Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/03/26
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Last summer, 2001, I was asked to do the very same for a friend, who is also photographer. I approached it the way I do any of my portraits. I always ask the person how they would like to be photographed. In this case, my friend who's known me for close to twenty years, walked me through the house showing me the things that were important to her. I then incorporated those elements in the portrait. I used a tripod, and I took very long exposures inside the house. Not only did she have to sit down, but she had to assume an internal quietude for the prolonged exposures. It worked well, and by the way, so did her chemotherapy. One of the portraits is in the Los Angeles Library's permanent collection. The previous summer, I photographed another friend who died in August 2000 from alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. What made that earlier shooting more difficult was that I also had the dpa, and I had to handle the final details, along with the hospitalization. In this case I wasn't asked to do anything photographically, but it was understood that I would, which I did. I've yet to process those negs. Slobodan Dimitrov Chandos Michael Brown wrote: > > One of my colleagues recently underwent a mastectomy and will commence > intensive chemotherapy on Monday. A few days ago she asked me whether I > would be willing to come to her house on Thursday to photograph her while > she still resembles "the person I imagine myself to be." Of course I > agreed to do so, but I confess that I am anxious about this beyond > speech. I am an *amateur* photographer, nothing more, nothing less, and > much as I'd like to think otherwise, I know that nothing has ever really > been at stake in the images that I make. > > This is different--something is at stake, I think, and I want desperately > not to blow it. > > I've thought a lot about what I want to do, and I shall let her tell me > what she wants, but I will very much appreciate any insight, advice, or > experience that any of you who might have attempted such a thing might wish > to share with me. Off list is fine. > > Many thanks in advance. > > Chandos > > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html