Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/09/14
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]As a working photojournalist and anthropologist there is one thing that always amazes me about a lot of the people who post to this list and the comments they make about photography. Never have I met a group of people who have such an enthusiasm for photography, yet have so little understanding of its origins, history and true value as a cultural and social communication tool. Sure, some of you are paranoid or have serious hate for the Press, News Media and documentary photography but that is no reason to be ignorant of the power of photography. While photography of nature and family gatherings are a fine application of photography, true calling is that of a social tool. A tool to document the human condition, our cultures and society. A tool of EDUCATION! To educate is to break down ignorance. Maybe when we stop worrying about tech charts and what kind of paint is on our Leicas we can do some reading about the work of Lewis Hine and Brassai. Their photography, because of their choice of subject matter and REASON for photographing have a far greater value then many of the "artists" that get a lot of hero worship on this list. How about we approach photography from the point of view of the subject matter and WHY we make pictures instead of starting with the camera. When I photograph some religious ceremony in Bosnia, Rwanda, Haiti.... or Newfoundland, I document a primary tenet of a peoples culture. When those pictures are shown to people in isolated and insular western cultures they LEARN something and, hopefully, gain an understanding of a culture they have never had contact with and, most likely, have some misguided views. I hate to tell you but "this" ain't about flowers, trees and sunsets. Greg Locke St. John's, Newfoundland locke@straylight.ca http://www.straylight.ca/locke - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Touched By Fire: doctors without borders in a third world crisis. http://www.straylight.ca/touchedbyfire.htm ISBN#0-7710-5305-3 McClelland & Stewart