VII Website Response

It’s difficult to think about the VII website without thinking about it in contrast to Magnum’s. Something about VII just seems way more 21st century. This is obviously partly because their entire existence has been in the 21st century, unlike Magnum which has been around since the late 40’s. I think what is interesting when thinking about the two agencies is how both of them were founded in moments where new photographic technology was changing the way people took and thought about photography and in the wake of paradigm shift political events . Magnum was founded soon after smaller cameras and faster film became available and in the post World War II years.  Similarly, VII was founded in the beginning of the digital age, coinciding with the 9/11 attacks and the War on Terror . It makes me wonder how the technological advances and political events have affected the overall aesthetic and philosophies  of VII and how that compares to Magnum. I wonder how a photographer would choose to be part of Magnum or VII if they were given that choice. I don’t really have an answer to these questions yet but I do have a few observations. It seems that there is a lot less black and white than on Magnum’s site among the more modern photos. Perhaps this is because VII was born within the digital age, there isn’t as much weight attached to pre-color photography. There also seems to be a lot less traditional war photography on the VII site. Perhaps strategically, it seems like they are mostly promoting political stores from current U.S. presidential race.

Speaking of the presidential race, one of the first stories that stood out to me was a series by Ron Haviv called “Weekend at the Republicans”. Ron Haviv is an Emmy nominated New York based photographer and one of the founders of VII. “Weekend at the Republicans” documents the recent Republican Leadership Summit in New Hampshire. I think what is so interesting about these photos is that Haviv photographs this politicians in very unconventional ways. Often his photos, rather than being standard political portraits that give the viewer the sense of the politicians power, Haviv often focuses on smaller details of the politicians. For example, in one, captioned, Clockwise Senator Ted Cruz , Governor Mike Huckabee, US Senator Rand Paul, Governor Jeb Bush,Governor Rick Perry, Carly Fiorina speak at Republican Summit,

Clockwise Senator Ted Cruz , Governor Mike Huckabee, US Senator Rand Paul, Governor Jeb Bush,Governor Rick Perry, Carly Fiorina speak at Republican Summit.

Haviv creates a portrait of these politicians from behind, through the American flags they are speaking in front of. Instead of the politicians faces, you see their feet, visible through the bottom of the flags or their shadows. Even the choice of whose feet Haviv chose to show is really interesting. For example, the first set of feet turn out to be the feet of Ted Cruz, who is wearing black dress pants and ornate cowboy boots. Below his are the feet of Carly Fiorina, who is wearing black and white high heels and a blue knee length skirt. Rand Paul is wearing blue jeans and brown worn in boots. Here, I think Haviv is trying to point out how tactical the clothing of these candidates are by obscuring the candidates faces and upper bodies. Each politician has clearly thought about their footwear, and trying to win over a certain segment of the American public through their appearance. Another interesting photo from this story shows Governor Mike Huckabee being photographed on a mobile phone.

Former governor Mike Huckabee at the Republican Leadership Summit in Nashua, N.H.

I think it is really interesting to create a portrait of a person through the camera of someone else,  and perhaps shows the spectacle and massive media event that America’s presidential race has become.

Another story I found interesting was Franco Pagetti story “The Cuban Paradox”. Pagetti is an Italian photographer who has been working as a news photographer since 1994. I spent a week in Havana in January so I was curious to see how a VII photographer would portray the city. I think many photographers fall into the trap of portraying the city as a kind of “time capsule” of the fifties without digging much deeper into the culture of the country and the city. However, I think, in the wake of Cuba’s rekindled relationship with the United States, Pagetti does a good job of not falling into the “time capsule” trope and instead, tries to capture the excitement many Cubans are feeling about the future. For example, even in his photographs of vintage American cars, he includes in the caption that the engine is actually from a hyundai and that the car has Japanese and Korean parts, despite the fact that the body of the car is American.

An old American car being used as a taxi. The bodywork is vintage but inside it hides a 2008 Hyundai diesel engine and other Korean and Japanese parts. Havana, Cuba. April 2015.

In another photograph, he shows people on their cell phones and tablets using wireless access to talk to their friends and family outside of Cuba. I think these things are important, because it combats the dominant idea that Cuba is stuck in the past which is largely perpetuated by photographers.

Along the Prado and 23 Street, people use a wireless internet connection to speak with friends and relatives who live outside the country. Havana, Cuba. August 8, 2015.

Although wifi may be restricted and car parts too expensive for the average Cuban to buy, I think it’s important to remember that Cuba isn’t as isolated and antiquated as people often think it is. I think this is what Pagetti means by titling the story “The Cuban Paradox”.