Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/05/31

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Subject: RE: [Leica] New Street Photos from Hanoi. - BACK ON PHOTO RELATED TOPIC
From: "B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>
Date: Fri, 31 May 2002 10:34:50 -0400

If what you say is so, Roland, then these photos fail, because they do not
convey anything special or different about the socio-political environment:
one shows us a river or lakeside park with people and a poster; one shows us
two poor people sleeping in the street; one shows us blurred people crossing
a street with blurred traffic; one shows us a woman who is either begging or
selling something from a basket; etc. They are nicely done photos, but they
don't say a thing about Communism, Capitalism, Fascism, or any other ism.

I have not been to Vietnam - nor any other Communist country for that
matter - so I cannot begin to speak to the accuracy of your assessment. I
would, however, expect an oppressive atmosphere. But this is one of those
examples of someone being in a setting, observing, feeling, smelling,
hearing everything about it, taking a still photo, and then thinking that
the viewers of that photo will observe, feel, smell, and hear everything the
photographer did when he pushed the shutter release.

The only thing that's ever in the photo is what's in the photo. ;-)

B. D.

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Roland
Smith
Sent: Friday, May 31, 2002 12:23 AM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: Re: [Leica] New Street Photos from Hanoi.


I understand what Oliver is seeing.   I traveled to Hanoi in 1999 along with
visiting other countries in the area, Tailand, Maylasia and Singapore.  I
have traveled to Japan, Peoples Republic of China, Hong Kong  and Teipei.

Viet Nam is distinctly different and most typical of a communist country as
is the PRC.  These same characteristics were visible in Eastern Bloc
countries in Europe and in Russia, which I have visited.

Liberal denial does not change the landscape.

Roland Smith
Oakland, California
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2002 12:58 PM
Subject: RE: [Leica] New Street Photos from Hanoi.


> I thought that's what you meant, Oliver. And, based on your name, I'm
going
> to guess you're Vietnamese and your family was on the losing end of that
> ugly conflict, so your reaction is understandable.
>
> I don't want you to think for a minute that I am sympathetic toward
> Communist governments or Communism. But I do believe that what is seen in
> those photos is, as I said, seen throughout Asia. Indeed, it is seen
> throughout the world - there are folks who sleep in alleys in the U.S.,
and
> people who sell goods from baskets here.
>
> The sad reality is that, in most cases, the suffering of people on the
> bottom of any heap has to do more with the failures of Capitalism - a
system
> which has certainly improved the lives of countless 10s of millions of
> people - than it does the evils of Communism, an utterly failed and
> discredited experiment.
>
> B. D.
>
> B. D.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> [mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of olivier
> nguyen
> Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2002 3:33 PM
> To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> Subject: RE: [Leica] New Street Photos from Hanoi.
>
>
> Hi B.D,
> B.D, I don't know how to say this but that is how i feel about those
> pictures.  a communist leader who make the country weaker and screwup
entire
> country. a couple sleep in pavement, a woman sell good with her basket.
it
> give me an impression of poverty, politic and bad leadership that lead the
> country to poverty end.
>
> I am sorry to Clif if my previous post was directly against you.  I did
not
> mean it at all.
>
> Olivier Nguyen
>
>
> >From: "B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>
> >Reply-To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> >To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
> >Subject: RE: [Leica] New Street Photos from Hanoi.
> >Date: Thu, 30 May 2002 14:25:12 -0400
> >
> >I don't want to start something here, Oliver, but I don't understand what
> >any of these photos have to do with Communism, other than the fact that
one
> >has a poster of Ho Chi Minh. Other than the photo with the Ho poster,
these
> >photos could have been taken in virtually any city in any nation in Asia.
> >
> >B. D.
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> >[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of olivier
> >nguyen
> >Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2002 1:58 PM
> >To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> >Subject: Re: [Leica] New Street Photos from Hanoi.
> >
> >
> >good place for street photography.  1,3,5 are product of communism or
what
> >i
> >call idiotic of VC
> >:((
> >too bad
> >
> >
> > >From: clifford wright <skidoophoto@yahoo.com>
> > >Reply-To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> > >To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
> > >Subject: [Leica] New Street Photos from Hanoi.
> > >Date: Thu, 30 May 2002 10:44:32 -0700 (PDT)
> > >
> > >
> > >This is my first time on the LUG!
> > >I just uploaded a few street photos taken in Hanoi
> > >last
> > >summer with a M4-P and 35 and 50 summicrons at
> > >http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=209735
> > >There's more on the way.
> > >Let me know what you think.
> > >Thanks,
> > >Clif
> > >
> > >__________________________________________________
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> > >http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com
> > >--
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> >
> >
> >
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> >
> >
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Replies: Reply from Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca> (Re: [Leica] New Street Photos from Hanoi. - BACK ON PHOTO RELATED TOPIC)