Before I joined PDML, I used to participate in a Usenet discussion group
"alt.binaries.photo.original".
One of the things that group did was engage in "Challenges". Anyone
could post a challenge, and anyone else could post an image in response
to the challenge. Some of the challenges I remember were "yellow" and
"song title".
It might be possible to make this work similar to the a.b.p.o challenge.
Anyone who has an idea they'd like to collaborate on can post their
challenge to the list and anyone on the list can opt in to the
challenges they find interesting.
Because a.b.p.o was a binaries group on usenet, it was possible to post
the challenge images directly to the group. That would not work for
PDML, but I think we could find a work-around.
I know Flickr has a way to organize groups so that members of the group
can post to common "page" (?), although I don't know how it works ...
haven't needed to know before now. I'll have to take a look at how
Flickr groups work and get back to y'all on that.
But it might be possible to create a "PDML Collaborative Group" on
Flickr or one of the other free image hosting sites to organize the
postings by theme.
From: Stan Halpin
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
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