Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/12/01
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At 06:56 AM 01/12/98 -0500, you wrote:
> Come on guys. This is not a political forum nor is it a managment
>forum. This is the "Leica Photography" forum. Can we please somehow
>resist the temptation of posting to the world our political, management
>and financial views of Leica. Unless I am wrong we do photography to
>get away from that bs so I don't want to read about it here.
Actually, politics (and the results of) is what photograph with my
Leicas. As a documentary photographer, it is the actions of politicians
and the results of ideology, that provide my subject matter.
(Rwanda, Zaire, Somalia, Bosnia, Turkey, environmental issues, social
issues, poverty, crime)
Just like birds are subject matter to nature photographers and
Yosemite is a subject for environmental photographers.
A quote from Phillip Jones Griffiths, Magnum.
"...to me there is no point in pressing the shutter unless you are making
some comment on the incongruities in life. That is what photography is all
about. It is the only reason for doing it."
While I agree there are exceptions to this, I think you will find that it is
a very realistic view for most photojournalists and documentary photographers.
From its very beginnings, the real power of photography was realized in
documenting the "Human Condition". Fenton, Brady, O'sullivan, Brassai,
Hine, all used their cameras with a purpose and intent. While this took
place long before Leica came along, the advent of the Leica camera broke the
field wide open by allowing greater versatility and flexibility in producing
documentary photography in a spontaneous manner.
But I will agree that discussion of opposing political ideologies gets
pretty boring, I think if we can keep to politics as a subject matter for
photography we can have some civil discussions.
(HA,HA,HA... yeah, right! I can't believe I said that)
When pigs fly,
Greg Locke <locke@straylight.ca>
St. John's, Newfoundland.
<http://www.straylight.ca/locke/>
- ----------------------------------
"I've finally figured out what's wrong with photography.
It's a one-eyed man looking through a little 'ole.
Now, how much reality can there be in that?" -- David Hockney