Six-tenths of a second, 2 lives forever changed – a tale of two pictures, taken fractions of a second apart, and the difference it made to the people who took them.
This is a long, detailed and frankly perverse tale, of the perils of being conscientious, prepared, ready, waiting and early: Bob Jackson, who took the later picture (right), got the Pulitzer prize. Jack Beers, who showed up early, got his perfect position, and who was ready and waiting, took his shot (left, obfuscated, see comments) 0.6 seconds before Jackson, didn’t. (Dallas News, via Matt Fraction)
This seems like a good opportunity to roll out a brlliant piece of Dead Kennedys-related photoshoppery that came to me as a mail attachment about five years ago. I don’t know who made the image; if anyone out there does, I’d be delighted to know, and to add a credit…
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I am the daughter of JACK BEERS (photo on left)this photo did change my whole family. Every time I see it I get sick.To the younger generation it has no meaning, to me it is a photo that is copyrighted and not to be copied or sold by anyone but myself. I do see the need to use it for educational reasons but the jokes like the photo on the right by unknown hurt some a lot. When I saw it for the first time I laughed also. How cleaver that person was. But to some it has been a nightmare to be a part of this history. So please only look at it as intended.A horrible tradgedy for all of these that it had to be taken. My father was heart sick because of this photo and it has and will always effect my life and the members of my family`s lives.Darlene Beers-Williams
Hmmm. I do not see anything disrespectful to you or your family, either in this post or in the story to which it linked (has been broken, is now fixed). Certainly none is intended in this quarter.
I appreciate that seeing this picture brings unhappy memories for you, and so, after some deliberation, I have decided to obfuscate the thumbnail image.
I must say it was a pretty strange experience, seeing the pictures on this blog in their context on the Google Images page, amongst gnarly grey scans of documents relating howsoever.
Regarding the DK montage: again, there are many possible ways to look at this image, and while some people, through their own particular associations, might look at it as personal tragedy, others would see an iconic historical image reappropriated with serious artistic intent.
Finally, I’m sorry to say your appeal to “only look at it as intended” will inevitably be in vain, not least because people are always going to have their own personal answers to the question, “intended by whom?”.
Here is the story behind the picture for those who are interested.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spe/2003/jfk/stories/063002dnmetshot.378ed.html
Respect should be given to Darlene Beers-Williams and her family. Also the photo that Mr. Beers took should be respected and never be altered. It was one of the dark days in American history.
CW