Taking The Time With The Next Generation

In the mid-1950s, legendary photojournalist W. Eugene Smith set out on a three-week assignment to shoot the city of Pittsburgh. More than three years later, the photographer had amassed 22,000 negatives and around 1,200 master prints of the Steel City, which would set the standard for future longform photo essays and projects after it. And while the precise reason Smith took such an extended amount of time may never be known, it does seem that the project required much more time in order to let the subtler and more nuanced aspects of the narrative unfold for him. It was the only way to really discover the essence, the truth, of the city.

“My principle concern is for honesty,” said Smith about his work as a photographer, “above all, honesty with myself.”

But today, that notion of honesty almost sounds archaic or absurd. What’s the point