At the ever-intriguing BAGnews Notes, we see Alan Chin's amazing photographs from Hurricaine Katrina, and some interesting discussion about what makes those photographs work.
... these pictures seem that much more raw. Not surprisingly, his answer illuminated the difference it made that most of the news photos were in color. Chin explained:The medium may not quite be the message, but subtle choices in medium do shape the message.I shot it in black-and-white because we live in America, so no matter what happens, we always have visual elements that are very distracting. I was one of the only people who did this in black and white. I felt it should not be distracted by color, by the fact someone might have been wearing a hot pink t-shirt. I didn't want that irony in it. I wanted to get to the heart of the matter—to the crucial thing.
BAG news has the collection above, plus two followups: St. Rita Ongoing and The Katrina Landscape.
The most evocative photographs have been in B/W. It strips out the unnecessary. See Dorothea Lange, and particularly Margaret Bourke-White's LOUISVILLE FLOOD. So interesting that so many years can pass, and Chin's photos look like a continuation of her's. Thanks for giving us the link.
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