>>3451177Not at all.
But that’s what happens when the free market reigns free: the path of least resistance. Staged photos, actors, narratives. It’s much more cost efficient than going to live with a tribe for a month (if they accept you), gain their trust, and capture some of their actual lives for a series or an exposé.
In the days of commissioned work, the agencies had their institutional credibility to protect, and the photographer had his expenses covered, his time was compensated so not just some of the photos if he wins a “competition”. The incentive and incidence rate of fakery was much lower.
In “competitions”, nobody gives a fuck. The agency has its reputation relatively safe, cause the photographer is not an employee but a 3rd party contractor. So they can shift the blame to the photographer for any misconduct. And the photographer himself “works” under temporal and financial pressure, because there’s no guarantee his work is gonna get any compensation at all. How much can he invest in a project that can pay, after a week or 2 of work, a grand total of $0, if the photo is not selected?
It’s a system that promotes cheating and fakery.
That said, the vast majority of iconic and influential photos are of the photojournalistic type. Unless you consider some fashion ad campaign or some portraits of politicians more influential.
Unless
