Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2011/11/07

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: [Leica] Hold no punches C&C needed
From: richard at richardmanphoto.com (Richard Man)
Date: Mon, 7 Nov 2011 18:06:28 -0800
References: <CAK1iPBTK9gLGinR01Lq9_Pi56sTq0EGOnDxyS=x4A=Z1T2ZkDw@mail.gmail.com>

Thank you David for your assessment, which I pretty much agree with.

The reason why I put this together even in this unfinished state is that I
want to move on to my Foreign Land project. So while the OWS story is
ongoing and I will be shooting as the opportunities arise, I am going to
expend my energy on the new projects.

At least now it's an ongoing portfolio that I can show to people...

Thanks again.

On Mon, Nov 7, 2011 at 5:51 PM, David Keenan <ausdlk at gmail.com> wrote:

> Richard --
>
> Photographing OWS gatherings in such a way as to be original is going to be
> very hard.
>
> I've been in NYC now since around the time the whole thing started and hear
> about it almost every day on the local NPR station, have attended a few of
> the rallies, witnessed the huge police presence one Sunday night when they
> cleared Washington Square Park with goon squads, came across a sidewalk
> march even today, hear the hovering helicopter(s) whenever I'm in lower
> Manhattan.
>
> I looked at your collection of photographs and noticed immediately the
> darkness present in each image. This can be a powerful technique and you
> use it effectively in many of your pictures.
>
> I have several other comments:
>
> -- the mix of Xpan and regular 35mm images don't work for me, I'd rather
> see a consistent set of one or the other
>
> -- the long crowd shots could be anything, I think for this (or any essay)
> to work, you have to get in close
>
> -- while the sign pictures are "in close", they are too easy, and are
> easily over-used
>
> As with any photo story, the photographer needs to ask themselves what they
> want to say with their pictures. Yours are all over the place and I don't
> see anything that I haven't seen before.
>
> There is one student in one of the classes I am attended at ICP who is a
> very, VERY serious 99%er and she has taken it upon herself to photograph
> the events here daily. She showed the glass her pictures and got much the
> same feedback that I have given you above. I think I heard today that she
> has interested The Nation magazine in her work so she must have lasered in
> on something.
>
> Technically your series is absolutely fine -- but I ask "where is YOUR
> story"? and what sets your series apart from the many that have come before
> and will come after?
>
> Like I said, originality (even though nothing we do is TRULY original) is a
> major challenge.
> .
> Dave.
>
> --
> See my 2011 Picture A Week (PAW) Gallery
> <http://www.dlkphotography.com/paw>originally begun in 2007.
> Please join my photography mailing
> list<
> http://dlkphotography.us2.list-manage2.com/subscribe?u=3d9dfbb5b18c4817532a37b90&id=4dd441d8fe
> >
> .
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>



-- 
// richard <http://www.richardmanphoto.com>


In reply to: Message from ausdlk at gmail.com (David Keenan) ([Leica] Hold no punches C&C needed)