Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/03/30

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Subject: [Leica] B.D.'s "Forget A couple of shots..."
From: leica at rcmckee.com (R. Clayton McKee)
Date: Thu Mar 30 17:32:59 2006
References: <8FCBE8CA-B3EF-40D0-BBA5-841CEAFB6967@cox.net>

On 30 Mar 2006 at 18:41, B. D. Colen wrote:

> Yes, of course I would have. Would it have been as good? It would have 
> been 
> different. As I said earlier, a photo of a guy in a pin stripe suit, 
> standing in a subway station clutching to his chest a binder that says CIA 
> Review whatever, is going to elicit a 'Say what?!' from most viewers - and 
> that's what I was going for.

And I have to say I think you got it.  

Honestly, I just enjoyed the idea of someone, ANYONE, walking around 
in public clutching a notebook labelled "CIA Review Course - part 2." 
My first reaction was "Well, damn, someone just blew their cover..." 
and it wasn't until this discussion broke out that I went back and 
looked and saw that yes, she's in hijab, and oh well.  It's 
interesting to see the reactions that brings out, but to me it really 
doesn't add much of anything to the photograph.   

I live and work in some of the most multicultural areas of Houston, 
which is a fairly diverse city, and I see women in hijab I guess 
pretty much every day.  I can't say for certain because it long since 
stopped being anything to take notice about.  The only time I really 
become aware of it any more is when it's the full veil (which I do 
see from time to time) or when, as here, someone else calls attention 
to it.

I try to have friendships, or at least friendly relationships, with 
people from anywhere and everywhere and many of them like to wear 
traditional dress for personal, cultural, or religious reasons, and 
although most of those traditional outfits beat the heck out of jeans 
and a tshirt for visual appeal, they don't tell you anything much 
about the people wearing them.  

--


R. Clayton McKee                           http://www.rcmckee.com
Photojournalist                               rcmckee@rcmckee.com
P O Box 571900                           voice/fax   713/783-3502
Houston, TX 77257-1900                   cell phone #  on request


Replies: Reply from bdcolen at comcast.net (B. D. Colen) ([Leica] B.D.'s "Forget A couple of shots...")
In reply to: Message from kididdoc at cox.net (Steve Barbour) ([Leica] B.D.'s "Forget A couple of shots...")
Message from bdcolen at comcast.net (B. D. Colen) ([Leica] B.D.'s "Forget A couple of shots...")