[Leica] When in doubt ask photographer

[walt at waltjohnson.com (Walt Johnson)]

George

To me, the work looks contrived. That isn't based upon whether the 
subjects are /looking /into the lens or looking heavenward. The 
photographer may well say she doesn't pose her images. That is more than 
likely quite true. More importantly though, does the photographer have 
an effect on the subjects? Are they presenting themselves in a certain 
way based upon the presence of a cameraman(or woman)?

I'm not sure if  /*documentary */is an easy term to describe. I am sure 
it has more to do with the photographers ability to become invisible, 
even when being seen.  I hate to always whip the MAGNUM horse but no 
where else do we witness so much /*real*/ work. If you view the work of 
shooters such as Pellegrin and D'agata a sense of place becomes evident. 
Their subjects can look straight into the lens yet the image makers seem 
invisible. The subjects look at us and the photographers are not in 
evidence.

There was a fashion shooter some years back but can't recall his name. ( 
Guy Bourdin???) He specialized in shooting fashion as journalism. I 
think we are now seeing journalism  becoming more like fashion work. One 
thing is certain, opinions and derri?res  are  easy  to find. I went 
from almost ignoring this  subject to jumping in like a frog missing the 
lily pad. /Kerplunk /and best wished from Florida, where frogs are 
hoppin and gators floppin.

Walt

Lottermoser George wrote:
> I asked Jessica Dimmock, specifically about the "Ninth Floor" project.
>
> Her response, "hello, thank you for taking the time to ask me about 
> this. i do not pose pictures ever. i ask that people that i photograph 
> do what they would do and do not place y subjects. there are rare 
> situations in assignment work when this changes slightly if a magazine 
> needs a portrait but in personal projects i do not pose people. please 
> let me know if you have any other questions. all best, jessica"
>
> For reference, here's my post to her:
> Good afternoon Jessica,
> A number of photographers, over on the Leica User Group email list 
> <http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug>, find themselves 
> discussing your work. More specifically "The Ninth Floor." A number of 
> members believe the work to have a "posed" quality about it. I 
> personally have described it as taking a "gonzo," interactive approach.
> I'd very much appreciate knowing if you consider this portfolio as 
> "pure" documentary photography, "posed" or "set up," (one veteran 
> photo journalist described it as, "a kind of illustration shoot for a 
> magazine article.") or some combination thereof.
> Thank you for considering a reply,
>
> Fond regards,
> George
> george@imagist.com
> www.imagist.com
> http://www.imagist.com/blog
> Picture A Week - www.imagist.com/paw_07
>
>
>
>
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