Ansel Adams once said "you don't take a photograph, you make it". This photo was taken during the Vancouver riots that occurred this past summer. The photograph is called the "The Riot Kiss" simply because in the picture, amid the riot that is surrounding them, it seems that a couple is passionately kissing in the middle of the street. This picture got huge international media attention because it was so inspiring. After the picture had circulated the media and the riots were over, people were curious to know who the couple was exactly. After much investigation, the media found the couple and interviewed them. It turns out that “the couple” wasn’t a couple after all. The woman was hurt and the man in the photograph was simply assisting her and making sure that she was safe. Another photograph of “the couple” taken seconds after the first one was later revealed but this time from an aerial view.
These series of photos prove what Ansel Adams said is true. The situation of the man in the photo being a Good Samaritan was there; however, the photographer took a good photo and manipulated the shot to make it a great photo. In doing so, the audience who looked at the photo lost part of the truth in the process. Photos can be powerful, and it’s up to the photographer to handle that responsibility.
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