From the same series, Smith's portraits of three young members of the Guardia Civil, demonstrates his mastery of individual light in even its harshes form. As printmaker, as well as photographer, Smith was exceptional. In his own work, and by his example, W.Eugene Smith helped transform photojournalism at midcentury. Though the great picture magazines that nourished the form have gone, an army of street photographers, documentarians and photojournalists remains. Both in aesthetic and moral terms, his standards remain the best guideposts for those who follow.
Most photographers seem to operate with a pane of glass between themselves and their subjects.
They just can't get inside and know the subject. The pirnt and a proper one is the only completed photography, whether it is specifically shaded for reporduction, or for a museum wall. Out of the depth and entertainment comes value. Every horizon, upon being reached, reveals another beckoning in the distance. I like pictures that surmount the darkness, and many of my photographs are that way.