Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/04/06

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Subject: [Leica] A few uploads
From: images at InfoAve.Net (Tina Manley)
Date: Thu Apr 6 16:54:48 2006
References: <4435707E.6000504@waltjohnson.com> <5146af2de0c77742ebce3616d529f43a@paulhardycarter.com> <44359E5B.8080309@waltjohnson.com>

At 07:03 PM 4/6/2006, you wrote:
>Remembering what some of those people had to 
>live as their chance at life still bothers me. 
>After two trips I decided never to go back. I've 
>come to believe no matter what is photographed, 
>published or prominent in the news, it helps little if at all.
>
>Walt

Walt - I hope that's not true.  Maybe not in the 
news but published photos in some venues can 
raise awareness and result in real changes.  I 
know for a fact that the money that we have 
raised in our Dimes for Hunger campaign has made 
real changes in the lives of people in Central 
America and here in our presbytery.  I know the 
people and I've photographed the changes for 
almost 20 years.  Here is an article about making 
changes with photography that explains it better than I could:


Rambling With Resnick

Changing the World with a Camera

Can photography make the world a better place? I certainly hope so.

By Mason Resnick

I recently had the privilege to put together an 
on-line exhibit for my employer, 
PhotoHighway.com, featuring the work of Tina 
Manley, a photojournalist who has spent years 
photographing desperately poor children and 
families throughout the world. She will live with 
a family for a week at a time, becoming part of 
their daily routine and giving her unprecedented 
access into their lives. When I showed some 
friends the work, many of their comments were 
along the lines of ?oh, how ironic, there she is 
with photo equipment that?s worth more than what 
her subjects will make in a lifetime.?

Manley?s response to this is telling: ?I think 
the reason the families let me photograph them is 
they really believe I can make a difference in 
their lives.? She speaks of how one of the groups 
that sponsors her photographic treks will donate 
livestock to families as part of a program to 
encourage self-sufficiency in Central America. 
Imagine a family that lives on beans and 
Tortillas suddenly getting a dairy Cow that they 
can use for milk and cheese. And it comes to them 
because someone in the US saw their photos and was moved to action.

I think the true irony is that the photographers 
who go to poor countries on behalf of news 
magazines (which run on the ideal of helping the 
world by publicizing hidden stories) and similar 
organizations don?t have quite as direct a 
positive effect on their subjects, while 
photographers sponsored by missionary and aid 
groups are actually making a difference.

Many of today?s photographers start off 
idealistically, but this idealism is tempered by 
the need to make a buck. That?s why you see so 
many photographers going in ?packs? to get the 
news. Look at the hordes of photographers 
covering presidential campaigns. There is very 
little original, visually interesting content any 
more in presidential campaigns, but the issues 
are still rich in photographic possibilities. Not 
enough photographers are going after these 
stories, and the reason is that they haven?t been 
given sufficient financial incentive to do so. 
Too much risk involved, while George W. is always going to be there.

Once upon a time a photojournalist named J. Ross 
Baughmann (who once won and then had taken away a 
Pulitzer Prize?it?s a long story) said that the 
best photojournalists don?t run with the 
pack?they run away from it. And when they rejoin 
the pack, they have the more interesting photos.

We need to encourage more photojournalists to run 
away from the pack, like Tina Manley did. Maybe 
some poor family in Nicaragua will get a goat or 
two as a result?and that can make a difference.


About the author: Mason Resnick is the editor and 
publisher of Black & White World and the 
community webmaster of PhotoHighway.Com. You can 
reach him at <mailto:bwworld@mindspring.com>bwworld@mindspring.com.




Replies: Reply from walt at waltjohnson.com (Walt Johnson) ([Leica] A few uploads)
In reply to: Message from walt at waltjohnson.com (Walt Johnson) ([Leica] A few uploads)
Message from lists at paulhardycarter.com (PHC) ([Leica] A few uploads)
Message from walt at waltjohnson.com (Walt Johnson) ([Leica] A few uploads)