Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/04/03

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Subject: [Leica] IMG: Home, II
From: jayanand at gmail.com (Jayanand Govindaraj)
Date: Thu Apr 3 19:25:24 2008
References: <3cad89990804030800g4c34ef66u9d3352483eaaa022@mail.gmail.com> <0JYR00LS4DQ6SR50@l-daemon>

Ted,
I dont do it because it is a subject that I am not drawn to. I dont like
photographing people who are born, live, procreate and die on the pavement
and other slum dwellers, and believe me it is not difficult to photograph,
because it treats them as a freak show, which is why we are fascinated with
the subject. There is no dignity to living your life in the public domain.
My views - I am not stopping others from doing what they want - but I will
not do it in any country.
Cheers
Jayanand

On Thu, Apr 3, 2008 at 11:26 PM, Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca> wrote:

> Jayanand Govindaraj Offered:
>
> >> My reaction was a personal one, and I will stick by
>
> it. If I wanted to, I could fill a book with one afternoon's shooting.<<<<
>
>
>
> Jayanand mon ami,
>
> But good sir now you've put the gauntlet to the ground! Why not, if as you
> say.. "in an afternoon" why not do a book as Dr. Steve Barbour with his
> situations of life?
>
> I also realize your phrase is offered as a "verbal description."  Please
> take no offence.
>
> ted
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: lug-bounces+tedgrant=shaw.ca@leica-users.org
> [mailto:lug-bounces+tedgrant <lug-bounces%2Btedgrant>=
> shaw.ca@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Sent:
> Thursday, April 03, 2008 7:00 AM
> To: Leica Users Group
> Subject: Re: [Leica] IMG: Home, II
>
>
>
> Tina,
>
> As you see fit, but I live here, and I know what the ground reality is. I
>
> know, though, with your background, that you would do it only for what you
>
> felt was for their good.
>
> Cheers
>
> Jayanand
>
>
>
>
>
> On Thu, Apr 3, 2008 at 8:10 PM, Tina Manley <images@comporium.net> wrote:
>
>
>
> > At 10:58 PM 4/2/2008, you wrote:
>
> >
>
> > > Tina,
>
> > > Excellent photographs, and only too real,  but I deliberately do not
>
> > > take
>
> > > photographs of such people, it probably takes off the last veneer of
>
> > > dignity
>
> > > they have left. Besides, in India, its too easy.
>
> > > Cheers
>
> > > Jayanand
>
> > > >
>
> > > > http://www.pbase.com/image/95069931
>
> > >
>
> >
>
> > I respectfully disagree, Jayanand.  I believe it gives people a certain
>
> > dignity to be photographed.  Many, many years ago when I first started
>
> > photographing in medical clinics in Central America, I was trying to be
> very
>
> > respectful and only photograph the doctors and nurses as they worked.
>  One
>
> > man came up to me and asked to be photographed.  He said something like
> -
>
> > "Why are you only photographing the North Americans.  Are we not good
> enough
>
> > or handsome enough for you to use your film on us?"  Since then, I have
>
> > tried to show the beauty and the dignity of the people all over the
> world.
>
> > The vast majority of the people that I photographed in India were very
> proud
>
> > to have their photos made.  In this particular photo, I would not have
>
> > photographed only the mother lying there by the side of the road, but
> the
>
> > little boy sitting there so patiently by the side of a busy highway
> waiting
>
> > for his mother to wake up gives the photo hope - to me.
>
> >
>
> > I use my photos to raise money for self-help organizations and to raise
>
> > awareness of conditions in other parts of the world.  You would be
> amazed
> at
>
> > how ignorant most North Americans are about how the rest of the world
> lives.
>
> >  I gave a talk last week about India and two of the comments were - "But
> all
>
> > of our jobs have gone to India.  Every time I get someone on the phone
> for
>
> > any kind of tech support, they were in India.  How could there be any
>
> > homeless people when their economy is so much better than ours?"   and
>  "I
>
> > always thought India was the dirtiest country in the world, but the
> people
>
> > in your photos are beautiful.  They make me want to visit a place I
> never
>
> > even considered."
>
> >
>
> > Of all of the 47 countries I have visited so far, India is both the most
>
> > beautiful and the most disturbing.  I have never seen such poverty
> anywhere
>
> > else but I have never met such gentle, kind people either.  I hope other
>
> > people will be able to see that in the photos that I'm working on now.
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > Tina
>
> >
>
> >
>
> > Tina Manley
>
> > http://leicatraveler.blogspot.com/
>
> > www.tinamanley.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
>
>
>
>
>
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>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>

In reply to: Message from jayanand at gmail.com (Jayanand Govindaraj) ([Leica] IMG: Home, II)
Message from tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant) ([Leica] IMG: Home, II)