Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/11/10

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Subject: [Leica] Robert Bergman - Street Photography
From: images at comporium.net (Tina Manley)
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:19:57 -0500

NPR just had a story about Robert Bergman, who 
has a show at the National Gallery of Art. I 
thought it was interesting that they referred to 
his work as "street photography" even though he 
asks the subjects for permission and they are 
aware that their portrait is being made. Here are two articles:

<http://www.brooklynrail.org/2004/05/art/bergman>http://www.brooklynrail.org/2004/05/art/bergman

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...101202981.html

This is an interesting quote:

"The fundamental strangeness of documentary 
photography is the split between who it is of and 
who it is for?the split between its subjects and 
its audience. The documentary photograph is 
intended to move "you" (the middle class magazine 
or newspaper reader or the upper middle class art 
lover) to do something. Here?s a test: what does 
any given photograph make you want to do? Lewis 
Hine says change the child labor laws; Margaret 
Bourke-White says add fluoride to the water, give 
at your church, and stay the hell away from the 
bad side of town; Dorothea Lange says improve the 
treatment of migrant workers; Robert Frank says 
quit your job and see America (but you won?t 
always like what you see); Richard Avedon says 
look as long as you like?they can?t see you or 
stop you; Martha Rosler says leave the bums 
alone. When you look at a Robert Bergman 
photograph, you don?t think "Oh gee, I should 
give more to the United Way," but that maybe 
"you" are missing something by not treating 
everyone you encounter as a full human being."

Read, too, about how he makes his inkjet prints.

No, he uses Nikon 35mm ;-)

Tina
<http://www.tinamanley.com>www.tinamanley.com


Replies: Reply from jayanand at gmail.com (Jayanand Govindaraj) ([Leica] Robert Bergman - Street Photography)