TED2010
Jonathan Klein: Photos that changed the world
Jonathan Klein: Fotos que cambiaron el mundo.
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Las fotografías hacen mucho más que documentar la historia: la hacen. En TED University, Jonathan Klein, de Getty Images, nos muestra algunas de las más icónicas, y nos habla de lo que sucede cuando una generación ve una foto tan poderosa que no puede desviar la mirada... o mirar atrás.
Jonathan Klein - Executive
Jonathan Klein runs Getty Images, a stock photo agency whose vast archive of still photography and illustrations is a mainstay of the creative class. Full bio
Jonathan Klein runs Getty Images, a stock photo agency whose vast archive of still photography and illustrations is a mainstay of the creative class. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:15
In my industry,
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En mi industria creemos
00:17
we believe that images can change the world.
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que las imágenes pueden cambiar el mundo.
00:20
Okay, we're naive, we're bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
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Está bien, somos unos ingenuos.
00:23
The truth is that we know that the
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La verdad es que sabemos
00:25
images themselves don't change the world,
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que solas no cambian el mundo,
00:27
but we're also aware that, since the beginning of photography,
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y que, desde los inicios de la fotografía,
00:30
images have provoked reactions in people,
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las imágenes han provocado reacciones,
00:33
and those reactions have caused change to happen.
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que son las causantes de los cambios.
00:36
So let's begin with a group of images.
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Empecemos con un grupo de imágenes.
00:39
I'd be extremely surprised
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Me sorprendería muchísimo
00:41
if you didn't recognize many or most of them.
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si no reconocen la mayoría de ellas.
00:44
They're best described as iconic:
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Son consideradas icónicas,
00:46
so iconic, perhaps, they're cliches.
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tan icónicas que quizás son clichés.
00:49
In fact, they're so well-known
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De hecho, son tan conocidas
00:51
that you might even recognize them
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que las puedes reconocer
00:53
in a slightly or somewhat different form.
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si se modifican un poco o mucho.
00:57
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
01:00
But I think we're looking for something more.
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Creo que buscamos algo más.
01:02
We're looking for something more.
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Buscamos algo más,
01:04
We're looking for images that shine
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imágenes que arrojen
01:06
an uncompromising light on crucial issues,
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una luz sobre asuntos cruciales,
01:09
images that transcend borders, that transcend religions,
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que trasciendan fronteras, religiones,
01:12
images that provoke us
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imágenes que nos muevan
01:14
to step up and do something --
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a levantarnos y hacer algo,
01:16
in other words, to act.
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en otras palabras, a actuar.
01:18
Well, this image you've all seen.
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Bien, esta imagen que todos han visto
01:21
It changed our view of the physical world.
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cambió nuestra forma de ver el mundo.
01:23
We had never seen our planet from this perspective before.
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Nunca lo habíamos visto de esta manera.
01:26
Many people credit
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Mucha gente cree
01:28
a lot of the birth of the environmental movement
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que el movimiento medioambiental nace
01:30
to our seeing the planet like this
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al haber visto el mundo así
01:32
for the first time --
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por primera vez,
01:34
its smallness, its fragility.
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su pequeñez, su fragilidad.
01:37
Forty years later, this group, more than most,
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40 años después, este grupo, más que cualquiera,
01:40
are well aware of the destructive power
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es consciente del poder destructivo
01:42
that our species can wield over our environment.
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que las especies pueden causar.
01:45
And at last, we appear to be doing something about it.
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Ahora parece que hacemos algo al respecto.
01:49
This destructive power takes many different forms.
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Este poder tiene muchas formas.
01:52
For example, these images taken by Brent Stirton
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Miren estas fotos tomadas por Brent Stirton
01:55
in the Congo.
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en el Congo,
01:57
These gorillas were murdered, some would even say crucified,
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esos gorilas fueron asesinados, crucificados,
02:00
and unsurprisingly,
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y obviamente,
02:02
they sparked international outrage.
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despertaron el repudio internacional.
02:04
Most recently,
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Recientemente, hemos recordado
02:06
we've been tragically reminded of the destructive power of nature itself
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el poder destructivo de la naturaleza
02:09
with the recent earthquake in Haiti.
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con el reciente terremoto en Haití.
02:12
Well, I think what is far worse
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Creo que el peor poder destructivo
02:15
is man's destructive power over man.
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es el de los humanos entre ellos.
02:17
Samuel Pisar, an Auschwitz survivor, said,
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Samuel Pisar, superviviente de Auschwitz dijo,
02:20
and I'll quote him,
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y lo citaré,
02:22
"The Holocaust teaches us that nature,
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"El holocausto nos enseña que
02:24
even in its cruelest moments,
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la naturaleza, aún en su peor momento,
02:27
is benign in comparison with man,
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es benigna comparada con el ser humano
02:30
when he loses his moral compass and his reason."
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cuando pierde la moral y la razón".
02:33
There's another kind of crucifixion.
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Existe otra forma de crucifixión.
02:36
The horrifying images from Abu Ghraib
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Las horribles imágenes de Abu Ghraib,
02:38
as well as the images from Guantanamo
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al igual que las de Guantánamo,
02:40
had a profound impact.
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tuvieron un impacto profundo.
02:42
The publication of those images,
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La publicación de estas imágenes,
02:44
as opposed to the images themselves,
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no las imágenes en sí, hicieron
02:46
caused a government to change its policies.
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que el gobierno cambiara su política.
02:49
Some would argue that it is those images
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Algunos pueden argumentar que
02:51
that did more to fuel the insurgency in Iraq
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provocaron más insurgencia en Iraq
02:54
than virtually any other single act.
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que cualquier otro acto.
02:56
Furthermore, those images forever removed
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Es más, esas imágenes destruyeron
02:59
the so-called moral high ground of the occupying forces.
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los argumentos de la ocupación.
03:02
Let's go back a little.
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Volvamos un poco.
03:04
In the 1960s and 1970s,
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En los años 60 y 70,
03:06
the Vietnam War was basically shown
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la guerra del Vietnam fue básicamente
03:08
in America's living rooms day in, day out.
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transmitida en EE.UU. día tras otro.
03:10
News photos brought people face to face
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La fotos enseñaban a las víctimas:
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with the victims of the war: a little girl burned by napalm,
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una niña quemada con napalm,
03:17
a student killed by the National Guard
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un estudiante asesinado por la Guardia Nacional
03:19
at Kent State University in Ohio during a protest.
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en la universidad en Ohio, durante una protesta.
03:22
In fact, these images became
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De hecho estas imágenes se convirtieron
03:24
the voices of protest themselves.
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en voces de protestas.
03:26
Now, images have power
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Ahora bien, las imágenes tienen el poder
03:28
to shed light of understanding
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de darnos entendimiento
03:30
on suspicion, ignorance,
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sobre la sospecha, la ignorancia,
03:32
and in particular -- I've given a lot of talks on this
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y en particular, he hablado mucho de esto
03:34
but I'll just show one image --
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pero solo les mostraré una imagen,
03:37
the issue of HIV/AIDS.
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el asunto del VIH/SIDA.
03:40
In the 1980s, the stigmatization of people with the disease
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En los 80 la estigmatización
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was an enormous barrier
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fue una barrera grande
03:45
to even discussing or addressing it.
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para siquiera discutirlo o enfrentarlo.
03:47
A simple act, in 1987, of the most famous woman in the world,
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El simple acto, en 1987, de una mujer famosa,
03:50
the Princess of Wales, touching
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la princesa de Gales, de tocar
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an HIV/AIDS infected baby
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a un bebé infectado con VIH/SIDA,
03:54
did a great deal, especially in Europe, to stop that.
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ayudó mucho, especialmente en Europa.
03:57
She, better than most, knew the power of an image.
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Ella sabía el poder de una imagen.
04:01
So when we are confronted by a powerful image,
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Si tenemos una imagen poderosa,
04:03
we all have a choice:
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tenemos dos opciones.
04:05
We can look away, or we can address the image.
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Podemos desviar la mirada o enfrentarla.
04:08
Thankfully, when these photos appeared in
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Gracias a que estas fotos aparecieron
04:10
The Guardian in 1998,
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en The Guardian en 1998,
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they put a lot of focus and attention and, in the end, a lot of money
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se puso mucha atención, y mucho dinero,
04:15
towards the Sudan famine relief efforts.
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en los esfuerzos para reducir el hambre en Sudán.
04:17
Did the images change the world?
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¿Estas imágenes cambiaron el mundo?
04:19
No, but they had a major impact.
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No, pero tuvieron mucho impacto.
04:22
Images often push us to question our core beliefs
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Nos hacen preguntarnos sobre nuestros valores
04:24
and our responsibilities to each other.
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y nuestra responsabilidad con los demás.
04:27
We all saw those images after Katrina,
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Todos vimos imágenes después del Katrina,
04:29
and I think for millions of people
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y creo que para millones de personas
04:31
they had a very strong impact.
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tuvieron un impacto muy fuerte,
04:33
And I think it's very unlikely
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y creo que aún estaban
04:35
that they were far from the minds of Americans
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en la mente de los estadounidenses
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when they went to vote in November 2008.
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cuando votaron en noviembre del 2008.
04:41
Unfortunately, some very important images
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Algunas imágenes importantes
04:44
are deemed too graphic or disturbing for us to see them.
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son demasiado explícitas para que las veamos.
04:48
I'll show you one photo here,
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Les mostraré una foto
04:50
and it's a photo by Eugene Richards of an Iraq War veteran
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de Eugene Richards, un veterano de la guerra de Iraq,
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from an extraordinary piece of work,
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parte de una obra de arte
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which has never been published, called War Is Personal.
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que nunca se publicó: "La guerra es Personal".
04:58
But images don't need to be graphic
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Las imágenes no necesitan ser gráficas
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in order to remind us of the tragedy of war.
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para recordarnos la tragedia de la guerra.
05:02
John Moore set up this photo at Arlington Cemetery.
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John Moore hizo esta foto en el cementerio de Arlington.
05:05
After all the tense moments of conflict
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Tras los momentos tensos del conflicto,
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in all the conflict zones of the world,
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en todas las zonas en conflicto del mundo
05:10
there's one photograph from a much quieter place
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hay una foto en un lugar mucho más calmado
05:13
that haunts me still, much more than the others.
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que aún me persigue, mucho más que las otras.
05:17
Ansel Adams said, and I'm going to disagree with him,
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Ansel Adams dijo, y no estoy de acuerdo,
05:20
"You don't take a photograph, you make it."
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"Tú no tomas una foto, la haces".
05:23
In my view, it's not the photographer who makes the photo,
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No es el fotógrafo quien hace la foto,
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it's you.
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eres tú.
05:27
We bring to each image
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Llevamos a cada imagen
05:29
our own values, our own belief systems,
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nuestros valores y creencias,
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and as a result of that, the image resonates with us.
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y por eso la imagen resuena en nosotros,
05:34
My company has 70 million images.
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Mi compañía tiene 70 millones de imágenes.
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I have one image in my office.
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Tengo una en mi oficina.
05:39
Here it is.
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Es esta.
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I hope that the next time you see
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Espero que la próxima vez que vean
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an image that sparks something in you,
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una imagen que les despierte algo,
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you'll better understand why,
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entiendan el porqué,
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and I know that speaking to this audience,
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y sé que, les hablo a ustedes,
05:50
you'll definitely do something about it.
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ustedes harán algo.
05:52
And thank you to all the photographers.
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Y gracias a todos los fotógrafos.
05:54
(Applause)
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(Aplauso)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Jonathan Klein - ExecutiveJonathan Klein runs Getty Images, a stock photo agency whose vast archive of still photography and illustrations is a mainstay of the creative class.
Why you should listen
Even if you're an infrequent (or less sporty) user of the World Wide Web, chances are the last time you logged on -- perhaps on the very last page you visited -- you've come across an image sourced from stock photo agency Getty Images. Photos and illustrations from Getty can be found everywhere, for just about every purpose you can imagine. It shouldn't surprise you that Getty began in the Internet age, leaving print-era agencies in the dust by using Internet and CD-ROM distribution since day one.
Jonathan Klein, Getty's co-founder (along with Mark Getty) and the current CEO, helped drive its success over the past 15 years. He led it during its aggressive archive acquisition campaign through the '90s and now in the 2000s, adding to its formidable collection of editorial photos, footage and music. But his business skill is only part of his story; to hear Klein talk, one is quick to catch his passionate enthusiasm for the power of images -- not only to document moments in our lives and in history, not just to sell products or turn over PR campaigns -- but to shift public opinion and, perhaps, make the world more just.
Klein serves on the board of the Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS and on the board of Real Networks (media software company and creator of the popular RealPlayer).
Jonathan Klein | Speaker | TED.com