Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/06/01
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Very interesting perspective. While no consolation for someone trying to make a living at documentary photography, the Web now provides a nice, similarly "democratic" outlet for publishing such photo essays as well. Slobodan Dimitrov wrote: > Tina; > Early LIFE comes out of an even earlier progressivist period. Over > the past 80 years what drove that type of sentiment for social > concern has been systematically dismantled, virtually brick by brick. > But it hasn't gone away, as it's systemically embedded in our > culture, language, and manner of discourse. > The documentary methodology of that era was driven by the available > tools of the day, the portable movie camera and the hand held still > camera. With that in mind there's no reason in not anticipating > another evolutionary leap with the current technology. While much of > it is really not that original, what it does have that's unique is > that reporting happens in real time now at the popular level. The > 'what is going on' is no longer under the sole purview of high > capital intensive entities. Apart from access, the playing field has > been leveled to the point that anyone is a documentarian. Case in > point is the person who took the images of the caskets coming home > from iraq. > > Slobodan Dimitrov > http://sdimitrovphoto.com > > > > On May 31, 2005, at 4:59 PM, Tina Manley wrote: > >> Slobodan - >> >> The interview was very interesting. It seems that even someone as >> famous as Mary Ellen Mark has problems making a living doing >> documentary photography. She has to depend on movie consultations >> and print sales. It's both discouraging and encouraging at the same >> time. She mentioned that there are no "Life" Magazines or any other >> magazines currently featuring photographers' documentary work. >> There was a letter in our Charlotte Observer asking them to take out >> the Friday "Life Magazine" insert. They said that the original >> "Life" contained interesting documentary photographs of ordinary >> life that we didn't have the opportunity to see otherwise; but the >> current insert is focused on celebrities and their lives which have >> nothing to do with ordinary life and which we have plenty of other >> opportunities to see on almost every television channel, magazine >> and newspaper. I totally agree. >> >> Tina >> >> At 07:44 PM 5/31/2005, you wrote: >> >>> One of my very, very favorite photographers. A seminal portraitist >>> who taught the rest of us that a wide angle lens could >>> also be a portrait lens. In her case, notably the 60mm Distagon. >>> Bob Salomon, formerly of HP Marketing, once told me she was a Rollei >>> photographer. I still find that hard to believe. >>> >>> Slobodan Dimitrov >>> http://sdimitrovphoto.com >>> >>> >>> >>> On May 31, 2005, at 8:31 AM, bill h wrote: >>> >>> >>>> On radio right now and on line, repeated tonight, I think. >>>> >>>> http://www.theconnection.org/shows/2005/05/20050531_b_main.asp >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> Leica Users Group. >>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >>>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Leica Users Group. >>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >>> >> >> Tina Manley, ASMP >> www.tinamanley.com >> >> >> http://www.pdiphotos.com >> http://www.workbookstock.com >> http://www.newscom.com >> http://www.americanphotojournalist.com >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >> > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information