Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/06/27
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Most of these responses to Kyle's projects remind me of what I don't like about a goodly percentage of book reviews; they're not about the book that was written, but rather are about the book the reviewer would have written had her or she written the book being reviewed. In other words, each person making suggestions is really just suggesting his vision of what a book about people with their guns should be, and of course in each case, that vision is influenced by how the people feel about guns. For whatever it's worth, I'd suggest that the way to help Kyle is comment on what he can do to improve his vision of the project - which is obviously to produce a group of similar, set piece photographs of Americans and Their Guns, American Gothic, if you will, but set inside the house, with farm implements replaced with firearms. That said, should the guns be more prominent? Should the subjects be close or further away? Should they all be sitting or standing? Should the photos all be taken in the same room in the house? Should Kyle use studio lighting, or available light? Should he pose the subjects, or let them pose themselves? And so on. On 6/27/06 4:37 PM, "P2CON@aol.com" <P2CON@aol.com> wrote: > I think Adam pretty much says it all. IF your pictures showed the use to > which these people put their guns it would be much more enlightening, and > perhaps > more acceptable to those living in the more repressed societies of our > world, > where only the upper class or uber-rich are allowed to own guns. To see > the > guy or gal shooting skeet targets with their Browning Citoris would be more > representative than simply having them stand in their living room holding > the > gun. Even the person who owns a gun simply for home protection probably > takes > it > to a shooting range to familiarize themselves with its operation, and to > learn the rudiments of actually firing it. A photo of that person > shooting at > a > bad-guy silhouette at the target range gives the observer an idea of what > the > gun is for. Even assault rifles are used by many for formal target > shooting, > and such a photo is much more informative than the gun owner simply holding > his > gun while petting his dog in his home. > > For those not privileged to live in the USA, perhaps a photograph or two > showing the rich American, shooting driven pheasants in Spain, side by side > with > the upper class Spanish landowner where all shooters are using finely > crafted > double barrel shotguns costing some twenty to fifty-thousand dollars each. > > Bottom line: there are as many reasons for owning a gun as there are people > who do. Your photo essay should do more to show that aspect of gun > ownership. > I think the photos you have taken so far are just fodder for the gun-haters > who would like nothing more than to point to your work and say "look at > those > sociopaths hugging their guns, lets rid the country of them." > > Regards, Paul Connet > > In a message dated 6/26/2006 5:15:10 PM Pacific Daylight Time, > abridge@gmail.com writes: > Kyle, > > It's a very homogeneous universe you portray and I can't seem to > engage with it or feel that you have a sympathy with it. I have this > strange reaction that it's like the cynical narcissistic "New > Yorker"-style of fiction - obeservation with no compassion - just the > need to look. > > If this is for a book then what's the point? Only pictures? An essay > with them? What? Because I'd be VERY wary of participating - who > knows what sort of editorial stance you're going to take - or your > editor will take. "Boy, we can make these guys look like real rubes." > I'm not saying YOU are saying that but I can't believe it doesn't run > rampant through the minds of people you ask. > > In addition to being almost all white it's lacking in class breadth as > well. > > The important thing, really, aren't the images, it's what you know > about the people inside the photos - why they have these weapons, why > they keep them, what it matters, why they chose to let you photograph > them. > > I want to CONNECT with these people and I don't - the formalism in > many - proper poses of people and pets - keeps me from engaging. > > Adam Bridge > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information