From Downstairs where I totally CL’d (praise to her memory) it:

re: #371 Decatur Deb

There is an old photo saying: “The difference between a good photographer and a great photographer is the size of their garbage can.” The writer of the article is an art historian, but she doesn’t show much understanding of how a photo essay makes it to publication. All or most of the punctured photos are well-killed.

There is a huge difference between editing and destroying. For example, the contact sheet from Diane Arbus “Boy with a toy grenade” shows all the alternate takes that were rejected for the one that became the famous print:

Should the rest of the negatives had a hole punched in them? That’s what I think is the real sin here.