my latest news, below:

http://blog.panosfotografia.com/

:)))…..will send you thoughts to give u strength…incidentally, our families are similar: the traveling for camera stories, for us too, nearly always involves the 3 (and at the least the 2) of us…though, when we’re “home” (which i guess in Toronto for now) we’re often on our own shooting…but we too often shoot, just as we explore or make books or exhibit, together….the joining of breathing….

incidentally, your John Hoagland (whose photographs of the C.America conflict are among the ones i value and respect the most, along with Susan’s) must be, wherever he is, extraordinary proud of his son Eros….Eros, one of the photographers of my generation (and a fellow surfer) whom I respect the most….

fathers & sons….,

be well and strong in Oslo, we’ll “chat” upon your return…

hellos to Chris, Laara and Jonas too from Family Black

hugs
b

By the way Aga, I won`t take over Mr. Harvey`s forum for a personal talk with you, but just a little info, I`m in Tokyo at the moment which is, I am led to believe, cheaper than London! I will be back in the UK in April looking for work and some normal life though. I haven`t been there for years so can`t help much, indeed you maybe able to help me with information! Anyway when you get get settled I am looking forward to seeing your images from the UK.

i think i am probably a very unusual case….i have almost always traveled with family/friends it seems……i never found there to be any problem at all getting involved with a new culture when i was working just because a friend or family member was with me…i think actually quite the contrary… my friends and family who have traveled with me have either been a big help to me or gone off and done their own thing…i do not remember one single time when there was anything other than a sense of shared discovery with someone i cared for…oh wait, yes one…one 2 yr. relationship that came to an end down in Chile because the work and the personal life clashed……

on many assignments my two sons, Bryan and Erin, were always more than terrific company and their mother Sue was the master of putting the whole family thing together “in the field” to the point where the family and the work totally blended…yes, including once in a conflict zone (where i met Nachtwey in the mid 80″s) and two of my photographer friends were killed (Richard Cross and John Hoagland…Honduras/Nicaragua border Sandinista/Contra conflict)…Richard had breakfast with my family and me and my friend Medford on the morning he died from a land mine on the same road we had all traveled….however, when i photographed the “killing fields” in Kampuchea (Cambodia) a year or so later, i worked alone.. so, obviously there are some limits….

my mother and father were with me when i photographed “French Teenagers” for several weeks in Paris…sounds unlikely, but they did their thing , i did mine, and we would enjoy dinners and breakfasts etc etc…they also were with me when i photographed in Spain, Hawaii etc etc…there is a long list of places where i have worked and traveled with my sons including Cuba, Guatamala, Malaysia, etc etc..any time i can figure out a way to combine my “personal life” with my “professional life”, i will do it in a heartbeat…i love the blend….always have, always will…..

speaking of this, i must say goodbye this morning to Marie Arago and Michael Courvoisier who came down here to Mexico just to “hang” and enjoy the workshop…no official role…just as friends..and Mike Young (see post under “student work/workshops” from last spring) who was a student here in Oaxaca has totally joined our “extended family”…

actually, when you really look at it, isn’t this forum some part of the same spirit??? some of you i have “met” in person, some not, and some i will soon meet..and my now as yet undisclosed new project could literally have some of you sitting by the proverbial “campfire”…will somebody please go get some wood???

ok my friends, i am traveling today Mexico to NYC…you are used to this by now…8 hrs in New York tomorrow , then to Oslo for a week for our Magnum workshop/seminar…this is a totally crazy travel plan and i totally made a mistake in my schedule because i totally do not like this tight a program…to survive this i will need “a little help from my friends”….

cheers et al, david

Aga, good luck with your venture in London town. Also thank you for the pleasant Christmas Card (greeting) with the Polish holiday Carp !! My ex-girlfriend Anna is from Gliwice, Poland and through her i was introduced to your beautiful culture. You have so many wonderful traditions that unite your people together creating a strong national identity. Lots of Singing and Dancing !!
Also love Polish Cinema & Literature..

I now however did decide to start a project in my own backyard, in my own country. After a friend told me that I only seem to be photographing abroad or preparing for new trips, that got me to thinking. And somehow he was right.
In a way it’s daunting, but it’s a challenge as well. And that again makes me very happy to go out and shoot pictures. We’ll see what comes of it.

Enjoy the Oslo workshop David. It sounds amazing and I wish I could be there.

Aga, wow, moving to London!! So great. You’ll do amazing and find your way out there.
I’ll be in London in the beginning of April (9th-13th), and hopefully meeting up with my friend Laura as well while I’m there. Would love to meet you in person, so just drop me a note if you’re up for that.

Wendy

Traveling with someone else can cut you off sometimes but going away with kids can be great. I’ve meet lot of people though my children, people seem to open up more or quicker its great. Just 4 times more expensive.

NIKOS IS A REALLY COOL GUY…
PEOPLE CHECK THIS MAGNUM MASTER BELOW:

http://www.ontheroad.gr/en/information/default.asp

How do you find a balance between traveling with friends/family and getting to know people ?…

or, let me change a little bit…

how do you convince the wife or girlfriend or husband or lover…
or, who cares what the name is….
that part of “work”, is to have a beer in a bar or a scotch in a strip club??????

How can you continue doing “nudes” and other artistic …. stuff. you know!

Ohhh but maybe the answer is simple….
You dont have to convince or explain anybody anything…
Just do your work… and deliver…
Now if your wife or girlfriend or husband want to join your travels or assignments… FINE… if not FINE…. if you have to go through a battle though,
if you have to CONVINCE that special someone, or explain why there is not enough money for the whole family and the 2 year old and the dog, and granpapi…?!!!! then forget it…
That sounds like an anchor…! like a brake, not a family…!!!
If for example, Paolo Pellegrin’s family want to follow him in Gaza
or Afghanistan… or get exposed to malaria in africa!!!!
Then that would be insane!!!!
Don’t you think???

I’m interested in what you said about traveling with your family. It goes against the idea (or cliché) of the lonely photographer.

I always thought it was important to be alone at some point, in order to feel the need to connect with people. On the contrary, it seemed to me that traveling with people sometimes prevents me from meeting as many people, simply because you’re already in good company…

What do you think of this ? Did you often go with your family or friends ? How do you find a balance between traveling with friends/family and getting to know people ?

How about other photographers that you know ?

Have fun in Oslo !!

Pierre-Yves

When you go to Scandinavia next, check the doorknobs –unbelievable engineering and quality, attention to detail, even in humble abodes. By contrast in the US, McMansions costing 8 figures often have really crap hardware. Think about that when visiting a McMansion near you.

Or, when next in Jamaica, take in a deep breath in your taxi or on the bus and you will note — there is a Jamaican scent. There is a way that Jamaicans smell. Hint; not the same smell as Scandinavians.

Anyway, that’s the idea. Out of your zone, a million details that are reduced to background white noise at home suddenly pop out and are fresh.

This may also explain why so many of the great “American” photgraphers, painters, filmmakers etc. aren’t……….American. They are foreigners who note the billions of small details that the locals don’t notice.

So – young Dave – you’re definitely onto something. Being unmoored, being on the edge, all those cliches…..just think of all the great jazz musicians who spent decades living out of suitcases……keeps you sharp, keeps you alert, keeps you….noticing…

Absolutely right. That is exactly how my soul feels Freedom!

for some reason whether in a car, boat, plane, train, or a bus if it’s unfamiliar then it’s home too me. I thrive in adverse situations or places. Everything seems sharper and clearer both visually/mentally. My enemy is a sedentary life oh, how boring. Give me rolling green hills with trees that hug the water//ocean//streams//rivers etc. Or a giant Metropolis like Bombay, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, London, N.Y.C., Paris, Rio De Janeiro, Buenos Aires, & the likes of Mexico Citi..

if i had the resources i would voluntarily be a Hobo with the barest of essentials ie. backpack, camera, and film. Like the homeless photographer Koudelka. Now that is some story the stuff of LEGENDS. Anyhow Mr. Harvey i think you have a wonderful opportunity & should play it footloose & fancy free.

Motion Is Freedom & Frees the anxious SOUL !!

check ur email…got a pal (great photographer from Mexico/Spain/Brazil: yea, colorful life) who needs some help in LA, will be there in May

…thought of u…he’s cool…

maybe u can write him…

running
b