Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/08/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Well, yes, and no. IF you believe that "street photography" exploits everyone who's a subject, THEN you really have to believe that any photograph featuring a subject who did not specifically ask to be photographed is exploitive - including photographs of our friends, relatives, children, etc. - most of whom put up with being photographed because they feel somehow compelled to. (I'm not saying that I believe that all photography is seriously exploitive, I'm just carrying this argument to what I believe is a very logical conclusion.) That aside, the problem with photographing "bums" is that the vast majority of such photos are nothing more than photographic clichés, with no point t them what so ever. Okay, you've seen a person in ragged clothes sprawled on a street with a bottle of wine. And that tells us what? That there are poor people? That there are poor people who drink? And we didn't already know this? Does anyone think that these photos - again, with the rarest of exceptions - inform anyone, help anyone? If they don't, then the already pathetic subject simply becomes camera club fodder for the photographer. "Hey, look at this cool photo of this bum - aren't those shadows across his face meaningful?" And by the way - I think the photo in question is a pleasant portrait of someone, rather than the kind of exploitive photo I'm talking about. (In part, because as Steve LeHuray noted, one doesn't really know who or what this man is - he could be Buzz at the photo show in Boston yesterday. :-) ) B. D. - -----Original Message----- From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us] On Behalf Of Adam Bridge Sent: Monday, August 11, 2003 11:42 AM To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us Subject: Re: [Leica] The Panhandler... On 8/11/03 knarf.theriault@sympatico.ca (frank theriault) thoughtfully wrote: > >As for the photo itself, I rather cringed when I saw the title. Oh, >no, thinks I, another shot of some poor person, asking for money. It's >so difficult to capture such street people without exploiting them. > Excuse me? Street photography exploits EVERYONE who is a subject. Street people, the wealthy, everyone. They are perfectly good subjects for this kind of photography, as good as any other subject. Adam Bridge - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html