You've given me a lot to think about, Christine. Thanks.
—M. \/\/o/\/\ --> http://WorldOfMiserere.com http://EnticingTheLight.com A Quest for Photographic Enlightenment On 18 May 2011 16:07, Christine Aguila <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Everyone: > > I just finished F. Jack Hurley's book, Portrait of a Decade: Roy Stryker > and the Development of Documentary Photography in the Thirties. Many of you > have probably read this, but if not, you should be able to find it in your > local library or secure a used copy via bookfinder or amazon. > > At 175 pages, the book provides a nice broad look at Roy Stryker's life, his > years studying and teaching economics, his working relationship with Rexford > Tugwell, and, of course, his leadership at the Farm Security Administration > (FSA). All fascinating stuff! You won't be disappointed--I promise! > > The book has inspired an idea that might be of interest to PDML list > members. In 1936, Stryker began to broaden the FSA projects to include > photographic documentation or rural, small-town, and urban life (as opposed > to poverty in agricultural communities). According to Hurley, Stryker used > questions to give focused direction and purpose to the photographers' field > work--to illustrate: "What do people do at home in the evenings? Do the > activities in a small town differ from those in a large city? How do people > dress for church? Where do people meet? Do beer halls and pool halls take > the place of country clubs for the poor? [and even broader questions] What > are the key economic factors in the existence of a small town? The > railroad? The highway? How can these be represented visually? Has anyone > ever taken a really good series of pictures of a filling station, showing > its relationship to the restless, shifting American population? What do > railroad stations look like? How do they relate to small-town life?" (98) > > When I first read the above, I thought it might be interesting if PDML > photogs worked in self-selected groups and pursued similar questions but > with an international scope. For example, What do people from selected > countries do at home in the evenings? How do people from selected countries > dress for religious services? What are the key economic factors in selected > small towns around the world? What do back yard gardens look like in > selected countries? What are the popular tourist sites in selected > countries? How does the architecture differ in selected countries? What > does the native flora & fauna look like in selected countries? What do gas > stations look like in selected countries? (see Tim Hetherington's study on > Arab gas stations--fascinating stuff) What types of dance classes are > offered in selected countries? How do weddings differ in selected > countries? What kinds of pets do people have in selected countries? How has > the landscape changed in selected countries? and so-on and so-on. The > possibilities are endless! > > A project like this would give those who are interested a chance to > collaborate with other photographers from different countries, work on a > question together, post the final international photographic study in a > gallery, and share with the PDML list, of course. I see this as an > *anybody-who-wants-to" and *in-your-own-time* kind of project. I also see > it as a project that takes advantage of PDML's international character, > which is rich and interesting. I also envision a hint of text to accompany > each photograph in the gallery--think of the old Life magazine. > > Any interest? > Cheers, Christine > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > 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. > -- 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.
