Re: [Leica] Political correctness, foreign photography does have some valid p oints

["Bob Walkden" <bobwalkden@hotmail.com>]

Hi,

of course these are points well made, but they all apply not only to 3rd 
world countries but to *all* places where the photographer is not local.

I live in London. Because tourists don't present the same London that I 
know, and because some colourful locals, such as Beefeaters, pose for 
photographs, and because sometimes Hollywood makes a mockery of British 
history, it does not follow that only born-and-bred Bow-Bells jolly Cockney 
chim-chimerney-cheroo guv'nor pearly queen Londoners should be allowed to 
photograph the place.

All it requires is for the photographers to be sensitive and courteous.

Cheers,

Bob


>From: "Birkey, Duane" <dbirkey@hcjb.org.ec>
>Reply-To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
>To: "Leica Users (E-mail)" <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
>Subject: [Leica] Political correctness, foreign photography does have some 
>valid p oints
>Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2000 15:27:13 -0500
>
>Being a U.S.A. born and raised photographer now living in a third world
>country..... I would like to point out that there are some vaild concerns
>about photography done by foreigners....
>
>Number one, there are a lot of people that spend one week or two visiting a
>given country and they can produce a lot of pictures which may present
>issues and people in a less than truthful way.  I've seen photographs by
>well known photographers in several top magazines and books of people I
>recognize..... why.... because they are professional subjects.... they 
>spend
>their days hanging around tourist spots dressed up "typical" costumes
>charging people to take their pictures.....  I've seen numerous pictures
>where the photographer got the caption wrong and someone who knows what 
>they
>are photographing will not make mistakes like that.  In Ecuador we have 
>many
>different ethnic groups and it is especially easy for foreigners and even
>the locals to mis-identify things...  Our local newspaper runs a column of
>places to visit and generally run a photo that looks similar, but is
>wrong......  a waterfall is a waterfall is a waterfall..  I know of one
>museaum that has a Shuar blowgun in the Waoroni collection..
>
>Sort of reminds me of the movie Jurasic Park.... I was living in Costa Rica
>at the time and went to the premier showing....  There was a scene in the
>movie that had the subtitle "San Jose, Costa Rica ".  it was the beach 
>front
>meeting next to some thatch roofed bars or kiosks where what's his name
>"Neuman of Seinfeld" got the can to smuggle out some embryos?.... anyhow,
>anyone who has been to Costa Rica knows that San Jose is a modern city (for
>the most part) in the mountains in the middle of the country.... several
>hours from the coast and looks nothing like a 3rd world beach front resort.
>Needless to say the screams and whistles went on for 4 or 5 minutes and
>caused quite a ruckus...
>
>At the same time.... Foreigners can pick up on things that are culturally
>unique that nationals are so used to that they no longer find them
>interesting.  But Foreigners can miss the cutural point as well and come
>back with images that just don't do justice to the subject and can indeed 
>be
>insulting.
>
>To say that Tina's work does this would I think qualify as heresy....  But 
>I
>know it can and does happen and I can understand and even applaud some
>concern that the images presented are indeed what they say they are.   But
>let's be reasonable... good work is good work is good work....  no matter
>who shoots it.
>
>Duane Birkey
>HCJB World Radio
>Quito Ecuador
>Duane's Photographs of Ecuador
>http://duane_birkey.tripod.com
>

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