Playing catch up...The True Meaning of Pictures

This movie was incredibly provocative. Every single person I have talked to who has seen this movie has felt very strongly about this movie in one way or another. The movie is so polarizing because Shelby Lee Adams' images and work are so provoking. Since everyone seems to take a stance on his work, it would be appropriate that I do the same. Personally, I do not see Adam's work as exploitative of his subjects because of the strong relationship he has with them. There is no way that Adams' would have been able to capture (or create) these images without such a strong bond. What I found particularly interesting about Adams' work is that he saw it as representational of Appalachian culture. He took that idea even further by claiming it as self-representation. For me, this is more legitimizing than Adams' relationship with his subjects because, he is representing Appalachia as a member of the culture and because he obtains the approval of his subjects before publishing. By incorporating his subjects into the editorial process he is allowing for a certain degree of self representation. I think problems begin to arise when these photos are presented to a population that does not share the same values as Adams' subjects. There is a simple dissonance of values between the subjects and the viewers. I think that viewers must be cognizant of this difference when viewing these images, otherwise they place too many of their own values upon the images.