Wrong?...or right?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I guess the main question is historical accuracy, and whether subtle biases may creep in...

Word. If they don't change history, no biggie. Indeed, photography itself has a bias. The photographer's, the subject's, the time's.

[Cormac]

What battle left all those people lying dead in that field?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

What battle left all those people lying dead in that field?

ACW, for sure. I could find the exact battlefield if you want to know. The dead were the favorite subject of photogs then because they didn't move during long exposures.

As for the bodies, they were probably still getting to those, both sides had issues regarding wounded and dead soldiers, nothing formal was in place to handle the amount of casualties they got. The Mexican-American war model was still in place, and that was a minor skirmish in comparison.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Here you go. http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/art ... tobj=64592

[Cormac]

What battle left all those people lying dead in that field?

ACW, for sure. I could find the exact battlefield if you want to know. The dead were the favorite subject of photogs then because they didn't move during long exposures.

As for the bodies, they were probably still getting to those, both sides had issues regarding wounded and dead soldiers, nothing formal was in place to handle the amount of casualties they got. The Mexican-American war model was still in place, and that was a minor skirmish in comparison.

Thx GW.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Gettysburg was a three/four-day battle (depending on who you ask), so the photogs would have been handy for this event. The pix was taken on July 4th, Independence Day here. So the bodies had been lying in the field for at least 24-hours.

[pErvinalia]

The "original" black and white is an interpretation too. Which is more accurate?

The profile photos are an interpretation of the person (as their clothing and pose were chosen), but the photo of the nuclear cloud isn't an interpretation. It is a static viewpoint of an event.

The most accurate are the ones with the least edits.

What I am saying is that black and white photography is an interpretation itself, as no one sees in black and white.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

The "original" black and white is an interpretation too. Which is more accurate?

The profile photos are an interpretation of the person (as their clothing and pose were chosen), but the photo of the nuclear cloud isn't an interpretation. It is a static viewpoint of an event.

The most accurate are the ones with the least edits.

What I am saying is that black and white photography is an interpretation itself, as no one sees in black and white.

It wasn't an interpretation before they developed color film. It was a limitation. However, color film was available for many of those shots, so I'd call it an interpretation for those.

[pErvinalia]

You're missing the point. Rendering an image in black and white is an interpretation of the real world, regardless of whether colour film was available. In fact, as I think someone said above, ALL photography is an interpretation. But especially black and white.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

You're missing the point. Rendering an image in black and white is an interpretation of the real world, regardless of whether colour film was available. In fact, as I think someone said above, ALL photography is an interpretation. But especially black and white.

If you have no other option, then it's not an interpretation to use the only available medium.

Now I agree that other factors in the picture are interpretations. For example, a picture of Abe Lincoln as he got out of bed in his long johns would have been more realistic, but you still have to have the photog decide to shoot at that precise instant.

[pErvinalia]

You're still not getting it. We don't see in black and white. Therefore a black and white photo is a particular interpretation of reality. It's got nothing to do with colour film or what people are wearing.

[Cormac]

I thought for a moment it might have been the aftermath of Little Big Horn. (An ancestor of mine died there - Captain Myles Keogh).

[Gawdzilla Sama]

You're still not getting it. We don't see in black and white. Therefore a black and white photo is a particular interpretation of reality. It's got nothing to do with colour film or what people are wearing.

You're still not getting it. If they had never invented color film b&w would be the only option and totally unremarkable. So every picture would share that same feature, lack of color. I drew a line between b&w only and b&w optional for that reason.

[pErvinalia]

I give up. I'm going to bed. Someone else explain it to him.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I thought for a moment it might have been the aftermath of Little Big Horn. (An ancestor of mine died there - Captain Myles Keogh).

Don't think there were any photogs near the area. The expedition was photographed at the outset, but nothing later that I know of.