On Thu, Mar 26, 2009 at 8:01 PM, Bob W <[email protected]> wrote: > My advice is to get closer, literally and metaphorically. It's a subject you > feel strongly about, but the pictures look hesitant, diffident and lacking > in confidence. To get your message across you need to get right in among the > tents, and interacting with more people. It may take quite a long time and > many visits to build that level of confidence and trust from the people > there, but it's the kind of dedication the people deserve, and probably the > best way to get the pictures you want, and to tell us what you want to tell > us. You have chosen a difficult subject, but if you want to do it justice > that's what you have to do. > > For inspiration perhaps you could read about other women photographers, such > as Mary Ellen Mark and Eve Arnold who have worked under difficult > conditions. > > There's nothing wrong in taking someone with you, if that's what you need. > It's certainly what I've done in difficult circumstances.
I agree with most of what Bob says. The portrait of Richard is a very good photo, as are some of the closer shots of the "porch" area between the tents, but many of the photos don't really tell us much - many of us who live in urban areas have seen "tent cities" from far away, so seeing a clump of tents near a bridge isn't really anything new. You've got to get "up close and personal" to have impact. That being said, it sure isn't easy. We had a tent city here in Toronto (it was razed several years ago) and I walked by several times with my camera, intending to take photos. Each time, when I got to within about 100 metres of the place one of the residents would come out of his tent, see me and stare me down. Newspaper stories of knife fights and other brutalities happening in the place rather scared me off. I now realize that just talking to them, gaining their confidence, befriending one of them would have helped provide access to that world, but I was too nervous then to do that. Today I would be able to do that, but it would be a time-consuming thing, wouldn't it? Bringing someone along might be good, but I have to tell you (from doing some street shooting with my partner, Judy) being a woman can work in your favour. There are many times that Judy's able to take someone's photo on the streets where I know I'd have gotten a scowl or worse. I think that some people feel far less threatened by a woman with a camera than they do by a man with a camera. Take advantage of it! (but still be careful) cheers, frank -- "Sharpness is a bourgeois concept." -Henri Cartier-Bresson -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
