i am this morning having my coffee in London….just trying to figure out the weather patterns….i have seen three different "seasons" in just the last three hours…from warm sunshine to cold windy black skies and everything in between…i mean, what kind of job could being a UK "weather forecaster" possibly be??
however, this post is not to be about changing weather patterns, but about changing cultures, although i am really starting to think that weather and culture are totally interconnected…would Charles Dickens have written about the same stories had he lived in Tahiti?? but, i digress…
my ancestors came from these British Isles….clamored onto small ships and ended up in the Americas looking for freedom and a new life…i cannot trace my family back to anyplace specific in the U.K., but my name is no surprise to anyone here…."Harvey" fits right in….belongs….
yet, i have never done any photography whatsoever in the land of my heritage…nor, have i even been to Ireland or Scotland where my bloodline also extends…there are a whole bunch of family names connected to me from both places….but so far, i have just not felt "the pull"….i just have not been compelled…
a few weeks ago, one of the comments from a reader here suggested that photographing a culture other than your own just could not be as well done as by someone who was actually a "part" of that culture…"inside"…one of them….the comment even went on the say that perhaps as photographers we did not even have the "right" to be so bold as to even attempt "identification" with a culture other than our "own"…
of course, even the word "culture" means basically three things or a mixture of the three…nationality, race, religion…so, in my case as an American, where in the world would i begin my "identification" ?? the cliché "melting pot" concept is , in fact, clear reality….and is becoming more of a reality in most countries of the world….
i am very interested in your comments regarding any of us to have the "right" to photograph "outside" of our own "territories"….sure we have the freedom to do so, curiosity drives us, but can we really "see" through someone else’s eyes? or , does it even make any difference at all??
for my work, i have photographed both "outside" and "inside" by own "culture"…probably , well surely, leaning towards the "outside" …. what about you? do you find yourself leaning in one way or the other?
if you do go "out", what gives you the sense that you can portray another nationality, race, or religion in any meaningful way, or even have the intellectual "right" to do so???
Patricia, when you return to the neighborhood with the children; take some prints back for them and their families. Write “thanks for a special day – Patricia” or something on the back of the prints. That way they will know your name next time you show up. Take a look at Bruce Davidson’s East 100th Street on the Magnum website, then send this advice back to me so that I can use it myself!
Best,
Mike.
hey Laura,
it’s so nice that we all are keeping in touch :)
i would be very glad if anyone could visit me in Iceland… yes, i know it’s so expencive, but it is really worth to visit this windy island :)
and it was so amazing experience to attend Magnum workshop… now i’m looking for another. actually, i’m thinking about “day of the dead” workshop in Oaxa (although it probably could be too hot for me there :-) ) and still waiting for information from Marie Arago.
Hello, David,
Loving your blog.
Just to let you know that we have placed it on the blog roll of our blog, written by Sun-Sentinel’s photo staff: http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/click/
Best,
Howard Goodman
blogs editor
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Hi David,
I totally agree with your comment about weather and culture being interconnected. And I’d like to add another component to the mix: place (as in terrain). You can see ‘climate/place’ so clearly echoed in distinct cultures – not only in the ways that people behave in response to it, but even in the way they speak and dress – and particularly in music. Two places/cultures that spring staight to mind are the Massai of Tanzania and the people of Tibet. Listen to their music – perfect echoes of the wild. Both places are close to my heart for different reasons.
On the issue of photographing cultures I take another angle. I think that by seeing and experiencing others cultures and perspectives we can gain true insights into our own. And I think it is vitally important for how else can we understand both others and ourselves? Surely, one of the great things about documentary photography is that it can help promote understanding or friendship between people and cultures IF we are able to go beyond our ways of seeing to understand other’s perspectives. It does take time….
I believe that trying to understand others perspectives helps promote understanding and peace on some level… the converse of misunderstanding, miscommunication and war… as photographers we have a choice which can include traveling around in cultural bubbles, snapping pictures with minds permanently locked in ‘back home’ mode.
I’m sorry that I have not read what others have written before me on these topics. The intro inspired me so I responded but as usual, I’m in a bit of a rush and hope I do not offend anybody…
Peace to all,
Jenny
PS I was trying a while back to ‘mimic’ different cultures in the way I photograph – echo it as does each country’s music. One nation as upbeat and ‘sassy’, another softer and ‘within themselves’. I think of countries as facets/moods of the world’s multifacted character. I got some ways with this but my photographic skills did not match my thinking… I see you’ve done it with flash and hiphop! well that’s how I see it and why I think it’s just perfect.
Jenny