please post your questions for James Nachtwey here…i should be able to "go live" with Jim at about 2:30 this afternoon New York time….
Jim will probably not answer all questions, so the most provocative and brief and intelligent will rise to the top…
i know Sunday afternoon is a tough time for many, but this is the best i can do…you now have a couple of hours to either think or ask away….
Michael : sounds like you enjoy sifting through the sewage that occupies Panos stream of consciousness. Honestly, before the emerging photographers fund this place was a lot more intelligent. Most people edit there thoughts..gee..what a novel concept. Panos is a Virus that at first i had mistaken for SPAM !!
MIKE
I had to google it… seems to be the place where people eats a half cow each…
And no more brain for blogging…
People forget about david and jim…
Michael: Panos is a piece of shit, if you know what i mean.
Maybe he can shoot but he should keep his mouth shut.
Please let us not go down to his level , ever again. Just a Virus. Not a SPAM!!
Whoa, mooncruiser. Not cool.
Panos is the spice of life. He ignites this blog. He delights and frustrates in equal measure. That’s precious stuff in a place like this.
I guess Mr. Nachtwey is merely composing a response to Panos and we just have to wait and see what happens.
Panos, you rock (most of the time).
CATHY SAID:
“…Nice photo of James.
Is the girl in the background a neighbor?
Posted by: cathy scholl | June 01, 2008 at 05:40 PM…”
CATHY,
I have the same question…
Was “SHE” his girlfriend..?
peace
DEAR BECCA YOUNG WILLIAMS
first, thanks for what i detect as a note of concern. yes, i have made sacrifices, but i don’t want to make too much of that fact. there are many, many people in this world who have been up against much greater odds than i have ever faced and who have made much greater sacrifices.
i started out with a goal and a lot of passion and determination. in pursuing my goals i have come up against my own limitations. i realized i could not pursue my work with the urgency i felt and have time and energy to give to a family. it was a conscious decision – a choice with consequences i have accepted.
at the same time i do enjoy life. perhaps i have developed a certain perspective on things that are easy to take for granted unless you know the difference. i have close friends, who i don’t see that often, but when we do get together we pick right up where we left off. i love art and music and literature. i love the outdoors. life for me is culturally rich and interesting and by making the sacrifices i made and by pursuing my work, i have found meaning, which is more than i could have asked.
JAMEEEEES …
and again…!
What attracted you , in the first place, into photographing
ALL that PAIN…???
Most ” normal ” human beings they “look” away…!
What made you go that “CLOSE”…???
ORIGINAL MOTIVATION???
WHAT STARTED IT ALL???
peace
mooncruiser: please don’t flatter panos his pictures are less than average..
mooncruiser: what’s worst is that his personality sucks too.
Seems like a homeless guy from filthy venice beach anyways.
Ha.
What’s going on here, folks?
Mooncruiser and houseoftherisingsun, if you’re going to present yourselves here, then I challenge you to both SHOW YOURSELVES.
greek mythology is Absolute- however maybe his mother told him that he was a Planet and that the Sun revolved around his orbit..
so Panos lets deconstruct the myth are you a Planet and does the Sun revolve around U ??
Dear Panos,
Is war easy, safe and secure? On the most obvious level, the question is a contradiction in terms. I can’t think of another genre of photography that is more difficult to epxerience or more difficult to photograph. Safe and secure do not apply.
In terms of career “success”, you only have to look at contemporary magazines to see that war is one of the least published subjects. Lifestyle, fashion, celebrity are the sure paths to success – if you have the talent and the drive to succeed, which are inside yourself, no matter which area of photography you pursue.
“Save the world” are your words, not mine. I have much more modest expectations. I believe in the free flow of information. I want my work to become one of many elements in the process of change. Change does not happen overnight. It requires hard work, dedication and patience. It also requires faith in the process.
“Pleasure” is also your word, not mine. I won’t attempt to define what you might mean by the word “pleasure”, but in relation to my work it is a word I would not use. I feel engaged with what is happening in our world. I try to make my work count for something. Not everyone is motivated by “pleasure”.
Paul! Didn’t you know?! Mooncruiser is Alex Majoli and houseoftherisingsun is Josef Koudleka. (Yes, he just finally picked up an Apple macbook–hist first computer!)
Paul Treacy: I would love to represent myself as i have nothing to hide. However if you read this blog in the past many of us responded to Panos in a concerned fashion. What we received in return was nothing short of stupid male testosterone run amuck..
perhaps Michael Kircher could elaborate for us what happens when you challenge the elite Gladiator Panos Skoulidas ?? If i remember correctly he called him a Pachuko ?? Honestly, i have dinner to attend too Now. Sorry to stir the pot. Apparently, the zookeeper has hung themselves long ago..
peace out..
Sorry for the jokes, but this whole thing seems like a spoof to me. GET OUT and SHOOT and you will answer your own questions. There is a huge difference between thinking and wondering about photography and actually doing it. With the risk of sounding a bit forward, the questions posed on this blog are not the kinds of questions that I entertain in conversation with my photographer friends. Many of us are not famous, just hard working photographers, but lots of these posts ring a bit hollow for the working pro. . .
David Ellicson- just another amateur elitist- u ?
JIM,
This may sound like a weird question that has nothing to do with photography but reading your words that you have found meaning, I started to wonder if you are you a man of faith… With all the horrors you have had to witness, one could easily imagine that one could lose faith into a deeper good human essence but at the same this, I hope this does not seem awkward but you sometimes come across as if you were inhabited by a greater force, a far reaching humanity… There is something that seem so very human and deep about you JIM when you speak that, I have been wondering if faith has been guiding you in any way…. Faith or not, you are one of the very inspiring individuals out there JIM and it is a privilege to have you here tonight with us.
Eric
Wow, just came back to show dima and what a weird event…
DAVIN:
Frankly speaking, from one working photographer to another, I’d say that comment seems like a “spoof” to me. I am disappointed that is coming from you. Sorry, but since when does the vita of our profession carry the distinctive outline of qualification “condescension toward photographers”?…I trust, just as dissing Jessica’s work, was a frustration with the dialogue above.
Sorry y’all for the interruption.
David/Jim: i’ve enjoyed reading Jim’s responses (dima too)…
cheers
bob
It’s DaviN Ellicson, but no, I’m no elitist, just reacting to what I read on this blog. . . the content doesn’t quite equate with my own experiences out shooting that’s all. . . I always feel that there is this big disconnect between what it’s like actually on the ground with one’s subjects shooting and the editorial/art world back at home. Of course there is a place for this type of blog. . . maybe I am in the wrong place.
I think I am incapable of properly communicating over email. I assure you that I could better explain myself in person over a drink.
Just got back from work. Thanks Anna for posting my question (2nd post!), and James for answering “in the order it was received”. I see you posted just a few minutes ago. But I have about 113 posts to go, my homework!
If you read this, James, thanks for what you have been doing as a concerned human being and who you are, as a photographer. I am forever humbled by your accomplishments.
and you know what else? We can push him back to the garbage hole
he belongs. Mike and Rafal were against that Virus from the day one.
Let us show him he is isolated and alone. Let us kick him out from our productive club. We are humble and he is not. Out.
Ellicson – panos. Amateurs, amateurs. Elitists- u 2 ?
groundcontrolcaliforniaraisinsmooncruiser said: “We are humble and he is not.”
Oh the irony.
Perhaps it would be best for all if this passionate energy could be focused towards serious questions about the work. For those of you who have not yet asked Jim something you feel is important, please chime in…
I hope that Mr. Nachtwey still feels that it has been worth his while to give of himself. I hugely appreciate his appearance.
Back in ’93 I very nearly went to Bosnia. I decided against it. There were already many finer operators there and I was beginning to think that my relationship at the time might evolve into something special. I ended up marrying her and we have two kids. I stayed at home with them for some time and put my career on hold. I’m now preparing for a full-time return to professional shooting. I love my family. My kids are terrific. They’re the coolest people I’ve ever met. But I must say that I’m not entirely at peace with the decision I made. I’m equally committed to photography and to my family and the two are not easy friends.
When you mentioned the sacrifice you made, the decision you made, it hit home to me. And since you’re older than I am, I hope that I too will someday feel better about these things.
For now, I want to be able to show my youngsters that it’s possible to be available to them and have an interesting career at the same time. It’s going to be a tough few months.
When you have to slow the pace, Mr. Nachtwey, I hope you will have easy access to those dear to you.
Whatever the decisions I’ve made, at least I know that in this regard I’m covered.
HI THERE JAMES!!!!!!
Not sure whether you are still there or not but I have just one question…
I really loved the photos of the Dali Lama, beautiful intimate coverage. Did getting so up front and personal with him prompt you to look at your own spiritual values, try and make sense of the world from the perspective of the first Buddhist precept that ‘Life is suffering?’
And I’d just like to say thanks for all the effort you and David put into us in Bangkok, I for one am still processing the experience which I think helped me define what it is I have been looking for for a while.
Cheers and take care!
JAMES,
thank you , thank you and thank you for your response…!
and yes “PLEASURE” is my word… sorry to interrupt but i always
thought that “pleasure-satisfaction” SHOULD BE INCLUDED in any
form from ., at least . my work…!
But you are A WHOLE ANOTHER LANE , MY FRIEND..”
The more i hear and read your answers , the more mysterious you
become… so “PLEASURE” is not really a big deal…
but i still praise ” DIONYSUS”… instead of the “APPOLLONIAN” way of thinking …
hmmm, thank you again… you opened another “door”… i didn’t even know it existed…
peace
Hoping there’ll be more though it gets late. Switching between this and Dreamweaver as I finish my website, fueled by an aged Glenlivet over two big rocks of ice. Oh, the simple pleasures.
intriguing picture!
Hey friends, what happened here tonight? The Q&A with James was going along wonderfully–his answers were so honest & heartfelt–and then some flamers arrived & spoiled the party. Pretty damn embarrassing actually, especially for David who had gone out of his way to set this up, and for James who had been so gracious in giving us his time.
I’ve not been here very long but have never even seen a hint of such nastiness before. Do those folks show up very often? Sure hope not!
Even so, David, I thank you SO MUCH for arranging this meeting. James is not only a magnificent photographer but a true humanitarian.
Patricia
Sorry I missed all the fun. Took a lazy drift down the river today. I have to catch up with my reading!
DAVIN..
very strange comment coming from you…particularly strange that you and your evidently elitist “photography friends” would not find it interesting that one of my “photography friends” would humbly take the time out to talk to members of this forum, who are in fact out shooting all the time..you obviously have not kept up..besides, dropping a comment like that, in the middle of a rare forum interview with Nachtwey, would be considered just plain rude in some circles…
but, i do like your work….
Thanks to David and James for taking the time today. I’m very disappointed that my plans to attend Look3 have changed, I was really looking forward to James’ talk. It was great to get a glimpse tonight.
Joan
I have the greatest respect for people like yourself, David, and Nachtwey. What I was trying to get across cannot be said properly over the web. Many, many, apologies. What you are doing with this blog is great. I am silenced. I will keep my thoughts to myself. All I was trying to hint at is that I, too, had (and still do) many, many questions re: the photographic life and that they have best been answered by actually hitting the road shooting. Obviously, this was not the place to say this when you had a guest here to answer questions(!) Again, my sincere apologies and I will stay off the blog. I was trying to make a meta comment and it didn’t turn out so well. I just have returned from photographing amongst my peasant friends in northern Romania and there always seems to be a gap between me and the photo world. Some may take this as sounding elitist, but this is the opposite of how I feel or what I mean. I actually feel that the photo/art world is often elitist. Somehow, I feel that the photographs I take are very personal and are almost just meant for the people I have photographed. There seems to be a gap between my experience shooting with my subjects and the atmosphere of the photographic community. Am I making any sense?! What I am trying to say is that there is a gap between the photographer’s experience and the viewer’s experience of the photographs. And in my opinion it is the photographer’s experience that matters. I rest my case, I doubt anyone can understand what I am trying to say.
You gotta love people who take an opportunity like this to make it all about themselves…Davin, congrats. this went from being about James Nachtway to how much more of a real photographer you are than people who have asked questions. Self aggrandization at its worst.
I wonder if Im too late….I’ll blame the time difference here for that.
James, since you covered South Korea way back when, I wonder if you have ever been back to see how it has changed. Although it needn’t be South korea…do you ever go back to see how the places you have covered have turned out? In the case of S Korea in particular, from a dictatorship to a democracy.
rockpaperscissors
Not sure what happened. James answered only a few questions, David, glad to read from you again, after the fiasco of this page #3 (the worse day for our little DAH community, and arrgh! on the day one of the greatest photographers alive lent his time to be here…Go figure!), I wondered if you just pulled the plug on this whole session gone awry.
Davin, I kinda see some of your points (and I am no hard working photographer!), but the manner and your timing were off earlier, to say the least.
Bob, Panos….???….for a while I thought you were the interviewees…. :-))))
DAVIN..
apology accepted….
i would not have been so upset with you had James not been in the middle of his very non-elitist answers to the questions presented by this audience…
Jim did not think the questions banal…
anyway amigo, i will cut you some slack for the net absolutely not being the best way to communicate…
now i have a suggestion..if you want the conversations here to swing more in the relevant directions you want, why not pose a specific thread?? i throw out ideas, but everyone here has the option to “turn the tide” in any which way..and it happens all the time..
many here are not working pros…many here are….most want to make a life where photography plays a significant role but i certainly do not lean everyone in the direction of “professionalism”…the world does not need another photo pro turned cynic….i do however try to get them to move in their own personal direction…think about galleries, exhibitions, books and yes, maybe some assignments…
several photographers here have really grown right before our eyes…quite amazing and rewarding all around….
i certainly remember myself at every stage of this art/craft/biz…ain’t far away….and i am sure you do you…so, why don’t you reach out and grab somebody?… somebody else will reach out for you..
peace, david
DAVID,
Thanks so much to both you and Jim for spending time answering our questions. I hope Jim wasn’t put off by all the “family” (I use that term in the loosest sense) bickering.
It was really a treat having him here. Let’s see if we can get him back again.
HERVE…
James answered quite a few questions (twice as many as Allard) and he labored over the ones he answered…i typed the first two or three, but he wanted to type it…he then thought more..and then took quite awhile on each one…he is just in as much control over what he writes here as he is with everything..if you look at the time from his first post to his last you will see several hours pass…a lot of other stuff was going on at the same time and i had to keep pulling him back here!!! besides, some questions were repeats or similar to others…i think he covered quite a bit of ground considering the nature of this medium…and remember you were not getting a writers interpretation, you were getting the quotes directly as he thought about your questions….
cheers, david
David,
Thanks very much for setting up this q and a session, very interesting indeed.
I ran across something tonight you (and others) might be interested in if you haven’t already heard it… an interview with Robert Frank about the Americans:
http://blogs.wnyc.org/culture/category/photography/
(the link is in a post towards the bottom of the page)
It was recorded a couple of weeks ago at Lincoln Center… it’s long and the interview was conducted by one Charlie LeDuff who has to be the absolute worst interviewer on the planet. Talk about bad questions to ask a photographer, and to Robert Frank no less. In any case, I listened to the whole thing, cringing occasionally, to hear what the man had to say about one of my favorite books…
Thanks David, truly I was flattered to be one he answered to, and I was not even here! Anna did something very classy, posting it.
PS: Maybe Davin E. could be our next interviewed photographer….;-)
DAVID,
Mate, I’m really sorry about the flamers. I’ve been out all day shooting and have been looking forward to getting back and seeing what James had to say.
I have always been very impressed at his ability to verbalise his motivations and his way of working. There are so many great things you can learn when someone speaks about thier work. It seems rare to find people that can do this well.
Thanks.
Matt
matthewnewton: you are generic …
matthewnewton: you are generic …
Many thanks to David and James, it was very interesting.
Hey Patricia and Matthew, yes indeed where did all these ‘flamers’ come from and why here when James Nachtwey has so graciously lent his time to us?
This is really a great place and I enjoy EVERYONE’s different personalities, points of view and levels of experience. You can learn from EVERYONE except people who have only bile to spew.
I don’t really know who or why people behave like that, its so childish. I am glad Panos didn’t take the bait, shows that he is a much more mature person than someone that can only call themselves by a pseudonym.
I hope these ‘flamers’ have suitably embarrassed themselves in front of all of us and that they will learn that there is enough stupidity in the world not to add anymore.
Some great comments from James that I have had to think about as well. Cheers everyone!