Lewis Hine Quote

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

Do you agree or disagree with this quote? Why? Describe situations when photographic images reveal “the story” (as compared to words). Describe situations when words reveal “the story” (as compared to images).



I mostly disagree with this quote. I believe that even a wonderful author that can do a really good job at descriptions can only tell so far. If it is a true story, your imagination is great to 'see' what something is supposed to be, but you'll never be able to know exactly how it truly looked unless there was a picture of it. In some situations such as how devastating an event was, you can only really know by looking at it. You can describe how the bomb went off, but there is more emotional effect to viewing a picture of the city hit by the bomb. Also, some stories that are 'too good to be true' may not be believed unless there is photo evidence. Alot of times, photos do have to be narrated which is where words come in. You might not know which city was hit or the history behind it without the story. Also, in fiction accounts sometimes it is best to let people only imagine what a character looks like. If you introduce a picture of the supposed character, fans might be disappointed.