STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
The joys of Street Photography, take a look at Paul Indigo's Blog
http://paulindigo.blogspot.com/
Tuesday
Thursday
Today, if the sky is blue wherever you are, then take a good look at the "blueness" of the sky & take a deep breath.
Apparently, very very soon, if you dont agree to the GAS price increases, thay now have the technology not only to turn your gas supply right OFF, but also to paint your sky BLACK!!! so, enjoy it while you can!
Tuesday
I was in Hamburg last November & I stayed in a city centre hotel. In the afternoon when I left the hotel & onto the main road right in the heart of the city, I immediately noticed a man sitting by the exit/entrance, begging for money. This man continually made a sort of howling sounds to attract attention to himself. The sounds he made were rather eerie & the sort that would & could create disturbing emotions, just like a bad nightmare & as if he didn’t have a tongue & couldn’t speak. One or two people dropped some change into his cup.A non German family with a little boy were passing by. The beggar had obviously caught the attention of the little boy who was probably 5 or so years old. His father gave the boy a coin & the boy very very cautiously tiptoes towards the beggar whilst maintaining his eye contact. I think the boy was both curious, frightened & at the same time listening to his father who was encouraging him to approach the beggar & put the money in the cup. & so did the boy. As I passed him by, I wondered if I should have asked him to take a picture. But I didn’t. I thought about it for sometime afterwards.
The next morning, I left the hotel by the same exit & there he was again. So this time I approached him with my camera & a look & gesture that without saying a word transmitted the message that I wanted to take his picture as I held 2 Euros as an offering.
He smiled & agreed & I took two pictures. He could actually SPEAK!! When I talked to him, He said a work or two in English, a word or two in German. But I gathered that he was NOT German but from East Europe.
When I put my camera to my eye, without any form of encouragement from me, he lifted both his arms as if he knew what sort of picture I wanted! He “Posed”. I took the pictures & thanked him & he nodded in response. Once I was done, I noticed that a few girls had been standing behind me & watching the whole thing. I also noticed a few people who were passing by looking at me & looking at him. I couldn’t help but feel that some of the impressions were of disapproval & ghastly disgust. How can he take this poor man’s picture!!
I walked away.
But it all me think.
Who was taking advantage of who here!!
Who exploits who! If indeed that happens!!
Was I guilty of taking advantage of him by offering him money to take his picture? But then again, he was happy to take the money & he even posed for it!!!
Is he “not” taking advantage of the passers by appealing to their emotions in this specific way of communicating, using his disability as an aid for the cause!! Were the passers by being taken the advantage of???
May be it was a bit of both!! May be it didn’t warrant so much thinking. May be I do what I do & he does what he does. & may be that’s the way it works.
Its it & that’s that!
I wish him luck.
What I read in reverse order!
Last weekend, i read an article written by Germaine Greer about her experience with Diane Arbus. first of all & for obvious reasons,i was delighted to read that she refered to Arbus as a street Photographer.I think the article was either in the weekend Guardian magazine or the Observer.I was very tired when i read it but i think the article was less compimentary to Arbus than any other article i have ever read ( unless i misunderstood it due to fatigue!! ) but it seemed to me the what really upset Germaine Greer was lack of "control" which i thought was self inflicted, & the visibility of all her porse, no make up & a bad hair do!!! Femenist!! now at that time i had not even seen this picture & off course i didnt know Diane Arbus. But I thought, well, who forced you to lay on the bed on your back?? why not say, get off my chest when Arbus climed up?? & what was wrong with that anyhow??? PORSE? hairdo?? Make up?? Vanity!!?? any how, there was certainly a big POP at Arbus in the article even though it ends a bit smoother, I thought. So a few days later, I get a copy of the PREVIOUS weeks weehend Guardian magazine & Shazem! there is another article about Diane Arbus's V & A exhibition in London & in it, there is the picture of Germain Greer with no make up, all porse showing. u cant really see the hairdo but i thought it was irrelevant anyhow. this editorial was written by non other than Peter Crookston & was a delight to read. & as for the picture miss Greer, u worried about it too much. its a portrait, thats all. I thought for a few moments "what" words would describe the look in her eye & I had to imagine that i didnt know about Arbus was sitting on her chest!! I had to imagine that Miss Greer was not worried about her Porse or make up & hairdo, I had to imagine that I had not read the article about it. & then I thought, u know, If Miss Greer had not made it public knowledge hersef, would anyone know or how could u tell from the picture that someone was on her chest or any other details!!?? does she look worried?? Frightened?? upset?? annoyed?? tired?? depressed?? may be the picture was taken standing up?? I gave up thinking about it. I think its just an "honest" picture with great detail.
So....Miss Germain Greer, may I extend an invitation to u of a portrait sitting for me please?? I'll be great. & I promise, I wont sit on your chest, honest. So, how about it???
need to rush now..........
Last weekend, i read an article written by Germaine Greer about her experience with Diane Arbus. first of all & for obvious reasons,i was delighted to read that she refered to Arbus as a street Photographer.I think the article was either in the weekend Guardian magazine or the Observer.I was very tired when i read it but i think the article was less compimentary to Arbus than any other article i have ever read ( unless i misunderstood it due to fatigue!! ) but it seemed to me the what really upset Germaine Greer was lack of "control" which i thought was self inflicted, & the visibility of all her porse, no make up & a bad hair do!!! Femenist!! now at that time i had not even seen this picture & off course i didnt know Diane Arbus. But I thought, well, who forced you to lay on the bed on your back?? why not say, get off my chest when Arbus climed up?? & what was wrong with that anyhow??? PORSE? hairdo?? Make up?? Vanity!!?? any how, there was certainly a big POP at Arbus in the article even though it ends a bit smoother, I thought. So a few days later, I get a copy of the PREVIOUS weeks weehend Guardian magazine & Shazem! there is another article about Diane Arbus's V & A exhibition in London & in it, there is the picture of Germain Greer with no make up, all porse showing. u cant really see the hairdo but i thought it was irrelevant anyhow. this editorial was written by non other than Peter Crookston & was a delight to read. & as for the picture miss Greer, u worried about it too much. its a portrait, thats all. I thought for a few moments "what" words would describe the look in her eye & I had to imagine that i didnt know about Arbus was sitting on her chest!! I had to imagine that Miss Greer was not worried about her Porse or make up & hairdo, I had to imagine that I had not read the article about it. & then I thought, u know, If Miss Greer had not made it public knowledge hersef, would anyone know or how could u tell from the picture that someone was on her chest or any other details!!?? does she look worried?? Frightened?? upset?? annoyed?? tired?? depressed?? may be the picture was taken standing up?? I gave up thinking about it. I think its just an "honest" picture with great detail.
So....Miss Germain Greer, may I extend an invitation to u of a portrait sitting for me please?? I'll be great. & I promise, I wont sit on your chest, honest. So, how about it???
need to rush now..........
Wednesday
Last weekend was the second time that I read about Diane Arbus. This was an article published in the Saturday Telegraph magazine to promote the forthcoming Diane Arbus Photography exhibition, "Revelations" at the Victoria And Albert Museum. Several pages & very well written I thought. The term Street Photography was never mentioned in this article but...... She was a Street Photographer & I that with the greatest respect. I have long said that street Photography is a conceptual continuity, & what she did, was a quest with a continuity for more of the same.
When I got my first camera, early teens, I never knew that the term Street Photography existed! All I was interested in was to go into the streets & take pictures, this was way back in the early seventies when big names of the photography world like Lee Frieldlander, Garry Winogrand, Cartier-Bresson & many others including Diane Arbus were making a big name for themselves or had already done. & so what I guess I'm saying is that non of them were really an influence on me but later in life when I became familiar with what they did, I LIKED WHAT THEY DID!!!.......& I guess, if I had been influenced by anyone, may be I would have chosen Arbus to be influenced by!! I think she had "balls"!! If u acquire my drift & who know if that was good or actually bad for her health!! Many people are now influenced by what she did & if she wasn't the way she was, may be she wouldn't have been the same influence. I don't know why she went, but I do know that 99% of the time its probably Desperation combined with Depression. God Bless!
Back to the article in the Telegraph, I loved the picture "A blind couple in their bedroom,Queens,NY 1971"
When I got my first camera, early teens, I never knew that the term Street Photography existed! All I was interested in was to go into the streets & take pictures, this was way back in the early seventies when big names of the photography world like Lee Frieldlander, Garry Winogrand, Cartier-Bresson & many others including Diane Arbus were making a big name for themselves or had already done. & so what I guess I'm saying is that non of them were really an influence on me but later in life when I became familiar with what they did, I LIKED WHAT THEY DID!!!.......& I guess, if I had been influenced by anyone, may be I would have chosen Arbus to be influenced by!! I think she had "balls"!! If u acquire my drift & who know if that was good or actually bad for her health!! Many people are now influenced by what she did & if she wasn't the way she was, may be she wouldn't have been the same influence. I don't know why she went, but I do know that 99% of the time its probably Desperation combined with Depression. God Bless!
Back to the article in the Telegraph, I loved the picture "A blind couple in their bedroom,Queens,NY 1971"
Sunday
What is Street Photography!? well, I cant explain it any better than this at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_photography which is a link I recently came across from one of my links with Alan Wilson ( see links at http://www.streetphotography.co.uk )
But what I have come to realize is that Street Photography is not just about pictures, To coin a phrase by the Late Frank Zappa, its a "Conceptual Continuity", but of the Vision!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_photography which is a link I recently came across from one of my links with Alan Wilson ( see links at http://www.streetphotography.co.uk )
But what I have come to realize is that Street Photography is not just about pictures, To coin a phrase by the Late Frank Zappa, its a "Conceptual Continuity", but of the Vision!
Thursday
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