"The Tradition: Fact and Fiction" Robert Coles Summary

In his essay "The Tradition: Fact and Fiction" Robert Coles talks about the works of two photographers, Jane Lange and Walker Evans, examining the process they used to produce their pictures and the artistic decisions they made; the meaning they wanted to convey and the history of their photographs. Coles places discussion on some of Lange's famous photographs. One photo, the image of the "migrant mother," depicts a poor woman and her two children, dressed …

…mutually agree the surrounding environment distracts from the true message of hardship the people of depression endured. Coles means to elucidate on this matter was very well done in his documentary. His superb writing style gives you a alternative look at documentaries by his depth step by step process which he presented the material. I enjoyed his style even though it was perplexing at first due to its disparity from other documentaries I have read.