Reaction photography is the type of photography that I am most interested with. For the photographer to be able to evoke certain emotions out of people, or have the lucky timing of capturing it naturally, takes a certain something that not all photographers are capable of producing. Though my photography I try to obtain reactions, either in the viewer or in the model/"victim." I have always considered it incredibly interesting to provoke people, as if it is in my nature to do so.
So considering this, I have to say that although I may, or may not, always agree with Jill Greenberg's methods for achieving her images, the outcome is generally amazing. In her series "End Time" Greenberg manages to show some of the deepest feeling and reactions that a child is capable of. To create the angst of these images, Greenberg did certain things to provoke these emotions out of the children, such as give them a lollipop and then have her assistant take it away.
This specifc treatment of the children just to create an image caused a big controversy throughout society. Because the children were topless and the way that she had treated them, a lot of people called these photographs child pornography. There was a big outcry against child abuse as well. What people did not keep in mind was that these images were taken under each child's own parental supervision. The parents were aware of the type of images that Greenberg was striving to achieve and they had okayed it prior. Another thing to remember is that a child's memory does not often hold on to the reason why each fit was thrown and after they left the studio, the incident was surely forgotten about.
For me to achieve images that are half as effective as Greenberg's images in "End Time" would be absolutely amazing. This is exactly what I will be striving to do in the following two semesters.
