Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/12/03
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Joe Stephenson wrote: > I now feel uncomfortable taking pictures of "street people," the "homeless" > and other individuals. I can't explain it well, or at least not briefly, > why, but somehow I feel like I'm imposing or otherwise intruding. Joe, I can understand your feelings. Each of us has to work where we are comfortable, or work through discomfort if we find that important. But if we eliminated "street" photography and other documentary work where we don't necessarily have the permission of the subjects (something Leicas are famous for doing) much of the photographic history of the last 100 years would not exist. This is where in the US there is a history of freedom of speech leading, one can always hope, to a more enlightened public. We do have recorded history with many photos the subjects I am sure would rather not have been published, but there they are, and we are better for it, in the greater view. Sure, sometimes peoples' privacy is invaded. Also sure, sometimes things are brought to the public view that need that exposure. I am preaching to the choir here, probably, but I think we have often taken this public privacy issue to far. Simply put, if you are in public, you have, and should not expect to have, any privacy. As photographers, we can do such reportage with sensitivity, honesty (things in context, for instance), non-judgementalness. Think of all the great, iconic, historically important photographs that we simply would not have if photographers had been fearful of exploiting people. Sabastiao Salgado has been criticized for "prettifying" hard conditions. From another vantage point, he has been celebrated for preserving the dignity of the people he documents. If you keep his sensibilities in mind, I think you could not go far wrong photographing people under any conditions. donal - -- Donal Philby San Diego www.donalphilby.com