[Leica] When in doubt ask photographer

[michiel.fokkema at wanadoo.nl (Michiel Fokkema)]

Hi Ted,

I probably exaggerated a bit to make my point more clear.
In the case of James Nachtwey in his movie it wasn't a small child 
giving way but the very big son of the crying woman was getting other 
people out of the way to make sure that James could make his pictures.

I also try to stay out of the way if I do documentary work, but I'm also 
aware that I will never know how the people will act when I'm not there. 
In case of your surgeons, they will probably act exactly the same when 
you're there or not.
In the case of Jessica Dimmock with her heroin pictures I think the only 
way to get those pictures is to try to get into the lives of these 
people. One just can't go in and say "Hi, I'm here to photograph your 
rotten life, please act normal". You have to spent more time with them 
and they have to accept you as a friend before you can make photographs.
i have great respect for someone as Jessica to take the effort to do 
this kind of work.

Best regards,

Michiel fokkema

Ted Grant wrote:
> Michiel Fokkema offered:
> Subject: Re: [Leica] When in doubt ask photographer
> 
>  
> 
>>> I really do like her work.
> 
> I think it is very difficult in documentary photography not to be an 
> 
> influence.
> 
> One can clearly see this in the film "war photographer". in this film 
> 
> James Nachtwey is closely followed. He has a small video camera on his 
> 
> canon. One moment he wants to photograph a crying woman. Her son is 
> 
> making way for James and thus the photographer is interfering.<<<
> 
> Hi Michiel,
> 
> It depends where the photojournalist is shooting whether there's an
> influence or not and subjects moving out of the way. As in the case of 
> James
> Nachtwey with the tiny video camera on top of the Canon it's understandable
> the child would move. Big adult-little child.
> 
> But during the taping of the BRAVO-TV documentary about myself I had 
> exactly
> the same kind of little bitty video lens mounted in the hot shoe of an M6
> with a recorder strapped around my waist. 
> 
> But I was shooting in a hospital operating room real time life moment and
> nobody moved out of my way as the child in War Photographer. This is what I
> mean about location and photographer's influence.
> 
> I must say it's interesting on screen to see what the tiny video image was
> recording and what I shot with the M6. :-) Imagine the movements of the
> medics and right at the bottom of the frame is the edge of a Noctilux. Then
> one hears a "shutter click" and it dissolves to my still picture identical
> to the colour video image, only in B&W! :-) 
> 
> I believe the influence created by the photographer depends on the ability
> to move about without being felt or seen. As well as the action of the
> subjects.
> 
>  
> 
>>> Just the fact that a photographer is there, the way things go are
> changed.<<  
> 
> I don't believe that to be the case 100% of the time.
> 
> ted
> 
> 
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