Way to go Stan and Christine! I think the idea is facinating and just need to pick a topic. Stan, you're grain silos is a good one. Bill Robb should be in on that. I might even have some from Illinois and Iowa. I have thought about trains, am facinated by grocery stores (yah, grocery stores - I always look when outside the US), and the old industrial side of cities (thanks Ralph). But what the heck, even flower gardens decorating homes would be great. Regards, Bob S.
On Fri, May 20, 2011 at 9:28 PM, Stan Halpin <[email protected]> wrote: > I have quoted Christine's original post in full below for those who missed it > the first time. > > I think Christine has an inspired idea that could allow PDMLers to take their > work in a new direction. We have had the themed PUG for many many years, and > as Doug notes in his Introduction to this year's PDML Annual, the PUG has > been an important element of our identity as a group, taking us beyond random > chatter to a more fundamental sharing process. (Doug, my apologies for > mangling your thoughts and words with this rough paraphrase.) We have had > instances where multiple PDMLers have shared images of a common event (e.g., > PDML gatherings, GFM) But always we have seen a collection of single images. > We have seen portfolios and photo essays from individuals (Bob W. and > Christine's work comes to mind.) But I cannot recall a previous suggestion > for a collaborative process like the one C has suggested. > > C was inspired by a particular body of work which focused on relatively > mundane day-to-day activities: tending gardens, eating dinner, going to > church, buying gasoline/petrol, getting married . . . But there is no reason > this collaboration notion could not encompass any photographic subject. > Macros of flowers? Wide angle landscapes? Backyard wildlife? Product > photography of grocery-store food items in different countries? The > particular topic is irrelevant as long as it inspires two or more list > members to decide to work together to try and reflect their shared vision of > something. Dan, for example, has an ongoing project on roadside diners. There > must be someone on the List who has seen those and thought about the > parallels and differences in common eating places in their own countries? > > From the above you probably have gathered that I strongly endorse C's > suggestion. In more specific support I offer the following: > a. For the collaborators who are interested, I will commit to > editing/publishing the first 4-5 photo essays produced thorough such > collaborations; I am imagining a Blurb book with 10-20 pages per essay. > If/when such a work is produced, a free copy to all contributors, any profits > to the Dana-Farber organization. > b. Inspired by some of the "industrial" images posted by PDMLers, i have been > planning a small series of photos of active and decaying midwestern silos and > feed mills. I would love to try and work up a collaborative photo essay on > such a theme. I also stand ready to join in if anyone has an alternate idea > they would like to pursue. (Except beaches, Christine. Not my thing.) > > Lets try out this notion of collaborative photo projects and see where we can > get with it! > > stan > > > On May 18, 2011, at 4:07 PM, Christine Aguila 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.
