RE: [Leica] Re: interacting with strangers -- a very important element of photography

["Jeffery Smith" <jsmith45@bellsouth.net>]

It was capturing the emotion of the moment. He was being very stoic about
the situation, but there was a sense of pain that I did not really notice
until he told me what had happened.

I don't mind taking images of emotions (happy, sad, nervous, scared, elated)
but really don't like taking advantage of someone's misfortune (having to
eat out of the trashcan, drunk and unconscious in the street). The image of
children running down the street in Viet Nam after being burned by napalm,
the image of a Viet Cong man being executed by a revolver, and Medger Evers'
young son crying while trying to look brave at his father's funeral have
stayed burned in my psyche for decades. All involved someone else's
misfortune, but all are memorable and, to me, valuable.

Jeffery Smith
New Orleans, LA



> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Eric
> Sent: Tuesday, January 01, 2002 1:23 PM
> To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> Subject: [Leica] Re: interacting with strangers -- a very important
> element of photography
>
>
> Jeffery:
>
> >I would have
> >loved to have gotten an image of the obvious pain and swollen, weary eyes
> >but I would have felt like a heel. I'm sure that there would
> have been a way
> >to approach him anyway, but I was out of my league on this one.
>
> I don't understand why you'd love to have an image of somebody else's
> suffering.
>
> I can sort of understand a photojournalist doing a story about life on the
> river or about the capsizing itself wanting an image of the guy...to
> complete the set, so to speak.
>
> I'm genuinely curious.  What motivates people to want to take pictures of
> others who are suffering?
>
>
> Eric
> --
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