Making Kids Cry

After the reactions from yesterday's I expect some mixed reviews from this entry. But a blog to me is about sharing personal views for public feedback. I really enjoy sharing work that inspires/provokes me in some way.

I learned about this photographer on documentary on the planeride to Singapore. Her name is Jill Greenberg and she makes kids cry. To capture these images she just offers the children a lolly pop, then takes it away- only for long enough to log their reaction. Any of you who have kids know their emotions change on a dime and that this doesn't hurt the little ones but I'm sure from the children's point of view the technique lacks ethics! Just because the adults in the studio know the 'pain' will be all over in a second, does that give them the right to sacrifice their childrens' emotions for a brilliant photo op? No? Well on second thought, how about those parents who make their kids sit on Santa's lap just for a split second when they know their child is terrified of Santa? Or family photo sessions! Those make me cry. Here Greenberg focuses on capturing the split second of grief and prolonging it in a photo rather than capturing that moment of bliss we usually stage in front of the camera. Maybe one of the most interesting things about these pictures is not their appearance but the questions they raise. Critics have called her work 'evil' and said she should be charged with child abuse. Something tells me the children aren't left with deep emotional scars other than perhaps a little distrust of photographers and their candy. What do you think?