Heresies

"In Things As They Are there is very little reference to non-Western photography, but some Japanese and Mexican photographers are mentioned, and Pedro is one of them. Pedro is close to 80, but his youthfulness and vigour is incredible. He began his career in analogue and practiced classical documentary photography, but started working with digital technology at a time when people of our generation were too scared. Within his lifetime he has reinvented himself. He is constantly probing and doesn’t allow conventions to tie him down. Heresies is a very interesting book that makes you think hard about your own practice. One of the things he did was to completely demystify the identity crisis some photographers faced after the introduction of Photoshop. It’s a complex situation – we question whether it is fair to use Photoshop, whether photojournalism is still authentic and truthful. Pedro cuts clean through the fluff, and looks at the practice of the media and what it represents. He writes about the authenticity and credibility of the source as the determining factor. He argues that the mode of construction is not an issue, it’s how it is used. It was an important statement that needed to be made."