A Rhetorical Analysis Of 'Migrant Mother' By Lewis Hine

Jordan Ferris "While photographs may not lie, liars may photograph". This line, stated by Lewis Hine, a famous photographer from the late 19th to mid 20th century, is starting to become a phrase that really has some meaning (McClymer, 2011). It was once thought that a photograph told the complete truth. However, in more recent times with the technology of the camera, photographers now have the option to not only stage pictures, but to also go back and retouch them once they are already taken. These two forms of photo manipulation are causing a serious ethical dilemma in the photojournalism world. “Migrant Mother”, a photograph of down and out mom Florence Thompson, taken by photographer Dorothea Lange, is a captivating photo, that at first glance has a major impact
on viewers, but looking deeper into it, we can see prominent forms of manipulation going on. Staging a photograph is the act of setting up a scene in order to create a certain essence to the picture.
While photojournalists should take pictures unplanned, many are starting to take staged photographs, and it is becoming a serious ethical dilemma. As viewers of photojournalists’ work, we want to see the truth. We want to see real life accounts of what is going on in the world. Pictures are supposed to be worth a thousand words, but if photographs continue to be staged as they are being staged now, we will need words to accurately know what is going on. Dorothea Lange’s photograph of “Migrant Mother” was a somewhat accurate depiction of what was happening at the time. However, the picture that was so publicized was not necessarily “real life”. The “cover shot” we see that Lange took was much less impactful than the photograph that she took staged of the family. So why stage photos? In this case, Lange wanted to show how dramatic and hard times were for people in the depression and drought. Staging the photo made this happen, even if it omitted some of the real life to it. For example, Thompson’s oldest daughter was not included in the picture, because people react stronger to younger children.
Staging photographs has become such an issue that journalists are being fired from their jobs for creating an image that is not true to life. Even the White House has taken a stance on staging photographs. In the past, after a live presidential speech is given, the president will reenact a portion of the speech for photographers to capture. So, the still photographs we commonly see of presidents during their speeches could possibly just be a reenactment of such. But recently, under the Obama administration, the idea of these staged photos might be removed because it is simply a “bad idea” (Meyers & Tompkins, 2011). It is believed to be unethical because it is not true to the exact moment. Staging photos is becoming a serious issue that photojournalists are using, and in many circumstances they need to reflect on their morals in order to produce real to life photographs. Another form of photo manipulation is retouching. Retouching is the process of taking something out of, or putting something in a photo to make the effect of the photo more dramatic. With the invention of Photoshop and other such apps, it is easy for photographers to take an image and turn it into something completely different with the click of a button ("Is Photo Retouching," 2013, para. 3). But with this, will we be able to trust the everyday pictures we see to get our news from? Hopefully, yes. When photographer Brian Walski was caught manipulating his photograph by combining two photographs, he was fired from his job at the Los Angeles Times ("10 News photos," 2009, para. 4). In the case of Dorothea Lange, her photo was in fact retouched, even though it is very minor. In the bottom right of the original picture, there is a thumb you can see holding back what is thought to be the canvas of a tent. However, in the published image, we see no thumb, just a darker spot where the thumb once was. This is a crystal clear example of how easy it is to retouch a picture, and even though it might not always be very dramatic, the little things add up, manipulating the audience’s eyes. In March 2003, Brian Walski, photojournalist for the Los Angeles Times published a photograph of a British Soldier directing Iraqi civilians. Upon looking at this picture, it was noticed that some people in the background appear more than once ("Editors Note," n.d., para. 1,2). After talking to Walski, he told the paper he combined two pictures together in order to create a more dramatic photo. He was fired upon this, as this practice in unacceptable in the photojournalistic world. This photograph is a prime example of how easy it is to retouch a photo, and how easy it is to miss these retouches as well. “Migrant Mother” is not the only famous retouch known to man, it happens in the everyday world of photojournalism. From a professional standpoint, Dorothea Lange did her job. She produced a photograph that got worldwide attention. However, she did not consult the focus of her picture before it’s publication. This practice might have been acceptable during this era, but in more recent times, a more ethical approach is needed. This is where a persons morals come into their career. Do you post the picture that can ruin someone’s life just to advance yours, or do you take the backseat with a good picture to save the reputation of another person. In this case, Lange took the opportunity to advance herself, at the cost of Florence Thompson. Thompson was offended that she was portrayed as a woman who was always in need of aid from others. She wanted retribution for the picture that someone else made so much money off of. When the truth of someone else life is at stake, whether it be the subject of a photograph or the person consuming the news, it is always necessary to take the moral approach, and only produce photographs that are in their original setting and untouched.

References
10 News photos that took retouching too far. (2009). Retrieved September 11, 2012, from http://www.mediabistro.com/10000words/10-news-photos-that-took-photoshop-too_b328.
Editors Note, n.d. Retrieved September 11, 2013, from http://www.sree.net/teaching/lateditors.html.
Is Photo Retouching Ethical In Visual Journalism? (2013). Retrieved September 11, 2011, from http://www.brooks.edu/Student-Life/Brooks-Blog/August-2013/Is-Photo-Retouching-Ethical-In-Visual-Journalism.
McClymer, John. (2010, July 10). Using Lewis Hine 's Child Labor Photographs. The Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era Online. Retrieved September 11, 2013, from http://www.jgape.org/.
Myers, Steven. (2011, May 13). Photographers debate what should replace staged photo opps now that White House is ending the practice. Poynter. Retrieved September 11, 2013, from http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/top-stories/132178/white-house-to-stop-staging-photos-for-still-photographers-but-what-will-take-its-place/.
Tompkins, Al. (2011, May 4). Reuters, AP photojournalists describe staging of Obama photo. Poynter. Retrieved September 11, 2013, from http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/als-morning-meeting/130913/reuters-ap-photojournalists-describe-staging-of-obama-photo-staged-after-announcement-of-bin-ladens-death/.