Comments on: mustafah abdulaziz – obama https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/01/mustafah-abdulaziz-the-inauguration-of-barack-obama/ burn is an online feature for emerging photographers worldwide. burn is curated by magnum photographer david alan harvey. Wed, 07 Sep 2016 08:29:35 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.4 By: The Inauguration of Barack Obama by Mustafah Abdulaziz | The Click https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/01/mustafah-abdulaziz-the-inauguration-of-barack-obama/#comment-97642 Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:34:10 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1176#comment-97642 […] Check it out here. This entry was posted in Editor's Choice, Portfolios & Galleries. Bookmark the permalink. ← Adobe Releases Lightroom 2.3 and Camera Raw 5.3 RC Marsea Goldberg of New Image Art → […]

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By: JonathanJK https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/01/mustafah-abdulaziz-the-inauguration-of-barack-obama/#comment-29431 Mon, 16 Feb 2009 09:19:55 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1176#comment-29431 In reply to Mikko Takkunen.

Interesting use of words Mikko, ‘sick,’ you don’t talk like that in real life.

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By: Rosemary https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/01/mustafah-abdulaziz-the-inauguration-of-barack-obama/#comment-28292 Sun, 01 Feb 2009 06:15:06 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1176#comment-28292 Mustafah,
Thank you for your essay. I had hoped to be there to photograph–had a MARC train ticket–but was unable to go. A great disappointment. But your images give me a sense more than others I have seen of what it was like to be there–the sense of power and drama–the masses–and the individual hearts and stories that combined into a totality of tremendous proportions. Your photographs are beautiful–I am still so sad I was not there, but I’m glad you were! Rosemary

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By: >Re: PHOTO » Blog Archive » Most photographed event in the Universe https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/01/mustafah-abdulaziz-the-inauguration-of-barack-obama/#comment-28208 Thu, 29 Jan 2009 23:22:06 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1176#comment-28208 […] of Mustafah Abdulaziz’s images also seems to show a similar tunnel, but obviously he didn’t get trapped and managed […]

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By: Kyunghee Lee https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/01/mustafah-abdulaziz-the-inauguration-of-barack-obama/#comment-27951 Tue, 27 Jan 2009 13:17:47 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1176#comment-27951 Dear Mustafah,

I enjoyed your essay which did in time vey well.
And hope the world peacefull.
I worry the world is getting warholic…
Thank you very much.

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By: bobblack https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/01/mustafah-abdulaziz-the-inauguration-of-barack-obama/#comment-27947 Tue, 27 Jan 2009 12:52:11 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1176#comment-27947 In reply to mustafah.

Mustafah :)))

It was my pleasure to help get this story up and seen here at Burn. I stand by what I wrote originally and what has only come to pass: at this point, this is my absolute favorite coverage/story about the inauguration. Not only because i love the photographs (the opening shot with Obama hat sprinkled in starry silver and her face, like the orpahn from 400 blows, but the helicopter shot (c morris would love that) the reflection on the subway, the obama on the jumbotron, the newspaper shot at the end, and all those faces…a story not of a moment, but of a feeling in time, collective)….

as David knows, my investment and help in burn is as much a fan of good photography and good stories as it is as a working photographer…..

my hope is that because of this story, more people will know and call upon you for work…

people helping people…it’s all we have

hugs
bob

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By: Yan https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/01/mustafah-abdulaziz-the-inauguration-of-barack-obama/#comment-27939 Tue, 27 Jan 2009 08:48:20 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1176#comment-27939 In reply to guido.

RAFAL,

I think that “the situation was easy” in this case means that the access to the location was easy, the people are quite ok to have their picture taken (and more because there are thousands of other photogs around), the pictures are excellent though… It is a little more difficult sometimes to get access to some other situations…

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By: Rafal Pruszynski https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/01/mustafah-abdulaziz-the-inauguration-of-barack-obama/#comment-27928 Tue, 27 Jan 2009 04:33:31 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1176#comment-27928 In reply to Byron.

Thanks Patricia, very nice of you to say that. We will see of others share your sentiments.
One more thing, theres no such thing as a boring object or situation, just boring photographs. One of the most iconic images of the past century was Eggleston’s image of the tricycle. A simple thing, a child’s tricycle yet the image has undeniable power and depth.

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By: Patricia Lay-Dorsey https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/01/mustafah-abdulaziz-the-inauguration-of-barack-obama/#comment-27907 Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:13:19 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1176#comment-27907 In reply to Byron.

And you, Rafal, do that SO WELL. I can’t wait to see your photo essay of you, your wife and young son at home. You make the most ordinary situation compelling. I can still see the portrait of your glasses sitting beside your wife’s on the ledge. So simple yet it says EVERYTHING.

Patricia

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By: Rafal Pruszynski https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/01/mustafah-abdulaziz-the-inauguration-of-barack-obama/#comment-27904 Mon, 26 Jan 2009 23:44:18 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1176#comment-27904 In reply to Byron.

I just wanted to chime in here. I think that saying Mustafa’s situation was easy is wrong. Infact Id say its one of the toughest. While the photos do present themselves, how do you go about claiming this subject when there are thousands of photographers shooting it too? I dont think you need dramatic events to make dramatic photos, or interesting photos. Infact, as Winogrand said, making a photo of a dramatic even is tough because how do you beat the subject’s inherent drama (or something like that). Take a look at the work of Eggleston or Shore. Here are legends who made a whole body of work about oridnary, uninteresting places. Eggleston once said “theres nothing beautiful here, what can I shoot?” to which his friend replied “shoot the ugly stuff”. Well, if theres nothing dramatic going on, shoot the boring stuff. Off the top of my head, I could name several Magnum guys who shoot things that are right there around them. Or stuff that isnt dramatic. Alec Soth is one.Jacob aue Sobol’s beautiful Sabine work. Theres even a guy like Larry Towell with his latest book about his own family. Mark Power. None of this is protests, inaugurations, etc. But its still giant work. Theres so much you could do in the place where you live, where anyone lives because theres always meaningful work to be done.

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By: Eric Espinosa https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/01/mustafah-abdulaziz-the-inauguration-of-barack-obama/#comment-27903 Mon, 26 Jan 2009 23:36:53 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1176#comment-27903 Mustafa,

I was just checking the MAGNUM site and saw the photographs taken of the inauguration. Let me tell you that you did well, even when compared with the best photographers out there… My own take… you did better than all of them!!!!

http://www.magnumphotos.com/Archive/C.aspx?VP=Mod_ViewBoxInsertion.ViewBoxInsertion_VPage&R=2K7O3RTLGL_A&RP=Mod_ViewBox.ViewBoxThumb_VPage&CT=Album&SP=Album

Cheers,

Eric

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By: Charles Peterson https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/01/mustafah-abdulaziz-the-inauguration-of-barack-obama/#comment-27850 Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:35:33 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1176#comment-27850 In reply to Byron.

Byron,

Preston just brought up another point which came to mind right after finishing my last post. And that is, shoot for the future. We have no idea how things might change and what our photos might be worth someday (and I’m not talking monetary per se). Fashion, sentiments, politics, cultures, etc change. It might take twenty years, but so what. So shoot for the now, but keep in mind the future. When I was younger I didn’t do that enough (not to mention film was expensive!) and am kicking myself now. With the imminent birth any day of my first baby this has been on my mind a lot.

Best of luck,

CP

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By: mustafah https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/01/mustafah-abdulaziz-the-inauguration-of-barack-obama/#comment-27848 Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:32:10 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1176#comment-27848 Someone brought up a good point about the plethora of subject matter at the inauguration; I found this to be quite true. But just because there was a lot to photograph meant I photographed the right stuff.Preston struck a chord with me when he mentioned how these images might be received later on. It’s my hope that time will tell and maybe–just maybe–somewhere down the line, one of our children will see a picture, mine or others, and feel what it was like to be at the fulcrum of a great shift in our country.

I didn’t want to rely on “crowd” shots to tell the entire story, which is why I included images like the people on cell phones trying to connect with family/friends caught in the tide of the crowd. Sure, it could’ve been taken any day. But it wasn’t and it was this day, and so it’s a small slice of what it was like to have been there.

I photographed this as a “day in the life” instead of a step-by-step picture story, which I’m sure was done and done well. I was just one voice in a sea of voices, hoping to give a different perspective.

Hope everyone enjoyed. Thanks to David and Bob for getting this out there.

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By: Byron https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/01/mustafah-abdulaziz-the-inauguration-of-barack-obama/#comment-27843 Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:19:26 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1176#comment-27843 In reply to Byron.

Thank you guys. Those were very inspirational comments and I will definitely take them to heart.

Hopefully my work will make its way here sometime.

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By: Preston Merchant https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/01/mustafah-abdulaziz-the-inauguration-of-barack-obama/#comment-27839 Mon, 26 Jan 2009 17:10:39 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1176#comment-27839 In reply to Byron.

Interesting discussion. I don’t think the photographer should be faulted for working in a target-rich environment. Parades, rallies, protests, and festivals are always over-photographed, the results tend to look the same, and the photos often have no real staying power beyond nostalgia for the event. That is, a photo taken at the Obama inauguration will always seem more resonant than one taken at Bush’s second swearing-in ceremony.

So, even though Mustafa was working in an “easy” environment, his task is all the more difficult in trying to get his work to stand out from the thousands of images produced that day and to be seen on its own merits. But the historical nature of the event will always overwhelm the images.

Years from now, Mustafa’s set will either show a hopeful nation looking forward to the promise of change or an unsettled country looking toward the future on the eve of its great collapse. So Mustafa’s images are either straight or ironic, and we won’t know for years. ;>)

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By: david alan harvey https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/01/mustafah-abdulaziz-the-inauguration-of-barack-obama/#comment-27835 Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:48:23 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1176#comment-27835 In reply to joeq.

JOEQ

you are welcomed…by me and the other regular contributors…

cheers, david

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By: Charles Peterson https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/01/mustafah-abdulaziz-the-inauguration-of-barack-obama/#comment-27833 Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:40:20 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1176#comment-27833 In reply to Byron.

Byron,

Bob and David put it as well as I’ve ever heard on this subject. The old cliche that it’s most difficult to photograph your own backyard is too true. But it’s also the place that can make for some of the most rewarding work and can even lead you out of it. If you don’t know where to start, then just start where you are at. For example if the artisan bread making inspires you then photograph it. If that experience and those photos are succesful, maybe then you can seek out more breadmakers elsewhere – all it involves is a plane ticket and a few emails/phone calls.

For example, I started my last book on breakdancers by going to the local clubs here in Seattle for several years. Then when I thought I had exhausted that I went to some large events in NY and LA, etc. Stayed on friends couches, etc. But I think without the shooting first in Seattle the NY and LA experiences wouldn’t have been as successful as they were. It would seem that if one wanted to do a book on the contemporary breakdance scene one would have to start in NY but it turns out there are scenes in every city/town in the world. So just start where you are. The most important thing is to start, though, and not just dream. Does this make sense (sorry it’s still early here on the West coast)?

CP

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By: Mike R https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/01/mustafah-abdulaziz-the-inauguration-of-barack-obama/#comment-27832 Mon, 26 Jan 2009 16:39:47 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1176#comment-27832 In reply to joeq.

Welcome Joeg. Yes, this is a special place and well-worth a visit. I have my Internet preferences set to open on Burn homepage! Look forward to hearing from you.

Good light,

Mike.

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By: joeq https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/01/mustafah-abdulaziz-the-inauguration-of-barack-obama/#comment-27830 Mon, 26 Jan 2009 15:23:26 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1176#comment-27830 just a note to say hello and introduce myself. from the posts i’ve read (both on this work and the work of steve mccurry), this blog seems like a great community and i look forward to participating.

all the best.

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By: david alan harvey https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/01/mustafah-abdulaziz-the-inauguration-of-barack-obama/#comment-27829 Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:49:10 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1176#comment-27829 In reply to Byron.

GUIDO…

of course i understand you completely and i never did think you did not “get it”….you just gave us a chance for a healthy discussion, that’s all…you gave us a little “opener”…

my whole body of work is totally based on absolutely nothing going on of an obvious nature…as a teenager my heroes in photography were Frank and HCB who were able to make sublime photographs from ordinary situations…this i could relate to, because nothing was happening in my little town!! i could see early on that war photographers needed a war, and fashion photographers needed a model, and Ansel needed Yosemite, and sports photographers needed a game…but HCB and Robert did not need ANYTHING….except their own vision….

cheers,david

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