Prompt #4

“If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera.” ~Lewis Hine.

Write a brief reaction to this quote. Is this quote applicable to your experience with photography? What does it mean to you? Do you agree with the idea presented or disagree? Describe situations when photographic images reveal “the story” (as compared to words). Describe situations when words reveal “the story” (as compared to images).


My interpretation of this quote is that a photograph can fill in the void that plain text may leave when telling a story. Although I agree with it, I think there are situations where the supplement of text add much more than a photograph can. For example, you can see a picture of an amputee. 
You may first start to wonder how it happened, and why, but are left with no real answers. In order to get that with pictures, you would need a series of carefully placed and captured photographs, but it may not leave the desired information with the viewer. 
Now if you had some text accompanying the picture, you could learn that it was lost in the war, or maybe to disease, or some other circumstances. The text could tell about the amputee's life, before and after, and make a much more personal connection.
I am not trying to say that it is impossible to do so with just a photograph, as there are some things indescribable through words. I think that the most ideal setup is a photograph with some text along with it. It gives the best of both worlds and helps the viewer understand the creators intention with much more ease.