11.14.2009

Sunday Times

Below are a selection of covers and spreads from The Sunday Times Magazine. The most famous being Don McCullin's Viet Cong piece. Rick Poynor writes about The devaluation of photography in magazines in EYE74 stating that it just isn't what it used to be. This is also mirrored in the recent New York Times piece which talks about war photography then and now. I think the below pages illustrate a time when imagery thrived.






























5 comments:

Rob Walls said...

I remember a lot of this photography (not "imagery") well. It was from a time when I worked on Fleet Street and was inspired by the photography of photojournalists such as Don McCullin.

Photojournalism (and people) have changed a lot since then, but it should never be forgotten that the pictures then and the pictures today, published in newspaper supplements, are still just a vehicle to sell luxury goods. I think advertisers discovered that pictorial impact was a distraction from their products, which is why today's content is so bland. The photojournalists are still making the pictures but the traditional venues have dissapeared.

Jloa said...

Omg, where did u get those ancient notes? Could u please share more of that stuff? I would be v grateful.

Darren said...

I haven't read Poyner's piece yet so I might be ranting about nothing here, but I'm getting a bit tired of hearing the same old, "it's not like it used to be" line applied to pretty much anything!

There are still awesome photographers and photojournalists out there, it's just a matter of knowing where to look.

Personally I think it's more about the so called democratization of media than a lack of good work.

Mainstream titles are not the only thing available any more!

Anonymous said...

Yes, Darren, exactly. It's not down to the availability of amazing photographs, it's down to budgets, commissioning, what audiences want to see, trends and sensibilities. In the McCullin piece they debate whether or not you would be 'allowed' to show a wounded or dead American soldier like McCullin did in the seventies.

Stefany Besse said...

I noticed that you had Don McCullen's Old Glory, Young Blood photo! My Dad is the soldier in the photo and I have desperately been looking for a copy of the magazine. If you could provide any direction or help, it would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

sabesse79@hotmail.com