[Leica] PESO: Arrivistes

[jbmmllug at jbm.org (Jeff Moore)]

On Sun, May 1, 2011 at 12:07, Steve Barbour <steve.barbour at gmail.com> 
wrote:
> there may just be some push back from people who don't find this funny at 
> all...

This all brings up - and perhaps exposes a few preconceptions about -
Jim's attitude towards his subjects, the spirit in which he takes and
presents his photos.

I don't actually recall having seen him comment on this (although I
haven't read every single LUG post over the last few years, I may well
have missed it).

I wonder sometimes, myself.  But I think there's a good chance that a
lot of people project their own assumptions on Jim when they see his
work.  They see photos of people they look down on, and assume that
nobody would show photos of these people publicly except to ridicule
them.

I hope that's not what's going on.  For one thing, it would be mean.
For another thing, I think it would be terribly depressing to spend so
much time immersed among people one despised just to bring back
mean-spirited pictures of them for the purpose of poking fun.

But (and bear in mind, I'm just guessing along with nearly everyone
else) that's not what I think of when I see Jim's body of work.  I'm
put more in mind of the work of John Waters - who's known for showing
often-seamy, often-disturbing views of some absolute freaks from
Baltimore; but he does it because he's completely enthralled with
their freakishness, has been since he was a boy.  He considers himself
one of them, and he celebrates their individuality.  Sometimes you
find yourself laughing, but strong components of that tend to be be an
odd combination of nervous laughter and laughing-with.

I absolutely don't claim any authority or special knowledge about
this.  Chances are, I'm projecting what I feel a need to believe on
the situation just as egregiously as anyone else.  But what I do know
is that the most engaging photos usually come from a place of at least
some empathy, and Jim's photos are engaging.