Comments on: nicola lo calzo – inside niger https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/07/nicola-lo-calzo-inside-niger/ burn is an online feature for emerging photographers worldwide. burn is curated by magnum photographer david alan harvey. Wed, 07 Sep 2016 08:29:43 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.4 By: Matthew Butchko https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/07/nicola-lo-calzo-inside-niger/#comment-56547 Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:18:38 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3336#comment-56547 These photographs become more interesting with repeated visits. I enjoy looking at the details I missed before. For me, they are very successful because there is a desire to come back. With unique content I feel drawn to the individual and detail. I’m wondering what it’s like to be them, in their environment, living their lives.

Thanks Nicola. Hope to see more of your work.

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By: Rencontres d’Arles – Espace SFR – Lo Calzo, Montméat, Demenge, Clair, Angei, Toroptsov « Le blog d'un Photoculteur https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/07/nicola-lo-calzo-inside-niger/#comment-48494 Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:40:33 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3336#comment-48494 […] Nicola Lo Calzo (série inside Niger) montrait de grands portraits individuels d’africains en tenue de travail, dans de grands tirages mats. Un travail remarquable par son sujet alors que l’Afrique et sa population sont le plus souvent montrés sous un jour folklorique ou misérabiliste ou à travers les yeux d’un photojournalisme rapace avide d’images d’actualité racoleuses. David Alan Harvey (agence Magnum) ne s’y est pas trompé en retenant le travail de Nicola pour le publier sur son blog, Burn. (ici). […]

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By: Bjarte Edvardsen https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/07/nicola-lo-calzo-inside-niger/#comment-46725 Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:23:11 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3336#comment-46725 I think there is a nice flow going on between the photographs. I appreciate the strictness to the same format and the same methods with lighting and the rest of the arranging. After a while I spotted that the street lights coming out of the preacherman’s head echoed some of the shapes from his clothing. There’s also similar echoes in other backgrounds, as in #4, where the tree seems to be a masculine continuation of his body. Those kind of details often lies there over time before I can spot them, but to me all that progress is a part of the beauty with photography.

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By: AndreaC https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/07/nicola-lo-calzo-inside-niger/#comment-46433 Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:12:33 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3336#comment-46433 I like this type of portraiture and like someone above said, I was reminded of August Sander, though I don’t think Sander can take any credit for the sinister aspect lying beneath his pictures. I wasn’t aware of any such thing in his pictures, though i knew when they were taken. They, like these, merely allow the person to present themselves to the camera. This does not mean it is merely a snapshot. Subtlety in photography is a hard thing for many to appreciate. I remember not getting Walker Evans’ pictures and then suddenly, I did.

I am glad for the explanation of the burnt out background. I didn’t get it and felt the background to be a bit at odds with the subjects. I am still not sure if i like it so much. But, I just kept marvelling at the velvety fineness of the men’s skin and the sharpness of the shots and love (some of them) for their natural beauty which contrasts with the non-beauty, of the labour of their jobs. The man with the yellow thongs is my favourite.

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By: Sean https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/07/nicola-lo-calzo-inside-niger/#comment-46224 Fri, 17 Jul 2009 06:22:56 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3336#comment-46224 I think this is a beautiful and honest set of portraits. 1, 3, 4, 7, and 8 especially leave me feeling welcome to view the photographs. These photographs are personal & interactive, and the subjects’ permissive and open poses and postures to the camera communicate a pride that I find touching. I think this work is great. I almost forget the photography and that, to me, means successful work.

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By: Herve https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/07/nicola-lo-calzo-inside-niger/#comment-46196 Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:54:31 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3336#comment-46196 JIM: I just don’t see anything special here. I like the idea of portraits, but they don’t seem particularly well composed nor do they seem to say much. More like snapshots. I can’t see much beyond the surface of the subjects.

Marcin: This simple but very deep portraits shows me a world I don’t know. For me perfect

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try to reconcile these 2 opinions! :-)))

We are a bit thrown off at first by the extreme white mid-day light in which everything in your frames bathes in, and David makes a good point to help us see that there is something there that can be credited to your very own choices, and not lack of “metier”.

It is good that you are not trying to squeeze all that can be squeezed out of these portraits, and the people they are of, narratively and psychologically. I also think that is not by lack of ability to “penetrate deeper” on your part, but rather striving to bring them to us as simply as possible, without your intervention or own thoughts or creativity.

This does make it harder to arise our interest, indeed, and there is still a risk that it all comes down to a personal stance or part-pris, not any closer to objectivity, yet I think a basic honesty and empathy is unmistakable here, which is our path to your images (as it was your path to them) and just as we would have to lend an ear a bit closer to what you have to say, we lend an eager eye to the portraits that seem to reveal so little. Just a question of leaning to better hear or see…

For me, the 2 portraits where the people are “clothed” with their function (thru uniform and chasuble, cop and priest) are weaker and not on par with the others, maybe because the light is uninteresting and their stance/stare predictable, unquestionning to us.

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By: panos skoulidas https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/07/nicola-lo-calzo-inside-niger/#comment-46108 Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:40:08 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3336#comment-46108 Great portraits..
But what really made my day is that..
That Imants guy now cares about the “audience”..
Hypocrite with a capital H…
Another beautiful day begins for BURN..
good morning from LA..
it’s BURNing down here.. Like hell..
and I like(s) it…
:)))

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By: marcin luczkowski https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/07/nicola-lo-calzo-inside-niger/#comment-46101 Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:16:18 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3336#comment-46101 This simple but very deep portraits shows me a world I don’t know. For me perfect.

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By: david alan harvey https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/07/nicola-lo-calzo-inside-niger/#comment-46092 Thu, 16 Jul 2009 10:36:28 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3336#comment-46092 DAVID BACHER….

i think the whole point was to totally feature the harsh mid day sun as the real environment under which the population along the Niger River live ….so many photographers in color automatically work in the late or early light which is normally considered the “magic hours”…surely Nicola decided quite early clearly to go against the norm….by using his hot flash he accentuated this “heat”…

i do not know how long you have been shooting, but i can imagine your tastes may change in time as tastes usually change in time…this does not mean however that you should alter your way of shooting to match the current trends…quite the contrary…but, it does mean that your acceptance for what others do which may be different from your current preferences will perhaps be altered…please write me two years from now and tell me if you are still thinking the same…

IMANTS…

is that not exactly the same question some asked about your work??? any fine photographer picks up an audience…or not….are you assuming that there is “the audience” and that photographers should “play” to that audience??? you are actually the last photographer in the world who i thought would ask this question….

cheers, david

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By: Imants https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/07/nicola-lo-calzo-inside-niger/#comment-46091 Thu, 16 Jul 2009 09:26:08 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3336#comment-46091 The photographer and subjects seem to be satisfied with the images and process………to me the audience has been left out of the equation. So who are the images meant for?

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By: david_bacher https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/07/nicola-lo-calzo-inside-niger/#comment-46090 Thu, 16 Jul 2009 08:47:43 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3336#comment-46090 As an American photographer based in Paris, France, this project brings me back to a topic that has been discussed previously on Burn. That is…different schools of photography. In France (Europe in general), these kinds of portraiture projects are considered reportage (documentary). In publications like Le Monde 2 you see this quite frequently. Many of these collectifs in France like L’oeil Public etc. also do this kind of work. Like others have stated above, I do not see this as reportage photography and do not get questions answered like what/when/where/how?? Perhaps this goes back to what DAH spoke about regarding the Missouri School of Journalism style versus what you see at Paris Photo. I happen to prefer the former even if it is a style that is on the verge of dying out.

If the aim of this project is just to show random portraits of random people in Africa, then I feel it has accomplished that goal. In addition, I do not feel that the technical aspects of these portraits are very strong. Many seem to be taken with a 35 lens thus distorting the figures. Also, they seem to be taken under harsh mid-day light or under shadows. I don’t mean to sound critical, but I have seen too many amazing portraits by the likes of Steve McCurry.

Finally these photos remind me of the portraits of the wild dogs with their owners in Nigeria by Pieter Hugo. I just have a difficult time with these photos as well as they seem more provocative than anything else.

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By: Jamie Maxtone-Graham https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/07/nicola-lo-calzo-inside-niger/#comment-46077 Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:57:11 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3336#comment-46077 A reasonably interesting start to what could be a good series and it is akin to something I am currently working on as well – portraits made in a night market in Hanoi. Something that I am dealing with also which perhaps deserves discussion here is the position of the (privileged) Western photographer in the (underprivileged) non-Western setting documenting the ‘other’. Of course one would never see the opposite – the Nigerian portraitist documenting workers in Italy, France or the US and see it exhibited in Arles (or on Burn?). One would hope to. One would hope. When we choose our subjects – or they choose us – when is it/why is it we find ourselves drawn either to that which is familiar or that which is not?

I offer this as a point of discussion and not as a criticism. I wonder if a project like this within your own culture and demographic would be of equal interest to you as it might be to us.

I am somewhat reminded of August Sander’s portraits of 1930s and 40s German society though your images lack, of course, the somewhat sinister level of what lay beneath his images of a society about to be taken to war. Thanks…..

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By: peter grant https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/07/nicola-lo-calzo-inside-niger/#comment-46074 Thu, 16 Jul 2009 02:41:26 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3336#comment-46074 i think being there is one thing forgotten. well done as i know the effort it takes is often forgotten.

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By: abele https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/07/nicola-lo-calzo-inside-niger/#comment-46066 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:48:08 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3336#comment-46066 nice series. I prefer the less static shots, as in #2. #9 is absolutely great in its composition.

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By: Pete Marovich https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/07/nicola-lo-calzo-inside-niger/#comment-46063 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:08:44 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3336#comment-46063 “I’d bet she posed #9 in front of he lights purposefully…”

That is unfortunate

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By: jared iorio https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/07/nicola-lo-calzo-inside-niger/#comment-46062 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:59:57 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3336#comment-46062 This has an Adbuster’s feel to it. Sort of pokes at the edges. Most look posed like something from high-fashion. There are a few I really liked, but as an essay, they seem a bit too distant for me.

PETE

I’d bet she posed #9 in front of he lights purposefully…

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By: Pete Marovich https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/07/nicola-lo-calzo-inside-niger/#comment-46060 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:42:18 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3336#comment-46060 I generally do not like to pick apart people’s work but this does not impress me.

First of all all the images look over exposed on ALL of my monitors and they are calibrated.

There is a really annoying flash burn behind the man in #5 and the street lights coming out of each side of Monsieur Michel’s Mitre in #9 is inexcusable. Pay attention to the background. It is a portrait! Move the subject.

“This series is currently exhibited at the gallery SFR in Arles until September.”
I hope the printing is better than the web version here.

I do like portrait series. And I think this had/has potential. But I do not feel it is there yet.

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By: frank Michael https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/07/nicola-lo-calzo-inside-niger/#comment-46054 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:58:40 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3336#comment-46054 I very much enjoyed this essay. Nice and tight edit, looks like a gallery show. Did you use fill in flash for these images. The portraiture is well done with a sympathetic but not condescending portrayal of the subjects. Did you purposely also choose only men as subjects? It would be an interesting contrast to do a similar treatment with the other half of the population of this area.

All the best and congratulations,

Frank

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By: skiwaves https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/07/nicola-lo-calzo-inside-niger/#comment-46053 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 16:42:03 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3336#comment-46053 These portraits, taken in each subject’s environment, appeal to me. It doesn’t bother me in the least that they are posed for the photographer. I also would rather view 10 or 12 images at a time instead of 20 or 25 that I sometimes see on “Burn”.

Mike

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By: NoahD https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/07/nicola-lo-calzo-inside-niger/#comment-46051 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:46:18 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=3336#comment-46051 I like little mini-essays like this. See, everyone knows you probably took a million other photographs of your time there, but its often fascinating to see… ESPECIALLY if you put a bunch of them together in one place.

I guess I just have a soft place in my heart for something like this because I enjoy doing it, too. It takes more courage and more time to do something like this than just taking photos of the scenery – or people AS the scenery.

I appreciate it because you photograph people for people’s sake. You photographed them quickly and easily with respect to the person. Well done.

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