Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/08/29
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]> From: Jim Brick [mailto:jim_brick@agilent.com] > > At 01:43 PM 8/29/00 -0700, Paul Chefurka wrote: > > > >I'm not sure I understand you here, Jim. Where do you draw > >your line and say "this is OK, that isn't" in cases like this? > >Is Natchwey's "Inferno" not a personal portfolio, and based > >on the individual misery of many people? > >What about "Minimata" - that essay violates the fine > >art/misery proscription pretty handily. > > > <snip> > > > >Paul Chefurka > > I believe the premise behind the publications you mention and > subsequent > lectures to audiences around the world by the authors, was entirely > different than simply posting the photos as a statement of > photographic ability. So that makes Kyle guilty of enthusiasm. From where I sit it seems that he hit on an idea that seemed very powerful and even though neither the idea or its ultimate place in the universe was fully fleshed out, he decided to share its germination with us. Gee, somebody shoot the guy! The idea came out of a workshop. So what? Who cares if one of the outcomes is a decent mark? We have no more evidence that the purpose of the pictures was to get a good mark than we have that their purpose was to bring light into the hearts of millions. > If Kyle produced an essay or even a simple published photo > book on self > mutilation and then lectured (like Natchwey) on the subject, the > "connotation of self-indulgence" would be absent. What will be, will be. We have no way of knowing where Kyle will take this. "He began a project without knowing where it would lead or having a final purpose in mind. Self-indulgent SOB!" > And the negative feedback would not have existed. Again, I disagree. The negative feedback has mostly taken the form that he is either exploiting this young woman for school marks or ego, or that he is a thoughtless, callow youth who is prepared to destroy her through his ignorance and insensitivity just to get some cool and shocking pictures. That sort of criticism would be muted by a statement of purpose or a full disclosure of the circumstances, but those would not silence the critics. This is evident to me because the critics are prepared to issue such blanket condemnations in the complete absence of any context. They are fully prepared to supply their own context, and we all know about "assume". > Kyle's long term photographic vocation is unknown to us and > his photography > could indeed become the catalyst that saves the very souls that he is > photographing. More power to him. I could not do it. Let us fervently hope so. I'd have a hard time with it too. Paul