i feel the bar band drumbeat beat shaking the floor and it flows through my body up from my toes… so i slide in close…physically close, in their space… total strangers …and somehow quickly, inexplicably , become "one" with them….for a few moments i am "transported"…they do not know me..i have not spoken to them…and yet, an instant "relationship" has been established and exists in real time and space , but only for a precious minute or less…but, i know something is "happening"…
we have written a lot here about being the "fly on the wall" and not being "noticed" when photographing people…. and then we have also spoken much about the other extreme… the making of long term friendships/relationships associated with any truly extended photo essay involving interaction with people over the long haul…
but what about the intermediate interconnection??? the "fast hookup" , photographically speaking….where circumstances allow us to move quickly into situations that might have otherwise seemed impossible…this sort of "speed shooting" is most likely to happen at events, fiestas, weddings and parties…places not likely to cause alarm at someone with a camera…generally friendly atmospheres from the get go…
yet there is still a "ballet" for doing this type of shooting….and how to move confidently but politely is the key to moving in fast..
i was in a live music bar with some of my weekend seminar students the other night in Venice Beach…i had spoken with the owner, so my students had clear permission to shoot freely…it was an alcohol enhanced assemblage of the "best and brightest" from the Venice Beach boardwalk scene where total strangers who can barely talk from over imbibing want to rattle off their life bio..my oh my, everyone wants to be "famous" here one way or the other…very annoying…nevertheless these folks do not mind being photographed….that is, if you do it the right way…
i held back from shooting right away, just to watch my students work…what struck me was how tentative they tended to be and how quickly they would turn away from what i saw as picture opportunities…they would "lose interest" quickly or just not anticipate that what was going on in front of them, albeit "temporarily boring", was about to turn into a true "photo op"…still they were having fun and doing well and it was great fun to be shooting "side by side" with them….this was all happening after our final slide show and we were not "officially gathered"..
so, rather than go in and coach each student, which i had already been doing for two days , i decided to move in a make a few photographs for myself…just for fun..no project intended…right after i made the photograph above, one of my students, Dallas, told me she learned more from watching me shoot than in the entirety of presentations in the classroom…i could not have been "on" for more than a minute or two …fast in, fast out…..
i was not aware of doing anything unusual,but she told me she could not believe how i moved in so close so quickly to the dancing, beer drinking young women… they seemed to be totally aware of me, yet unusually tolerant as well…later, when talking to my students during our after the shoot let's get a beer and talk it all over meeting , i allowed a few observations….
how did i move so fast??? first, as i mentioned before , i was known by the owner from the day before…i had also earlier befriended the lead singer in the band, so standing almost on stage was not a problem …i made sure that i spoke to and shook hands with the two or three customers who were front row to the band and in whose way i was standing ..i got their implied " permission"….most importantly, i think the young women, who i am sure were not averse to being photographed anyway, were particularly accepting of my extreme aggressiveness because i think they could sense i was serious…i was obviously "in the zone" intent on doing something even though they surely could not imagine what that something was!! this manifested itself in a nice hug (always welcome) by both young women after their dance who i think realized that we had all three been in some kind of unidentified collaboration….but no questions asked…
obviously, i am the type of person/photographer who enjoys close contact, either attained quickly or after weeks of growing relationships…i do not think that is a mantra for photographers at all…it just happens to be my way….so, i have a question for you…how large a role does "public relations" play in your work??? do you spend lots of time building rapport with your subjects, or do you prefer to be the more dispassionate objective observer???
¨yet there is still a “ballet” for doing this type of shooting….and how to move confidently but politely is the key to moving in fast..¨
yess, yess.. and avoid all elbows..
my favorite kind of photographing..
:ø)
CATHY…
what happened to you??? i was expecting you all weekend and had permission for you to sit in on our programs…anyway, maybe you left comment that i did not see and something may have come up for you….
anyway, sorry we missed…..
ALL..
what Panos neglected to mention was that when i walked up to the police officers in L.A. who had Panos handcuffed, was that they told me i would too be under arrest too if i even said one more word…and all i did was to politely ask “what is the problem??” i just wanted to find out why Panos was under arrest…i actually would have “pushed it” further if i had not needed to be in class…i would have been willing to be arrested just to see what in hell they would charge me with…i know some of you may think Panos is a bit of a wild man , but in this case in particular, he was quiet , polite, and not interfering with anything…i suppose the police are particularly sensitive in the Venice Beach area where there is a lot of crime..every night i have been here , there has been some kind of violent incident..
i will try to get a post out this afternoon…you all know by now that when i am with students, i am not with you…but now, i am all yours!!!..i was intensely busy all morning editing from Panos’ 850 small prints!!! in the next few weeks i will be doing serious edits for Eric, Patricia, Rafal, Audrey, Erica, Bob, James, Cristina,Marcin, David M., and some others i probably forgot just now…whoever you are , please forgive me and , yes remind me!!
cheers, david
Posted by: david alan harvey | November 24, 2008 at 05:53 PM
DAVID BOWEN….
man,am i happy see you came back here with us…c’mon man, you belong here!!!
big hug, david
David – I watched you do it and in complete agreement with Dallas. I wasn’t trying to be the fly on the wall and was there in anticipation of you give us the hands-on. It paid off. One of the best 9 minutes I had :). All documented as part of the class “material”.
Thank you !!!!!
DAVID,
I can’t say I build relationships, but I admire the people who do and have the patience and determination. However as I do a lot of still lives I think I’ve gotten to know most of the stuff that I shoot after a long time. Might sound ridiculous to many here though.. But say, if you take the same walk a hundred times you will know what you shoot very well the 101:th time. Or if you look at an object as many times..
My newest and big project involves a lot of planning, phone calls and e-mails though. But I won’t really get to “know” like you do David, the places and people I shooth.
Cheers
DAH… right now i ´belong´ to planning a lesson in advertising photography and the tools needed..
yes… quite.
..and there is a pile of negatives on the lounge floor.. piles of files.. of parties and misdemeanors.. all of it shot with a broad grin.. shape-shifting along with the other animals until the bitter end, when they gather in the all night tea tent for the final ´quickening´.
seeing this post i could not resist, since much of my adult life has been spent accepting those hugs, talking about plant pots and wearing out my knee joints.
the left one ceases up frequently these days,
and maybe that´s why i really need to get back to this lesson plan..
or the negatives.. tempting.. even bought a new loupe today.. it´s magic.. i see photos i cannot even remember taking..
listened to you on ´listening to the music´.. one thing at a time.. and read back, about how a book is not finished until it´s on your ¨mothers coffee table¨.
and on rapport…
i thin it´s possible to predict a good move just as a bad one.. a smile here and a quick escape there.. never dispassionate.. always looking for recognition, (after the shutter clicks, that is), and if the mood is right – it´s only fair to contribute what we can to the unfolding madness around us.
when the music is too loud to speak, then every other method of communication becomes essential, and there can be few more exhilarating moments than those found in the company of like minds on a dancefloor.
DAVID BOWEN…
i am with you all the way in everything you said…i just like having you here once in awhile….come when you can and when it feels right…
cheers, david
David,
I wonder, will your ballet be moving you over to Santa Barbara on this west coast journey? I’ve been told there is a cold beer here with your name on it.
~Dylan
Its interesting that you bring this up David, i was just in L.A last week and i got to visit a subject of mine who is part of a project on Arab Hip Hop that i have been shooting for a year now ( I was inspired by your book). Its interesting to look back and see how my work with my subjects has changed since i started this journey. At the beginning i was more of an aggressive shooter, you would notice me in a crowd, i wanted to get as much pictures as i could since i felt i was going to loose the chance to get some good ones. But now that my relationship with these artists has developed and we have become quite good friends especially after shooting with them in beirut,bahrain,damascus and L.A this year, i have become a more of a fly on the wall photographer, and its because they are so used to me having my camera always present. Another reason is because i am allowing myself to take my time with this project and not rush it.
David – Interesting – you noted the same reticence in our Oaxaca group – I think it is a common characteristic among us newbies. Speaking personally, I’m always afraid I’ll be seen as stalking. Count me among those in desperate need of editing assistance – sent you an email with specifics – If you’d rather I post them here let me know.
For me it depends on the situation.
I prefer to be somewhat invisible when I’m shooting people on the street. Usually I go and talk to them afterward but I like finding my subjects in those moments when they are least guarded – the nuance and vulnerability seem to disappear once they know you are there.
When I shoot a wedding or other party I also try to make myself not so obvious (which is definitely a challenge!) but people are much freer and not as self-conscious when they’re celebrating, dancing and drinking so it’s easier for me – I don’t have to think about hiding myself and I can be more aggressive.
Getting in close and “establishing a connection” with your subjects is definitely important. Just last night, I was at a friend’s house and we started talking about my current “Project X.” I was telling them how apart from taking photographs I was also interviewing the people I was photographing. Although I could just stick with making images, it made a big difference that I struck up a conversation with my subjects first. It made them more relaxed and more agreeable when I asked them to do this or that during the photo session itself. I was no longer a stranger; I was now a long-lost friend. The entire process would take about two hours, but the pictures tell you all the effort was worth it.
David
for me public relation work good i feel confortable and let me be close to the action but any way the pictures does not work the way i want.
Saludos
DAVID,
I am not surprised by the comment of your student… I enjoyed so much watching you work as well… very instructive for sure… a real ballet… For those who may not having seen you work before, they can get a small glipmse of it on the link underneath…
As far as I am concerned, I think I have become gradually comfortable getting real close as well… I remember when we first met, I was shooting with a huge lens, shooting only from a distance… when I changed to use one lens only for all my work, just a 35mm equivalent lens, all of a sudden, I needed to get close…real close… Just seems so easy now… Once you realize that you are confortable getting close, this becomes very natural… As long as you look like you are in the zone indeed, doing something that you care about and stay respectful, this seems to work…. The one thing that you do that I am not able to do is to party while at the same time staying on the case, ready to shoot, all senses prepared to capture a moment… somehow, I have to stay focused on what I am doing…I do not yet have the technique so natural that I can play and yet be ready… I always have to think about the light, my flash… You are so fluid yourself… I guess this is also why you are able to capture these incredible moments when you are living the moment while also capturing it… a dexterity that is quite unique….
I will try to call you as talked to see when we can get together for the edit… I need to do some form of planning (I know this seems like a horrible word!!!)…
Have fun with Panos. I cannot wait to see his final edit.
Cheers,
Eric
Hey David,
I read your post below saying you want to edit some of the work, and mentioned me. Good news:) Anyway, the link to the project is through my name. I believe this is for EPF? The edit Ive wittled down to for the project (now called Little Pieces of Us, formerly HSH) is about 63 shots. I also did an edit combining it with Family Ties and you can see that at http://www.flickr.com/photos/jinju/sets/72157608457710550/
then again, as Im thinking now, I might submit both but as two seperate projects, emphasis on Little Pieces of Us and with Family ties as a secondary project to fill out where Im going with my shooting.
David;
I feel that in such situations there are always people who are less self conscious than others too, and somehow they naturally stand out.
I’ve found by being conspicuous and being as open as possible, you don’t look secretive, which in turn helps them feel comfortable. Also your moving in and out to photograph without them minding also comes down to your earlier groundwork. “Public relations” is vital; but that can just be your body language and “openness”
I absolutely loved shooting the crowd at the last WOMAD festival here, and I always find the girls/women way more receptive to being photographed as they are, than guys… The guys mostly want to pose and look cool. The ladies mostly acknowledge that you are there and then promptly “forget” about you.
By complete coincidence I was uploading some images from WOMAD to lightstalkers today. The three b&w images were shot around midnight outside in nearly pitch black conditions as the crowd danced to DJ Nickodemus.
It was very, very cramped, so much that I couldn’t reach into the waist bag to change any gear. It was so dark and cramped I thought I’d work with it; shoot at high iso & slow shutter speeds to make it as grainy, blurry etc as possible.
Here’s the link in case anyone wants to have a look..
http://www.lightstalkers.org/galleries/contact_sheet/16952
Cheers
To Answer your question without the influence of other comments -
Public relations does make shots more intimate,but the intimate pr does that, i suppose, not the touch and go kind. I have experienced difficulty in building that relationship and penetrating the I- have- just- met- you -and- you -want- my- shot awareness period. That really interferes with my photography. I find it easier to shoot and get some unaware- of shots of family and friends and acquaintances who are used to my camera being around and for whom the camera doesn’t stand out of the genera background. So I guess, PR wouldnt be the precise expression. I would call it fading out.
Watch my Eighteen Twentyone( http://www.vatsala.carbonmade.com ) , I think this is the closest that I have come to in illustrating what I say above.
JEAN…
yes, i remember talking with you about the timid quality of “newbies”…yes, this is quite common…well, i would certainly prefer timid to overly aggressive..but, as you now know, there is a perfect “happy medium” when you know when to “go in” and when to “stay out”…
“know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away, know when to run”
sure, post your work to be edited here…..
ALL..
it is getting late here in California and i must fly back to New York tomorrow…so for those of you who have links for me to view above, please give me until tomorrow night or wednesday morning…i will be in the air all day tomorrow..
cheers, david
DYLAN…
sorry i will miss you in Santa Barbara on this trip…when i made my plans for shooting in southern California, i totally forgot Thanksgiving on the calendar!!!…so, i am headed back east tomorrow to be with my sons…
but, back Cali soonest, so keep that cold beer cold!!
cheers, david
My current project ‘Margins’ about marginalized and working poor (see my website http://claudiusschulze.com) is kind of in the middle: most the subjects of the project, junk collectors, shoe shine boys, handkerchief sellers, are opening very, very quickly. They seem to be happy that somebody is caring about them and let you tike their picture immediately (i was remembering the nachtwey quote from hos movie many times: “somehow, these people understand that you are their to tell their story. They understand that you are the voice they otherwise would not have”) On the other hand, to drive the project further, I want to go with them, want to see them being home, etc. Here, I have to build up relationships. Right now, I spend something like twice an hour a day walking around in the neighborhood, looking for junk collectors and small talk with them. I always have my camera visibly with me but hardly take any pictures. Again, they are very open. However, they are always on the move, so it is hard to find them…
(Wow, my first post. I am reading regularly. but usually i’m to late and a big discussion is going on already and i don’t have the time to read 131 comments first…)
all the best
Claudius
thanks D A H …
by the way – ciara leeming hooked up with DAM in israel and had a very interesting time.. as with the rest of her month working there.
muchos thanks to you passed on from her.
david
I like this kind of post…I think there is allot to learn watching someone work and its exactly what is missing from most workshops…wish I could have been there. David, I have a gallery of images I would love to have you help me edit – for a possible book down the road, for submission to EPF, for my “project” in relation to this site…will send an email to the blog address as well.
~ chris
CHRIS HINKLE…
will do…i remember some nice work when i last looked at your site…
cheers, david
I call it the “Shutter Ballet”. For me it’s all about being interested in the subject and the subject knowing, sometimes wordlessly, that I am harmless. I don’t like to use lenses longer than a 50mm for this kind of thing because people see you that far away and they feel the distance emotionally. I tend to work in the 24-28mm area so that they clearly see me and allow me into their space.
Sometimes all you need to be granted access is a smile. Other times it’s as simple as “Hi! I love your hat. Don’t mind me … I’m not here.”
I’d rather be sitting in the subjects lap than peeking at them from across the way. Emotional acceptance is the key and establishing some kind of understanding if not rapport in 15 seconds allows you “inside” while not getting in the way of what was happening that you so wanted to document.
Nice topic. And something I struggle with myself (believe it or not I can be quite shy around strangers, though much less so now than I used to be).
I think a large part of it comes down to trusting yourself. Trusting that you are doing the right thing, and trusting that people will trust you once they see how committed you are and that your intention is good and serious. And sometimes, when people are drinking and having a good time, it’s best to lose that seriousness – while not forgetting how to operate your camera!
I am type of subjective observer, nice guy but observer. If I am too close with people I dont want shoot at all. I do not want to destroy this relation with my stupid camera.
So i think I am opposite of you David.
Here they are. I need to edit down by about half – there are a couple of obvious this view or that view in here:
http://jeanmross.zenfolio.com/p761354049
If it doesn’t like to the right page, go to the main one and look under “rail bridge”
I need help on both editing (my nemisis) and sequencing. Remembering that this is Sacramento so I’m thinking I should keep one or two “context setters.”
I’m hoping the last couple of shots fulfill the role of an iconic Jesus (again portrait and landscape to choose from).
many thanks – happy thanksgiving.
Jean
for me, since my photography is about intimacy, the language of intimacy and the negotiation of our relationships with others or places or moments, i’m a get close kind of guy…though i photograph people and places i know well, i also photograph people and places i do not know, but this comes after a have a sense of the place, or rather, i’ve developed some kind of “bond” or relationship with that person…i can never take “tourist” pics…in face, i didnt bring my camera on our trip to nyc for just that reason (even though nyc has been a part of my entire life)…with people i meet on the street, it takes time, but i’ve found when you’re open, when they trust you, or rather, when they “perceive” you not as invasive but a part of their dance, i’ve found photographs come, and come quite easily…i actually LOATHE photogs with big lenses, shooting “scrupulously” and discreetly…i find it cowardly, actually….and i rarely rarely ever shoot now when someone isnt aware i’m there…though, yes, i have and do shoot people i dont know or who are not aware im shooting, but generally they do, and i try to get close, not only visually close, but emotionally close to what im seeing or feeling…with this in mind, it’s one of the things im changing for the new project, post bones…for more anonymity, more distance, more environmental relationship…especially before we go to russia, where the work will be intense and close and personal…
though increasingly people trust less, i’ve always found that when you dont use them, or hunt them, but see the photograph as simply a reflection of a moment, most are open and willing….
and dancing with a camera is a good fun thing too :)))))))
DAVID:
will send you version that isnt “corrupted” by friday…
HAPPY THANKSGIVING ALL
running
b
hey all / david
about the close contact, the “eye” contact and the people you are photographing being ok with it… i’ve seen david “on” and working several times now… and it’s definitely a learning experience…
the first time i saw him work i just didn’t know what was happening, i had never even considered this way of working…
i would be either wayyyy out from a distance “stealing” photographs or way in staging everything with models, sets, studio….
it never even occured to me that one could “make eye contact” as it were, in order to make the story one was after. david definitely taught me that lesson.
(AND this is seemingly in contrast to all the hard work in preparation of being able to be at the right place at the right time… a mixture of hard work, instinct, and sheer luck :)… but mostly hard hard preparation work…)
in the workshop mexico i had the benefit of (not speaking spanish myself) of teaming op with others who could speak spanish well, who facilitated the “quick” contact with people in the streets or at certain places, something which would be near impossible for me to do myself…
like the time when i wandered off with Rachel Been and we met two lovely old ladies walking in the street with a wheelbarrow full of wood on their way home… she offered me to help, and we took it from there…
light was good, i think we stayed and talked to the family (and made pictures) for a good 20 mins. everything came together, the contact, the timing, the lovely people, the great light, the house, and the dog (who kept on humping my leg for some reason :)))
i’ve shared these images before, but in light of david’s post, here they are again:
http://oaxaca.antonkusters.com/day5-story2/
yes it definitely is a fine line of being turned on when the light gets good, being “agressive” (in a positive way) when you see the oppurtuny arise, “working your way in” without disrespect, and staying in long enough, “working the hell out of it”, and stopping before you wear out your welcome. i, for one, have to learn to set aside my natural “shyness” and just get out there… push myself…
working hard on that one as we speak….
hugs
anton
ps RACHEL if you’re reading this, do you still have the images of me pushing the wheelbarrow and the sweet lady?
hugs to you…
anton
Photographers are such good flirts :) I would be lost without the art of the ‘fast hookup’ in my tool belt and in my heart. Most people out and about don’t have time for more anyway, so it is helpful to be able to connect fast and intimate, to find the love that must be there, to reveal it, to revel in it, and then to slip away with a smile..no matter how earnest and honest and pure, there is a lot of play and fun and dancing with charis/grace/charisma (which comes from ‘chairein, to rejoice’) seems to be the door in..
“and the dog (who kept on humping my leg for some reason :)))”
But it is such a fine leg… sorry couldn’t resist.
Well said Erica :)
I wonder what people would say about some photogs’ way of “getting the shot” (like Gilden, for example)…
I can recall such moments -it all depends on so many factors- but rarely get what I want when not ‘there, in the middle of it and in the open’…
Can you recall moments when you weren’t flirting anymore ? Were the images good/better?
Cheers, T.
my current camera is just too big to get as close as I want
AKAKY: This is interesting.
AKAKY IRL: What’s interesting?
AKAKY: DAH’s most recent post. It’s all about how to get up close to people and take their picture.
AKAKY IRL: Is that a fact?
AKAKY: That’s a fact. He uses small lenses and gets in real close and gets those shots you see in the magazines. Stands right next to people and photographs them. Great stuff.
AKAKY IRL: How come you don’t do that?
AKAKY: Well, I’m not that kind of person, I guess. I prefer my way of doing it.
AKAKY IRL: Which is?
AKAKY: Squatting behind my bush camouflage with a telephoto lens.
AKAKY IRL: So close up for you is what, fifty, sixty yards away?
AKAKY: Yeah, more or less.
AKAKY IRL: I don’t think that’s gonna fly with your buds on that blog, dude. From what you tell me, they not really the camouflage types.
AKAKY: I get that feeling too.
AKAKY IRL: As for your bush camouflage, did ever occur to you that maybe it won’t work on a city street?
AKAKY: I didn’t think it’d be a problem at first, but it was. Too many people noticed and they kept calling the cops. So I adapted the rig so I can use it in the city.
AKAKY IRL: How did you do that?
AKAKY: The galoshes.
AKAKY IRL: What are they for?
AKAKY: I wear them so the dog piss doesn’t stain my pants. If that doesn’t work I just tell the cops that the camouflage is a fashion statement.
AKAKY IRL: You really are a wuss, guy, you know that, right? You should take up something where you’re less likely to get hurt, like aerobic bowling or competitive quilting or selling life insurance.
AKAKY: Yeah, I guess.
Tanguy..certainly there are times when I want to make a photograph and the circumstances require more compassion and understanding and respect than open play..
just in from an hour of hunting / shooting..sometimes the people in streets seem so without life..sometimes you almost have to make a moment come alive because you are there, because a connection can be made, but it is a bit of doing..I literally just knocked on someone’s (parked) car window to do just this..it’s sort of like a childhood ‘will you play with me’ moment..and then connect, relax, wait..shoot!
DAVID.
It seems there was a misunderstanding. :))
When I spoke to you Friday you said that you would be unavailable over the weekend…that there were 15 people in the class and that I could “come up for a drink.” I took that to mean that I would not be able to sit in on the class, which is what I asked about and would have liked to do.
I did consider driving up and back (three hours) Saturday just to see you and have a drink but decided against it. After all the drama of the previous night’s arrest, etc… my gut feeling was to stay home. I wrote Panos about it (he said to direct all communications for you thru him) and never heard back. Also posted a brief comment to you on the blog. So that’s what happened. Oh well….that’s life. Glad you had fun.
You did not recommend I take this workshop since there was no shooting/critique involved but hopefully I will have my chance to take a workshop with you one of these days! Please keep me/all of us posted on upcoming workshops.
I totally agree with your student and Eric. I was so enthralled watching you photograph in Santa Fe at your casita that I couldn’t stop talking long enough to let you photograph me!
Sorry to have missed seeing you.
Erica…
It sure does ask a lot from the photog to make a proper image when the sky is grey and cold ;) Then again, respect, smiles and playfulness go a long way! Sure! Especially when you don’t speak the language…
I can easily see you knocking on a guy’s window to get/add something more to an interesting scene… or to just push the envelope a little, see where it’ll go…
I guess we all do that, and usually it gets even better… I mean, in a way, photography is about contact: you to your subject, whatever it is – and even if you’re using a camouflage with a telephoto lens ;)
Akaky, truth be told, I do shitty images with such a lens, probably like Bob B…
I’d guess most of us could answer the question about whether we are in-close or fly-on-the wall photogs by simply looking at our most favored lens.
As for myself, I own a half dozen lenses but since I bought my Canon 40D a year ago October I’ve used my 17-50mm 2.8f lens 99.9999% of the time. Guess that says where I like to place myself–right in the thick of things!
I like people and they know it. A questioning look, quick smile and raising my camera so folks can see it, is often all that needs to happen for us to enter into the dance. If I want to take a portrait-type shot, I’ll just go up and ask if they’re OK with my taking their picture. In that case I give them my card and say, “Email me and I’ll send you a copy.” Other times I just shoot, often from my lap ’cause I like that perspective. It’s also less obtrusive, especially if I’m in conversation with my subject. But there are the times that I go in close, look through the viewfinder, snap what I want, and scoot away without making any overt contact with the subjects.
I just follow my intuition as to which approach is called for. The main thing I try to do is treat the people I photograph with respect.
God, I love doing what I do!!! Can’t believe it took me so long to find my way into photography. It fits this old social worker/visual artist like a glove.
Patricia
CATHY..
yes, some misunderstandings and a whole lot going on….hmmmm, i honestly do not recall our last conversation on the phone as being suggestive that you should not come for the weekend..i wish i could remember what i said…anyway, too bad, because you were clear to visit and the class was actually better that i thought in terms of shooting and critique…still not the same as a week long shoot, but not bad at all…
AKAKY…
just keep doing whatever you are doing…i hope to have you as one of the key columnist style writers on our upcoming magazine….better keep your day job though…the salaries around here are going to be very low…of course there will be plenty of room for advancement!!
BOB, ERICA…
your experiences are mine as well…i think we have the same sense of allowing our subjects their personal space and WAIT for them to invite us in…of course we do speed up the “invitation process” a bit by making it very attractive for them to do so by either making them feel very much a part of the process or by making them just want to hang…or both….
JONATHAN….
yes, that is it….
CHARLES…
i am so sorry i was not in your part of California…wish we could have met..in any case, i look forward to your book….
MARCIN..
we are not really the opposite, but we just arrive at the same conclusion in different ways…for example, i do not want to change the scene or interfere at all…so, i become part of it, only so i can disappear…i can only be in someone’s home and making something natural at the dinner table or in the back yard if i am in fact a guest….so i must be the very best guest..but, there are always moments inside the moments when i am totally forgotten….even if only for split seconds….so, in fact, for just a tiny slice of time i am a “fly on the wall”…the indoor wall..
cheers, david
thank you david for this post. for someone like me who doesn’t have the chance to see you in action this is insight enough
bj
..,..
its freezing cold in the forest… it will snow tonight…
GOT WOOD ???????
http://web.me.com/innerspacecowpanos/%22VENICE_BEACH%22/63%29_GOT_WOOD__or_a_visit_to_the_CROOKED_FOREST.html
;-)
HIGHER RESOLUTION…
GOT WOOD ???
http://gallery.me.com/innerspacecowpanos#100446&view=mosaic&sel=0
another visit in the mountains….
click below, new link,
http://web.me.com/innerspacecowpanos/%22VENICE_BEACH%22/64%29_DARK_KIDS,_continue,_plus_THE_TORMENTED_ONE….html
so much energy around the “dark” kids… such a different vibe than the Venice Beach FREAKSHOW…
KYUNGHEE LEE..
well, my friend , you already know what i think of your work…that is, after all, in the forward i wrote..but, what you do not know , is how incredibly grateful i am to have come home tonight after a long day and have your new book “Island” waiting for me…i have seen the pictures many times before, but to finally hold in my hands your exquisite book so full of texture and mood and sentiment was just pure joy to behold..
when a book is born, life changes for a photographer…a seminal moment without equal…i trust you are feeling this now…you should be very proud…and i am very proud of you and prouder still to have played a very small part in this, your very significant artistic achievement…
with respect and friendship,
david
2nd NEW LINK….
new “DARK KIDS” visit…
HIGHER RESOLUTION BELOW….
click here:
http://gallery.me.com/innerspacecowpanos#100451&view=mosaic&sel=0
love y’all
BjA.Patiño…
i keep trying to get to the Philippines, but somehow i have never made it…i do hope to come to your country one of these days..
i love your little birthday party essay..
cheers, david
david mc…
ahh, there is a way, less you are using glass plates.
i used to have to use an
F5 beast.. with a wide lens.. arm stretched in the air 2 ft from people..
there is always a way to get close.. closer.. if needed, that is.
again.. bringing up wapplingtons ¨living room¨ work which was short medium format..
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/44/110981653_57f4e1a440.jpg?v=0
so did anyone win that contest David?
DAVID M…
oh yes, i almost forgot…i will go check right now…several people had the right “answer”, so i will see who got it first..nobody asked the right “question”
cheers, david