John Sessoms wrote:
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.
and we could call it the PUG! ;-)For those on smugmug there is an every-two-week CHALLENGE on smugmug on the dgrin forum.... and with yummy prizes.., judges and voting..
high quality technically always, and photoshopping to the extreme not forbidden unless stated - and sort of tiered so that the winners of the short rounds get into the finals, etc... Winner of previous round is obliged to be one of the judges on the next challenge. I only tried that once or twice - when by chance I had already taken something that fit the current theme
in the time slot necessary.I have to say I'm not into this assignment like stuff at all... too much like work. which is why almost all of my PUG entries are often at the very least a few months old, if not 30 years. Except for casual snaps , like of Godders during our visit . The themes in my stuff comes after I shoot, usually. So having to decided up front to take photos of such and such a thing pretty much takes all the fun out of it for me. Now that may seem at odds with my wanting to do a critters book, but really, I'm not taking photos of beasties to make a book, just observed that I had a lot already that might be gathered into same. Still, the scut work is tedious and difficult for someone with my lack of skills on the keyboard.
Have fun, kids... it will be nice to look at the results. ann
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 HalpinI 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 hassuggested.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 morespecific 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, anyprofits 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 yourlocal 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 includephotographic 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] Whatare the key economic factors in the existence of a small town? Therailroad? 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 PDMLphotogs worked in self-selected groups and pursued similar questions butwith an international scope. For example, What do people from selectedcountries do at home in the evenings? How do people from selected countries dress for religious services? What are the key economic factors in selectedsmall towns around the world? What do back yard gardens look like in selected countries? What are the popular tourist sites in selectedcountries? 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 onArab gas stations--fascinating stuff) What types of dance classes are offered in selected countries? How do weddings differ in selectedcountries? What kinds of pets do people have in selected countries? How hasthe 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 tocollaborate with other photographers from different countries, work on aquestion 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 seeit as a project that takes advantage of PDML's international character,which is rich and interesting. I also envision a hint of text to accompanyeach photograph in the gallery--think of the old Life magazine. Any interest? Cheers, Christine----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 10.0.1375 / Virus Database: 1509/3650 - Release Date: 05/20/11
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