On Human Suffering (the photographer and the subject continued)

photo: Rest Home, Virginia, 1983


The human story has been filled with many recurring themes; civilization, war, life, death, cruelty and compassion. Yet one of the most constant themes in this story is the persistance of human suffering. In this far from perfect world, what are we to do about those less fortunate than ourselves?
In Matthew 25, Jesus Christ was asked about the end of time:

34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Yet in Mark 14, he also states:

7The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want.

From this I understand that Christ teaches that the poor, and with them suffering of mankind, will never be completely eradicated, as long as we are on this earth. Yet, it is incumbent on us to do what we can to assist those less fortunate and in need. As we do, we acknowledge that we are all in the same family of man, and it is a recognition that the material blessings we have are not all that they seem to be. Rather, it is our relationships to each other that are the real blessings.

Man,Men Virginia 1983

So how can mere photos address the needs of the poor, and help to ease such suffering?
If you wish to see, one only need to look at the images of Eugene Smith in Minamata, Louis Hine in Breaker Boys, or Sebastiao Salgado in his Serra Paleda mine images. Here you will see images full of compassion, and images that have moved the world to correct wrongs to groups of peoples. Humans are a visual being, and we respond strongly to imagery. For better or for worse. Just ask anyone involved in campaign advertising.
At this point, I will abandon my intention to only show my own images on this page to include one photo.

By Stuart Franklin of Magnum Photo, this one image gave hope to millions of Chinese that change was possible in the face of overwhelming odds.

If you wish to see more, an excellent book and web site is "100 photographs that have changed the world."

Photographer and subject

I just finished watching an excellent TV show on PBS: American Masters: Artists create images of Marilyn Monroe. Seems like a good time to take a look at the relationship of the photographer and the subject. The objects on both side of the camera's lens, and the way they relate to each other.
In Bill Jay and David Hurn's book "On being a photographer", Bill is discussing what it takes to be a photographer:

Many people are interested in photography in some nebulous way; they might be interested in the seemingly glamorous jobs of top fashion or war photographers; or in the acquisition and appreciation of beautiful, functional machines, the cameras...

...but these interests, no matter how personally enjoyable they might be never lead to the person becoming a photographer. The reason is that photography is only a tool, a vehicle, for expressing or transmitting a passion in something else. (emphasis mine)

As someone who has spent 25 years teaching photography in one way or another, this is quite a statement. Yes, it is true that I have seen many students much more in love with the idea of being a photographer than in photographing. Yet, it is hard for me to accept such a hard line, that the photograph is only there to suggest something else.

This seems to bring to mind the phrase "Art for art's sake", or in this instance "the photograph for the photograph's sake". Does the image laid down in silver, or pigment etc. by necessity relate to another object, or can it be enjoyed purely as mark on surface?
The photograph has always had a strange relationship to reality. No drawing could ever be submitted as legal proof, yet the photograph has a long history of providing documentation of something that has happened or existed. Yet anyone who has worked in a darkroom knows the secrets of changing that supposed reality. Just look at the work of Jerry Uelsmann or Scott Mutter if you doubt me.

It is interesting that with the increased control over the image available in digital imaging, this percepting of "true photography as unmanipulated reality" persists. Why is it that when the audience discovers that the photographer has eliminated telephone wires in the sky of a beautiful landscape, we feel somehow slightly "cheated"? Does the audience similarily begrudge the graphite artist his eraser?
Oh wellllllllll........... enough about that. If anyone is interested in thinking about the nature of photography and artifice, here is a good link on photonet: http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00CvSh

What I really wanted to talk about was that word "passion." ... "a passion in something else"
How does the photographer transmit the feelings he/she has for the subject into images ?




I am about to embark on what will be, for me, a huge undertaking: travel to a continent I have never been to before, interject myself into people's lives whom I have never met, much less been a part of their culture.

How can I avoid being what Thatcher Cook so accurately called in a discussion I had with him, an "humanitarian tourist?" The idea of being a casual observer of human suffering, just to add strong pictures to my portfolio, is troubling.

Working with Thatcher Cook

Back home now, finishing preparations for leaving in about 10 days.
The workshop was truly amazing, thanks in large part to Thatcher Cook, photographer and instructor extraordinaire.
The name of the workshop was "poetic storytelling"

What is poetry? And how is should it be understood?
How does one develop a personal voice?
How can a photograph be like a bottle of champagne?
A bottle of champagne shaken violently?

Hey, if you want answers to those questions, you take the workshop....

Here are a few last images of the workshop in Maine, at the amusement park in Old Orchard Beach and saying goodbye.




Well, enough about that. On to Uganda.

Preparation, mainely

Thursday afternoon .... have a second before the class goes to another carnival.... this time in Old Orchard Beach. We have been covering a lot of the state, trying to find places and events that capture the essence of the culture of Maine. A hometown parade for july 4th, small carnivals, an amateur night race on a small 1/3 mile track in Bangor and, of course, the requisite morning of foggy coastline landscape shooting. Yesterday we pulled a 22 hour day, from shooting at "Caponigro rocks" at 5 AM , lecture and critique in the afternoon, and a trip to Bangor for the car race. It has been great. And exhausting. Just what I wanted and needed.
Been working on getting closer to subjects. And pushing the idea. And using multiple light sources. And using the edges. And And And.