Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/09/18

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Subject: RE: [Leica] Re: Photographer's personality
From: "bdcolen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>
Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2003 12:10:04 -0400

Oh, please. An asshole is an asshole. Are there nice people who become
abrasive under pressure? Sure. Are there nice people who break under the
horrors of war, and lash out at other people as a result? Sure. But if
you treat those around you with contempt, you do not have compassion for
humanity - because those around you are part of humanity.

None of this, btw, has damn thing to do with Eugene Smith, who from
everything I have read, was clearly both a genius and, to use a
psychiatric term - a nut case. Smith was at various times addicted to
speed and/or alcohol, and appears to have had various other problems.
Now it may be that being a nut case goes with being a genius. But the
great majority of talented photographers are not geniuses, so that
excuse doesn't work.

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
Afterswift@aol.com
Sent: Thursday, September 18, 2003 11:56 AM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: Re: [Leica] Re: Photographer's personality



In a message dated 9/18/03 6:32:13 AM, LRZeitlin@aol.com writes:

<< Being a good photographer does not automatically make you a good
person. I 
know many excellent photographers who were nasty SOBs. In fact being 
assertive 
and abrasive and having little regard for the feelings of others
probably 
helps 
in news work. >>
- ----------------------------------------------------
If there's an excuse for that type of abrasive personality, it may be
due to 
total dedication to a life's work.
You can feel great compassion for humanity, yet treat those immediately 
around you with contempt for intruding on your concentration with
mundane concerns. 

br
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