Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/04/06
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]No need for an apology Susan. I thank you for sharing your view of the subject in words (just as relevant and important), if not in photographs. Regards, George Lottermoser george at imagist.com http://www.imagist.com http://www.imagist.com/blog http://www.linkedin.com/in/imagist On Apr 6, 2009, at 10:07 PM, Susan Ryan wrote: > > On Apr 6, 2009, at 7:47 PM, George Lottermoser wrote: > >> there >> you've nailed the "difficulty" >> in documentary photography and journalism >> >> achieving access to the story > > > > I have access to the people and their stories, but not "the story." > > I'm a respiratory therapist who works in tobacco dependence > treatment. I hear the desperation in people's voices daily. They're > addicts. They can't afford their addiction and at the same time > their addiction is their most effective and most ingrained coping > mechanism for their problems. They want and need to quit. The > catch-22 is they have no insurance, or are under-insured, to pay > for effective, evidence-based treatment and medication, which exist > but are vastly under-utilized solely for lack of access. I see many > potential "photos" of people I work with as we to try to dig up > assistance from pharmaceutical companies, community agencies, > anything we can find. I've become an ersatz social worker trying to > get help for people who through no fault of their own have no way > to pay for effective and cost effective medical treatment. Most of > my patients are not part of the "baseline" percentage of people who > are homeless or out of work regardless of the larger economic > situation (not that those patients are somehow less deserving of > medical care). Most are totally demoralized by the prospect of > being in such a dependent state. The other catch - 22: as a > 40somethingK, 32 year employee in a job that LOSES money for my > hospital, who this year kept my own job only by the benefaction of > our hospital foundation, I'm not going to rock the boat trying to > photograph these folks. I'm living the story, but any photos I show > won't be of the one I know. > > > > Sorry for the rant - this topic is just in my face every day and > it's painful to watch. > > Sue > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information