Perspective Is Everything
June 10, 2012 9:49 PM Subscribe
Iconic photos uncropped: Tank Man, Tiananmen Square. Che Guevara. The Loch Ness Monster. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band including sidelined Hitler. The Million Dollar Quartet
I've never seen that Million Dollar Quartet picture (or heard of the recordings, frankly) before. Who is that lady?
posted by SkinnerSan at 10:01 PM on June 10, 2012
posted by SkinnerSan at 10:01 PM on June 10, 2012
I don't care if anyone winds up saying this post is thin on content. These are awesome.
posted by DoctorFedora at 10:05 PM on June 10, 2012
posted by DoctorFedora at 10:05 PM on June 10, 2012
Ah, further down the page of the wikipedia page: Marilyn Evans, Elvis's girlfriend
posted by SkinnerSan at 10:06 PM on June 10, 2012
posted by SkinnerSan at 10:06 PM on June 10, 2012
maxwelton: ""Tank man" is even more powerful uncropped."
Don't forget that there's actually video of the whole incident.
posted by schmod at 10:42 PM on June 10, 2012 [3 favorites]
Don't forget that there's actually video of the whole incident.
posted by schmod at 10:42 PM on June 10, 2012 [3 favorites]
"Tank man" is even more powerful uncropped.
And more chilling too. Who are those lines of people sitting in rows in the background? Are they soldiers taking a break? Or protesters lined up and waiting to be shipped off to kangaroo courts, where many of them would be executed?
And jesus fucking christ, just how many tanks do you need to massacre a bunch of kids and farmers?
posted by kmz at 10:45 PM on June 10, 2012 [1 favorite]
And more chilling too. Who are those lines of people sitting in rows in the background? Are they soldiers taking a break? Or protesters lined up and waiting to be shipped off to kangaroo courts, where many of them would be executed?
And jesus fucking christ, just how many tanks do you need to massacre a bunch of kids and farmers?
posted by kmz at 10:45 PM on June 10, 2012 [1 favorite]
I know. That guy isn't facing down one tank. He's facing down a battalion. Jesus.
And the Sgt. Pepper cover was actually a single shot? I assumed it was all composited.
posted by figurant at 11:03 PM on June 10, 2012 [3 favorites]
And the Sgt. Pepper cover was actually a single shot? I assumed it was all composited.
posted by figurant at 11:03 PM on June 10, 2012 [3 favorites]
There's also this photo with a different angle on the the tank man.
[via reddit. I have no idea whether or not it is genuine, but I didn't see any debunking.]
posted by benito.strauss at 11:08 PM on June 10, 2012 [1 favorite]
[via reddit. I have no idea whether or not it is genuine, but I didn't see any debunking.]
posted by benito.strauss at 11:08 PM on June 10, 2012 [1 favorite]
It's real. (The NYT had a writeup about it as well, linked in a comment in this previous post.)
A sidenote: no idea if this is true or not, since so much of the fate of those involved is just speculation, but I remember rumors that the driver of the tank "disappeared" as well. I'm sure what he was supposed to do was run right over Tank Man.b
posted by kmz at 11:19 PM on June 10, 2012
A sidenote: no idea if this is true or not, since so much of the fate of those involved is just speculation, but I remember rumors that the driver of the tank "disappeared" as well. I'm sure what he was supposed to do was run right over Tank Man.b
posted by kmz at 11:19 PM on June 10, 2012
Che Guevara link links to "how the photo was taken." Interesting story and consequences:
Korda never received a penny. For one reason only - Cuba had not signed the Berne Convention. Fidel Castro described the protection of intellectual property as imperialistic "bullshit".
posted by Listener at 11:50 PM on June 10, 2012 [1 favorite]
Korda never received a penny. For one reason only - Cuba had not signed the Berne Convention. Fidel Castro described the protection of intellectual property as imperialistic "bullshit".
posted by Listener at 11:50 PM on June 10, 2012 [1 favorite]
So that Loch Ness monster photo was something sticking up out of the water near the shore?
The cads!
posted by the noob at 12:13 AM on June 11, 2012
The cads!
posted by the noob at 12:13 AM on June 11, 2012
I'm curious about why Hitler was there.
(I can guess why he was sidelined).
posted by Mezentian at 12:31 AM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
(I can guess why he was sidelined).
posted by Mezentian at 12:31 AM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
I'm curious about why Hitler was there.
(I can guess why he was sidelined).
"Hey guys! Can I be in the picture too?"
"No."
"Aw, man. Why not?"
"Because you are Adolf Hitler and we don't like you."
"Nuts."
posted by louche mustachio at 12:43 AM on June 11, 2012 [4 favorites]
(I can guess why he was sidelined).
"Hey guys! Can I be in the picture too?"
"No."
"Aw, man. Why not?"
"Because you are Adolf Hitler and we don't like you."
"Nuts."
posted by louche mustachio at 12:43 AM on June 11, 2012 [4 favorites]
Chicago Tribune article on the mystery woman cropped out of the Million Dollar Quartet photo.
posted by louche mustachio at 12:54 AM on June 11, 2012
posted by louche mustachio at 12:54 AM on June 11, 2012
So that Loch Ness monster photo was something sticking up out of the water near the shore?
The cads!
I've always thought it was a loon.
posted by fshgrl at 1:38 AM on June 11, 2012
The cads!
I've always thought it was a loon.
posted by fshgrl at 1:38 AM on June 11, 2012
It seems that the tank man picture I know, is taken from another angle. Whenever I think about that picture, I think of the streetlight with all the balls in the front of the picture.
posted by ouke at 1:46 AM on June 11, 2012
posted by ouke at 1:46 AM on June 11, 2012
There's an even more uncropped version of the Loch Ness photograph that shows the far bank. If you know the geography of the loch and a little about perspective and waves, it becomes immediately and painfully obvious that the 'monster' is in less than ten feet of water.
I may be conflating my memories, but I'm pretty sure I was in the Fortean Times office the day the full photo came in, and ringing through the building you could hear the final nail being knocked into the surgeon's coffin with a bloody great sledgehammer.
posted by Hogshead at 3:04 AM on June 11, 2012 [2 favorites]
I may be conflating my memories, but I'm pretty sure I was in the Fortean Times office the day the full photo came in, and ringing through the building you could hear the final nail being knocked into the surgeon's coffin with a bloody great sledgehammer.
posted by Hogshead at 3:04 AM on June 11, 2012 [2 favorites]
Chicago Tribune article on the mystery woman cropped out of the Million Dollar Quartet photo.
That was an unexpectedly sweet and interesting story, thanks. I loved how she compared being excited about dating Elvis to having your high school prom be the high point of your life -- that for her, it was fun but not really a big deal, and not nearly as important as the things she valued like her dancing and her marriage.
posted by Forktine at 5:23 AM on June 11, 2012 [4 favorites]
after all these years it's quite clear to me that the loch ness monster is ... a loon.
posted by lester's sock puppet at 5:37 AM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by lester's sock puppet at 5:37 AM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
Nae, he canna be aloon: I'm thinkin' there's weans doon there, ye ken?
posted by Segundus at 6:09 AM on June 11, 2012 [10 favorites]
posted by Segundus at 6:09 AM on June 11, 2012 [10 favorites]
Korda never received a penny. For one reason only - Cuba had not signed the Berne Convention. Fidel Castro described the protection of intellectual property as imperialistic "bullshit".
47 years later, the tech industry would take the concept to such ridiculous extremes that even the U.S. Federal Court system could no longer pretend otherwise.
posted by Naberius at 6:20 AM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
47 years later, the tech industry would take the concept to such ridiculous extremes that even the U.S. Federal Court system could no longer pretend otherwise.
posted by Naberius at 6:20 AM on June 11, 2012 [1 favorite]
Nessie is a gentle creature... We're trying to steer away from the term 'monster.'
posted by zombieflanders at 6:35 AM on June 11, 2012
posted by zombieflanders at 6:35 AM on June 11, 2012
It seems that the tank man picture I know, is taken from another angle. Whenever I think about that picture, I think of the streetlight with all the balls in the front of the picture.
This is a trick of perspective. Those balls on the streetlight are not the biggest balls in that picture.
posted by chavenet at 6:44 AM on June 11, 2012 [9 favorites]
This is a trick of perspective. Those balls on the streetlight are not the biggest balls in that picture.
posted by chavenet at 6:44 AM on June 11, 2012 [9 favorites]
I don't care if anyone winds up saying this post is thin on content. These are awesome.
posted by DoctorFedora at 10:05 PM on June 10 [+] [!]
This post isn't thin on content -- you should see the uncropped version!
posted by chavenet at 6:46 AM on June 11, 2012
posted by DoctorFedora at 10:05 PM on June 10 [+] [!]
This post isn't thin on content -- you should see the uncropped version!
posted by chavenet at 6:46 AM on June 11, 2012
fshgrl: "So that Loch Ness monster photo was something sticking up out of the water near the shore?
The cads!
I've always thought it was a loon."
No, the authors of the hoax 'fessed up.
posted by IAmBroom at 6:49 AM on June 11, 2012
The cads!
I've always thought it was a loon."
No, the authors of the hoax 'fessed up.
posted by IAmBroom at 6:49 AM on June 11, 2012
The un-cropped version of the Loch Ness photo kind of blows it out of the water.
Sound cryptozoological advice.
posted by Tube at 7:25 AM on June 11, 2012
Sound cryptozoological advice.
posted by Tube at 7:25 AM on June 11, 2012
Not sure if "standard" pic of Tianenmen Tank Man is cropped? There were multiple photojournalists
Wiki:
posted by Panjandrum at 7:27 AM on June 11, 2012
Wiki:
The most used photograph of the event was taken by Jeff Widener of the Associated Press, from a sixth floor balcony of the Beijing Hotel, about half a mile (800 meters) away from the scene.I'm guessing the "uncropped" version is actually just Franklin's shot. Still doesn't change how powerful that scene was and still is.
...
Another version was taken by Stuart Franklin of Magnum Photos from the fifth floor of the Beijing Hotel. His has a wider field of view than Widener's, showing more tanks further away.
posted by Panjandrum at 7:27 AM on June 11, 2012
And jesus fucking christ, just how many tanks do you need to massacre a bunch of kids and farmers?
"And, Hey Kids..!! Don't Forget to Smash The State!!!" - Mr. Natural
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:44 AM on June 11, 2012
"And, Hey Kids..!! Don't Forget to Smash The State!!!" - Mr. Natural
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:44 AM on June 11, 2012
Panjandrum, it's pretty easy to confirm it isn't the same shot, based on the position of the streetlamps.
I'm not sure why people are surprised at this; the protests were a massive international story and Beijing was swarmed with journalists. The major surprise is that there was anybody on the street at the time.
Who are those lines of people sitting in rows in the background? Are they soldiers taking a break? Or protesters lined up and waiting to be shipped off to kangaroo courts, where many of them would be executed?
If you examine the mise-en-scene, the control of the square is pretty much complete. The lines in the rough foreground are, I believe, squatting or sitting infantry (there's so much olive drab). In the far back left there are some standing people who might be under arrest, but this was rather late, the morning after, and there's little evidence of casualties (barring the burned-out van which may have been an ambulance); the army appears to be in complete control of the square. The takeover had happened during the night, so this was well after the melee. I would expect any civilians left would be stragglers, or like Tank Man appeared to be, someone out on errands or on their way to work.
It's not really clear what the tanks are doing here, as the boulevard is otherwise deserted; either mounting a patrol or expanding the perimeter of control, I would have to assume. But they don't appear to be advancing on any massed protesters. This is, as noted, the aftermath.
Most of the protesters seem not to have been executed (although that is a common sentence in China for numerous crimes), but re-educated, and quite a few later made their way to the West, with some presumed collaboration by the Chinese government, which was more than happy to expel malcontents.
And jesus fucking christ, just how many tanks do you need to massacre a bunch of kids and farmers?
Internal conversations among the leadership were very fearful and panicky about both widespread revolt and international pressure, both coming to a head after an aborted earlier attempt to maintain order. It was clear they needed massive, overwhelming force. Tanks are not really good anti-personnel weapons (you'll notice the ones in the Tank Man shots have their main turret guns raised high, out of firing position), but they're good for blocking streets and access points, and people do stay away from them. It's likely the majority of the casualties were shot by infantry during staged clashes outside the square itself when protesters tried, French Revolution style, to block columns of troops. I'm not saying it wasn't a brutal crackdown, but the context is sometimes misunderstood.
posted by dhartung at 11:15 AM on June 11, 2012 [2 favorites]
I'm not sure why people are surprised at this; the protests were a massive international story and Beijing was swarmed with journalists. The major surprise is that there was anybody on the street at the time.
Who are those lines of people sitting in rows in the background? Are they soldiers taking a break? Or protesters lined up and waiting to be shipped off to kangaroo courts, where many of them would be executed?
If you examine the mise-en-scene, the control of the square is pretty much complete. The lines in the rough foreground are, I believe, squatting or sitting infantry (there's so much olive drab). In the far back left there are some standing people who might be under arrest, but this was rather late, the morning after, and there's little evidence of casualties (barring the burned-out van which may have been an ambulance); the army appears to be in complete control of the square. The takeover had happened during the night, so this was well after the melee. I would expect any civilians left would be stragglers, or like Tank Man appeared to be, someone out on errands or on their way to work.
It's not really clear what the tanks are doing here, as the boulevard is otherwise deserted; either mounting a patrol or expanding the perimeter of control, I would have to assume. But they don't appear to be advancing on any massed protesters. This is, as noted, the aftermath.
Most of the protesters seem not to have been executed (although that is a common sentence in China for numerous crimes), but re-educated, and quite a few later made their way to the West, with some presumed collaboration by the Chinese government, which was more than happy to expel malcontents.
And jesus fucking christ, just how many tanks do you need to massacre a bunch of kids and farmers?
Internal conversations among the leadership were very fearful and panicky about both widespread revolt and international pressure, both coming to a head after an aborted earlier attempt to maintain order. It was clear they needed massive, overwhelming force. Tanks are not really good anti-personnel weapons (you'll notice the ones in the Tank Man shots have their main turret guns raised high, out of firing position), but they're good for blocking streets and access points, and people do stay away from them. It's likely the majority of the casualties were shot by infantry during staged clashes outside the square itself when protesters tried, French Revolution style, to block columns of troops. I'm not saying it wasn't a brutal crackdown, but the context is sometimes misunderstood.
posted by dhartung at 11:15 AM on June 11, 2012 [2 favorites]
"Because you are Adolf Hitler and we don't like you."
Das ist OK. Ich bin daran gewöhnt, werden zum Schweigen gebracht MEIN GANZES LEBEN.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:30 AM on June 11, 2012
Das ist OK. Ich bin daran gewöhnt, werden zum Schweigen gebracht MEIN GANZES LEBEN.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:30 AM on June 11, 2012
Man, I thought that all of these would be jokes, and when I clicked on the Million Dollar Quartet first, I thought, "Patsy Cline? You're shittin' me."
posted by Halloween Jack at 1:52 PM on June 11, 2012
posted by Halloween Jack at 1:52 PM on June 11, 2012
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posted by maxwelton at 9:56 PM on June 10, 2012 [54 favorites]