Comments on: dominic bracco II – life and death in the northern pass https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2011/06/dominic-bracco-ii-life-and-death-in-the-nothern-pass/ burn is an online feature for emerging photographers worldwide. burn is curated by magnum photographer david alan harvey. Wed, 07 Sep 2016 08:31:07 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.4 By: Source Webpage https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2011/06/dominic-bracco-ii-life-and-death-in-the-nothern-pass/#comment-484002 Sat, 06 Sep 2014 10:33:54 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=9207#comment-484002 Source Webpage…

dominic bracco II – life and death in the northern pass | burn magazine…

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By: zdb22222222222 https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2011/06/dominic-bracco-ii-life-and-death-in-the-nothern-pass/#comment-101675 Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:44:37 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=9207#comment-101675 Too heavy for my taste. Images from the Mexican drug wars cannot and should not be captured by anyone who wasn’t born in Juarez or Tijuana.

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By: eva https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2011/06/dominic-bracco-ii-life-and-death-in-the-nothern-pass/#comment-92678 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 12:40:20 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=9207#comment-92678 Some more insight here:

http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/faultlines/2011/06/201161493451742709.html

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By: lauraeltantawy https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2011/06/dominic-bracco-ii-life-and-death-in-the-nothern-pass/#comment-92290 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:29:34 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=9207#comment-92290 Dominic – I saw this work a few months ago on Prime and was really taken back by the depth of raw emotion in each and every picture. Congratulations on this intense body of work and on the EPF nomination ==> L.

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By: partha https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2011/06/dominic-bracco-ii-life-and-death-in-the-nothern-pass/#comment-92216 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 05:42:05 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=9207#comment-92216 Hi,
It is really a tough situation to live. I dont know what may be the solution, It is totally administrative failure of the government of the country………
It is so risky to shot there but I must highly appreciate your courage to go there and reveal the world how the people live there.
\
Partha

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By: Charles Peterson https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2011/06/dominic-bracco-ii-life-and-death-in-the-nothern-pass/#comment-92190 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 21:20:57 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=9207#comment-92190 Like DAH says above it’s often the flippancy and condescension of tone under comments that irritates, not the critique per se good or bad. And not just Jim but others who really should know better. And yes I know I have been guilty of same, and going back and rereading the comment left feeling red faced. So in the future maybe one should try harder…..

Anyway, I remember this work creating quite an impact first time around here, and it’s an important subject. Glad it’s a finalist. Congrats.

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By: bob black https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2011/06/dominic-bracco-ii-life-and-death-in-the-nothern-pass/#comment-92151 Sun, 05 Jun 2011 22:10:34 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=9207#comment-92151 “There are two ways to lose you sanity in Juarez. One is to believe the violence results from a cartel war. The other is to claim to understand what is behind each murder.”— Charles Bowden, Murder City: Ciudad Juárez and the Global Economy’s New Killing Fields

“Only in chaos are we conceivable.”— Roberto Bolaño, 2666

How to express the inexpressible, its weight and weightlessness, its defiance and refusal to go away, the long march of heat-swollen grief that afflicts Ciudad Juarez….a holocaust in the desert swelter of Chihuahua, than began with the feminicidios and has simply mushroom’d into a horrid stampede of death surrounding the drugs wars….10,000 deaths over the last 3 1/2 years….and doesn’t Juarez now have the highest murder rate in the world, above Caracas?…….how does one began to tell this story…..

What i like and admire so much about Dominic’s approach is it’s ‘novelist’ approach…i don’t mean to suggest his imagery and narrative look made up, but his pictures and his choice of images reveal a person digging at both the horror of the death-betokened streets but also the small, simpler menace that eats away at daily ritual: grief amid that white sun and sky…

the first photograph is, as MW has written, iconic….in that image is the full measure of what murder constitutes: loss, of live and love, and silence…epic epic silence….it is that silence which not only rings the most true but also lends extraordinary power and weight to the death and the grief…

the opening image…the extraordinary albino-reptilian dog (one of the most lyrical, menacing and power of the images), the couple in 9, the back window of 19 (Savage Detectives), the lingering lights at night, the lingering white sky with sneaker…..all these balance against the strain toward ‘life’…the dancing, the games, the bikes…the ‘normal’ life…it is that very tension that makes the work so strong….death lingers in every moment, and that is true here too….and yet, who doesn’t hear the songs sung, the laughter of the children, the running through the dust….

the swaying of lives….

congratulations Dominic are being chosen! :))) BIG HUGS FOR PRIME TOO! :))))

very pleased you’ve been chosen

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By: Brian Frank https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2011/06/dominic-bracco-ii-life-and-death-in-the-nothern-pass/#comment-92144 Sun, 05 Jun 2011 17:40:04 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=9207#comment-92144 Dominic – Congrats on being a finalists and making it out of there safely. Please remain safe.

The images are crushing and uplifting at the same time. People living in these towns so overrun with violence, yet trying so hard to continue to live. Can’t imagine living life that way. I wonder if they can imagine living life any other way, or has this way of life become such the norm that living quietly has become completely foreign.

Interesting how Americans choose when and where to operate peacekeeping missions.

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By: Frostfrog https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2011/06/dominic-bracco-ii-life-and-death-in-the-nothern-pass/#comment-92142 Sun, 05 Jun 2011 17:28:16 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=9207#comment-92142 Thank you, Dominic, for this look just beyond the gate into our back yard. The information in your photos is something that I want to know about our back yard. It is true – the story has been well-covered. Yet, your photos bring it home to me and give me a stronger feeling and impression of this tragedy that is in part our nations making a bit better than anything else that I have seen, heard, or read.

When I was 19, I went on a little adventure that took me from a room in off campus housing at Brigham Young University to a couple of days in a prison cell in Juarez and a splash of my photo on the front pages of the several newspapers in publication at the time and on the TV news.

Recently, I decided that one of the stories I would like to do in the future would be to photographically retrace that entire journey and write up my memories of that trip. It would be a humorous story in many ways.

I found myself a little worried though about what might happen once I get to Juarez. What kind of danger might I face? What could I do to get the pictures I want and not wind up in a terrible situation. Juarez was dangerous then, but so much more now. Would it even be worth it to take the risk?

Yet, you have done it, 1000 times plus over.

Well done. I would like to see your essay reach all seeing eyes in both the US and Mexico. You convey knowledge that is essential to the future well-being and understanding of each nation.

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By: mw https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2011/06/dominic-bracco-ii-life-and-death-in-the-nothern-pass/#comment-92132 Sun, 05 Jun 2011 16:47:59 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=9207#comment-92132 Yes, the stories out of Jaurez need to be told. If that’s not a proper subject for journalism, we might as well hang it up and become paparazzi.

But the story of Jaurez’s transformation into murder city has been covered and covered quite well, so I think it’s legitimate to question the point of additional coverage. Of course there are easy answers. It’s important to bear witness to such a large scale human tragedy and to continue bearing witness after the major media moves on to the next politician/celebrity sex story. And it’s also important to try to figure out the reasons why this ridiculously brutal murder spree is taking place. Is Jaurez the laboratory of our future? An experiment in overpopulation, spent resources, unchecked capitalism and its attendant degradation of democracy and the rule of law? Or something, things no doubt, far less grand?

I think Dominic has done very well in several ways. That first photo could well prove to be the iconic image of the tragedy. That’s certainly no small accomplishment. And I also like his strategy of personalizing it by focusing more on those affected by the violence than on the violence itself. Better to tell an important part of the story well than to try to tell the whole thing and end up doing it poorly. And frankly, this is a story that requires words and lots of them. The things that can be communicated through photography are very important, but the limitations are significant.

On a more technical level, I like that Dominic includes intimate, medium and long shots to tell his story. That said, I think he’s very good at at the intimate shots but has more room for improvement with the medium and the long, especially the medium.

I don’t at all mean that harshly, btw. I know that a Colonia is a difficult subject. Figure that part out a little better, Dominic, and you’ll truly have something special.

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By: wendy https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2011/06/dominic-bracco-ii-life-and-death-in-the-nothern-pass/#comment-92130 Sun, 05 Jun 2011 16:15:13 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=9207#comment-92130 D
‘I just hope my work adds to the dialogue…’
that it does….
thanks for doing
the work you do….
congratulations!!!!
y
CUIDATE!!!!!!
***

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By: eva https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2011/06/dominic-bracco-ii-life-and-death-in-the-nothern-pass/#comment-92129 Sun, 05 Jun 2011 16:05:02 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=9207#comment-92129 Petition link is posted up there, here’s more toread:

http://www.alternet.org/drugs/151197/major_international_leaders_plead_for_the_us_and_the_world_to_get_smart_and_stop_the_war_on_drugs/

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By: Dominic Bracco II https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2011/06/dominic-bracco-ii-life-and-death-in-the-nothern-pass/#comment-92128 Sun, 05 Jun 2011 15:44:12 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=9207#comment-92128 I wanted to get online today and say thank you to all of you for your comments and express the gratitude I feel to be a part of this group of finalists. I really respect all of the photographers Burn has selected this year so far and am excited to see the next two.

A few weeks ago I attended a march in Mexico City that filled the plaza of Zocolo corner to corner with protestors who came together to speak out against the violence. Citizens of Ciudad Juarez had a large presence at the march. We listened to testimony after testimony of family members recounting the deaths of relatives, kidnappings, beheading, rape, and disappearances. A close friend caught in crossfire, a daughter kidnapped, a son shot by military, a brother tortured for extortion…the stories went on for hours. The common thread was that they all seem to be unaffiliated with criminal activity. Its something that you see first hand when you are working in Juarez. The collateral damage of the war is huge. This fact is something that the Mexican and U.S. authorities have carefully avoided by making it seem a nobel cause against corruption. If it wasn’t for the journalists working there we wouldn’t know otherwise. That said this is a complex issue. Its hard to point fingers or figure out quick solutions… I just hope my work adds to the dialog and makes sure all of these people are not simply swept under the rug.

Thank you all again,

Dominic

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By: david alan harvey https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2011/06/dominic-bracco-ii-life-and-death-in-the-nothern-pass/#comment-92127 Sun, 05 Jun 2011 15:30:17 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=9207#comment-92127 SIDNEY..

thanks ..missed it….will fix….and i got good grades in copy editing..mostly

GORDON

i have NO PROBLEM with WHAT Jim says..i often agree with him too…it is not the content that is often upsetting to many, the condescending tone, the method, the style of delivery could use a bit of help…i am not alone in this thinking…however, you will find over the last few years i have totally defended Jim against some who actually wanted him banned, censored , etc…i would not even think of that…..he is the newspaperman i know…i like the guy…however, since he does prefer that non diplomatic style shall we say , he is bound to get some barbs back…you Gordon saying the same thing, cause no ire…folks read you, and then think about it, which is the whole point…..as always thank you for your comments..

cheers, david

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By: Sidney Atkins https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2011/06/dominic-bracco-ii-life-and-death-in-the-nothern-pass/#comment-92126 Sun, 05 Jun 2011 15:12:38 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=9207#comment-92126 ANTON, DAVID

On my computer screen, the title of this essay reads “…Nothern Pass..” Surely this is a spelling error and not the deliberate intention of the photographer?
Please correct to “Northern”…. (El Paso del Norte). Thanks.

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By: Gordon Lafleur https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2011/06/dominic-bracco-ii-life-and-death-in-the-nothern-pass/#comment-92125 Sun, 05 Jun 2011 15:06:30 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=9207#comment-92125 JIm
I appreciate your voice here, and your persistence in the face of the flack you draw.

Part of me often agrees with you. That would be the case here.

This essay is clearly very well done. It doesn’t get much more visceral or raw than this. There have been many Burn discussions over the motives, morality, effectivness, etc of this sort of work. Will these photographs help change the world, make a difference? I really don’t know. What I do know is that I personally just find them depressing.

What I miss here, and miss in so much documentary work, is a sense of connection with the humanity of the subjects. There is a big big piece of the spectrum missing.

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By: Jim Powers https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2011/06/dominic-bracco-ii-life-and-death-in-the-nothern-pass/#comment-92120 Sun, 05 Jun 2011 12:23:47 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=9207#comment-92120 This photographer doesn’t have to answer to anyone for his work, especially not me. And, as I said, there is nothing wrong with the photography. It’s perfectly good photography. I don’t see in what way I attacked the photographer, David. He only has to compete against the other finalists for the EPF, not resolve fundamental questions of the universe. I did not challenge him to defend his photos.

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By: eva https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2011/06/dominic-bracco-ii-life-and-death-in-the-nothern-pass/#comment-92119 Sun, 05 Jun 2011 12:18:40 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=9207#comment-92119 David…

Just prooves what comes to no surprise to me.. you’re a much better human being than I am..

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By: Nancy Paiva https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2011/06/dominic-bracco-ii-life-and-death-in-the-nothern-pass/#comment-92118 Sun, 05 Jun 2011 11:51:31 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=9207#comment-92118 Recently, I have started every day listening to Woodstock. It is usually uplifting.

Although I am morbidly drawn to seeing violence, I have avoided watching news reports for several years.

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By: david alan harvey https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2011/06/dominic-bracco-ii-life-and-death-in-the-nothern-pass/#comment-92116 Sun, 05 Jun 2011 11:48:57 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=9207#comment-92116 EVA…

you are absolutely right..i of course know this intellectually…Jim would look like a total fool if nobody answered him…but i just cannot make myself make anyone look foolish even if they are…not in my nature….not in my life, not in my pictures either…i have tried, but it doesn’t work!!..funny…yet, on the positive side of this negative, often silly comments force me to write what i really believe about choices we make here on Burn anyway…so maybe in that sense it all comes out ok…maybe?

cheers, david

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