Firstly, welcome back Shel. I was unsubbed and out of town when you returned, and what a pleasant surprise it was to see your name when I resubbed.
A thought came to mind as I read this thread (and I haven't read everything so forgive me if I repeat someone else). Whenever I've pointed a camera at someone in public with the intent of photographing them in particular, I've been acutely aware of the privacy implications. In fact when the work has been professional work I've engaged the subject to ask permission, and when not pre-arranged the usage has always been editorial illustration and non-commercial. Commercial shots have always required consenting models. But there have been times when I've pointed a camera at "the passing parade" to capture the overall scene, and often someone has been dead-centre of the field of view and they could have assumed that I was singling them out. But no-one ever did, even when I was very near with a wide-angle lens. So, strange as it seems, we as photographers must betray ourselves, by body language or something else, when we set out to photograph a particular individual. But when we defocus our attention away from individuals and onto a crowd, even though the outward appearance of our actions is the same, none of the individuals in front of the camera become self-conscious of being photographed. Or is it just me? regards, Anthony Farr ----- Original Message ----- From: "Shel Belinkoff" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Hi gang, > > Notice I said "taking," for this photo wasn't offered, and the shutter > was tripped surreptitiously. The woman had no idea that I was going to > take this picture of her. > > I have mixed feelings about this shot. On the one hand it seemingly > reflects an aspect of American culture, yet, on the other hand, it's not > a very complimentary portrait, and one could argue that it in some ways > denigrates the subject. Is food the problem, or perhaps a medical > condition? Am I being judgmental or just recording a scene? Having > battled weight problems throughout my life, I'm somewhat sensitive to > this woman's situation. Still, the photo does, IMO, tell a story ... > and perhaps asks a question or two. > > My question to the list: Should this photo have been taken? Do you > think it is overly critical of the subject or sympathetic, or perhaps > judgmental? Maybe I'm being critical of myself, using the photo to work > through or better understand my own situation and problems. > > See for yourself, and share your thoughts: > http://home.earthlink.net/~scbelinkoff/bigeater.html > > > shel > >
