniced? Decided it was better than suffocation/burning? He didn't say when he got to the ground level.
"Act of defiance"? Who the hell cares?! The building still got destroyed and they're all still dead, the US still went to war, etc.
I guess if emotional romantic babbling is how one deals with emotional stress, then fine. But try not to make factual conclusions
Terrorism, you'll know when it works...they'll be talking about it 7 years later.