[Leica] IMGs: Polling Day 1 & 2

[Douglas Barry]

Fascinating, Steve. What did the pictures tell about me? What way did you 
think I voted? I'll tell you if you're right when you reply.

Why did I take them? Opportunity.

My wife is ill as you may know, and while waiting for her to cast her 
votes - there were two referendums - I was waiting outside, saw a range of 
expressions and heard snatches of conversation from the exiting voters, so 
decided to grab my camera. I took a couple of shots before a passing friend 
of mine interrupted, deciding to talk to me about his new play "A Fairytale 
of New York". Then my wife came out, we went to the chemists - haven't 
switched chemists to the new location either, collected her new hormonal 
treatment - well, a rerun - as the consultant has switched her back from 
chemo due to neuropathy, and headed to the hospital so that she could be 
treated.

By the time we got back home afterwards, I didn't feel like going out again 
to take more shots at the Monkstown polling station. My student son was 
working in a polling station in Dublin, and, indeed, worked on the count the 
following day, but I was tied up with other matters. Pity, as the counts are 
always photogenic, and, as my first cousin is the Returning Officer for 
Dublin City (as Sheriff), so I could have almost had a family get together.

Douglas


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve Barbour" <steve.barbour at gmail.com>
To: "LUG Group" <lug at leica-users.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 28, 2015 3:22 PM
Subject: Re: [Leica] IMGs: Polling Day 1 & 2


>
>> On May 28, 2015, at 1:25 AM, Douglas Barry <imra at iol.ie> wrote:
>>
>>
>> "Steve Barbour" <steve.barbour at gmail.com> enquired regarding
>>>>>>
>>>> Possibly "NO" voters. Florence Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow. Fuji X100S
>>>> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DouglasBray/politics/Polling1.jpg.html
>>>>
>>>> Possibly a "YES" voter. Florence Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow. Fuji X100S
>>>> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/DouglasBray/politics/Polling2.jpg.html
>> <<<<
>>> so what motivates your taking pictures and guessing about these two 
>>> particular sets of circumstances? >Was your conclusion based on age, 
>>> smiles, demographics?
>>
>> So what motivates my taking pictures? I suppose it's an inate curiosity 
>> about slowing life down to capture a moment and seeing what the image of 
>> that moment might subsequently tell me. Everybody has prejudices - 
>> including you, Steve - and I like to see whether my own perceived 
>> prejudices have been fed.
>> The circumstances that led me to the guesses were shaped by participants 
>> in the all pervading discussions on radio and television during the 
>> referendum campaign, and the type of people who either called to my house 
>> to canvass or buttonholed me in the street to try to get me to vote in 
>> particular ways.
>>
>> So what motivated you to ask about my motivation? Was there a disconnect 
>> between you and my guesses, and what was it based on?
>
> as you likely know Douglas I like your pictures, as well as your funny, 
> ironic, quirky humor. My question was not  "what motivates you to take 
> pictures ?" it was, "what motivated you to take these particular pictures 
> ?"
>
> I believe that in spite of what is often stated..."pictures don't lie" 
> which is often correct, that given context, pictures can be used to 
> corroborate/ie prove any conclusion...so they can and do lie, most 
> pointedly they can be used to lie, so as to support our own 
> preconceptions.
>
> I know that you agree that these two photos in themselves prove nothing, 
> they tell us more about you, than the subjects of the images, I was rather 
> surprised at your use of them.
>
> Why did I ask? exactly because this was a contentious vote, now we know 
> how the electorate has voted, though we do not know whether your own 
> conclusions were correct, we only know something of your own 
> preconceptions, what you concluded, the question remains why ?  and why 
> does it matter ?
>
>
> steve
>
>
>
>
>>
>> Douglas
>>
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