From: Jack Fulton (jefulton1@attbi.com)
Date: 09/24/02-09:16:48 PM Z
>> Therefore, though I am not into 'hurting' a soul
>> physically nor mentally, if one is an artist, just go out and do it and
>> don't fear the reaction you get . . nor, try to predict it. Just do it.
>> Work.
>
> So, did you photograph those people working in the salad bowl, or not?
>>> No, Shannon, I didn't. I did do one image of a telephone pole w/yellow
stripes that cast a shadow on the empty furrows thereby making the shadow
appear broken into discrete segments similar to the furrows. In the town of
Soledad I recorded architectural and mural aspects. The murals were Hispanic
a la the Diego Rivera in the school where I teach. The remainder of work was
of dry countryside. I employed my emotional comprehension to reconcile the
tension of my social 'unearthings' so to speak.
> If there is a language barrier, that is, you as the photographer
> can't talk to the people and communicate exactly what it is about
> their lives that you find interesting--their work, for example, or
> their community, rather than their powerlessness--then it wouldn't be
> surprising if the subjects would assume that you were photographing
> them in a voyeuristic way. I talked to a Hispanic artist here in
> Houston about this issue. I said that I was interested in the lives
> of the men who wait for day labor, but since I can't speak Spanish I
> feel uncomfortable asking them in English if I can photograph them.
> He said that they would probably not mind if a person like himself
> who speaks Spanish approached them with that request. That seemed
> right to me.
>>> Though I am not at all fluent in Spanish I can find the bathroom, order
food, tell folks I have a wife and children and how old they are and take
directions. So I have enough to inform but not to BS. this has generally
allowed me, if I wish, to photograph people. Normally my imagery is devoid
of people unless I do directly encounter them.
> Similarly, the people on my road in TN that I have photographed a lot
> knew me for 20 years before I started doing that, so they trust me.
> Although one of them, who is a new neighbor, said, "I know what
> you're doing. You're going to show these pictures to people in
> Houston, to show them how backwards we are." I said, "That's right,
> Jerry, and I'm going to make a whole lot of money doing it." The
> humor sort of broke the tension. He let me take a picture, and he
> was happy enough with the photograph I made of him to make a present
> of it to his mother.
>>>That's a good anecdote and w/out appearing smarmy I have always been
sensitive the Native American who said to the white guys that no pictures
could be taken because the camera was stealing their spirit. I've thought
about that a lot over the decades and have come to the conclusion one might
snap away (like the monkeys typing) and after x amount of images done w/out
exchange of love, the subject would, indeed, disappear.
Jack
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