Comments on: brian shumway – la chureca https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/03/brian-shumway-la-chureca/ burn is an online feature for emerging photographers worldwide. burn is curated by magnum photographer david alan harvey. Wed, 07 Sep 2016 08:29:38 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.4 By: Brian Shumway | [EV +/-] Exposure Compensation https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/03/brian-shumway-la-chureca/#comment-47386 Wed, 05 Aug 2009 05:15:09 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1273#comment-47386 […] images. I particularly love the portraits, the series Happy Valley and La Chureca (see it at Burn Magazine). His photography connects, it has the ability to raise empathy with the […]

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By: brian shumway la chureca burn magazine | Hammock Stand https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/03/brian-shumway-la-chureca/#comment-41319 Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:23:17 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1273#comment-41319 […] brian shumway la chureca burn magazine Posted by root 6 minutes ago (http://www.burnmagazine.org) Mar 22 2009 we tend too much to comment here as if the photographer had achieved all he i could pull out many stand alone photographs from this really add imo like the two kids at the end in hammock and on ground powered by wordpress2 7 and k21 0 rc7 1 bu Discuss  |  Bury |  News | brian shumway la chureca burn magazine […]

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By: javier izquierdo https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/03/brian-shumway-la-chureca/#comment-36587 Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:43:05 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1273#comment-36587 beautifull !!!

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By: chris bickford https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/03/brian-shumway-la-chureca/#comment-34008 Fri, 27 Mar 2009 00:10:48 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1273#comment-34008 Wow, this is a fantastic essay. Beautiful in a sad way, and IMO succeeds in expounding on the basic premise that despite the squalid conditions, life, humanity, love, and even joy persist. I love the composition and the tonality. Bravo, Brian!

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By: Charles Peterson https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/03/brian-shumway-la-chureca/#comment-33906 Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:54:50 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1273#comment-33906 The new sequencing works much much better imo. There are still a few images that leave me cold though and don’t really add imo like the two kids at the end (in hammock and on ground). Yes, it shows their condition, but not much more than that. I want more “moments” (like #3!) but of course that may only come in time with repeat visits.

A better title might be “The Children of La Chureca” as well, because I imagine that la Chureca is a lot more than just children.

Anyway, a moving piece and makes me feel privileged to be living the life I am.

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By: Lara Wechsler https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/03/brian-shumway-la-chureca/#comment-33870 Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:48:27 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1273#comment-33870 I think the photos themselves are beautiful but I do not feel they represent the writing below. It seems that you are showing the typical, which is poor, sad, lonely children in a terrible environment. But before looking at those photos and from just reading your description I was expecting more, it sounded like you were going to show some of the beauty of childhood even if living in such a terrible place, that is what I got out of your written essay.

One thing I like about the movie Slumdog Millionaire is it kind of does that a bit, even though the conditions are awful there are scenes where when they are little children that show the beauty of childhood, the fun and grace of being children. In environments that are over run with children when they are little there is a certain freedom and fun they have that ends most of the time way too early and sad, but many times it is the best times of their lives too. There are also other movies and books I have read that show this. For me that is one of the beautiful parts of being a child, their brains are wired differently and they can actually figure out ways to laugh and do crazy fun things in the worst of conditions while when we become adults our minds change and it is so hard to do and drugs become a means of trying to escape our mind from the reality.

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By: David Rozing https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/03/brian-shumway-la-chureca/#comment-33845 Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:06:46 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1273#comment-33845 Hi David Alan Harvey/ all,

Thank you, appreciate it! Besides this one just not being one’s cup of tea, I think with this work the more experienced eye is able to appreciate it differently or perhaps more (generally speaking) than one who f.e. hasn’t seen such a wide variety (or on this subject many stereotypes) of essays/ series. Looking/ being aware of f.e. the approach to the subject, the subtle/ delicate, every day-life way of showing this place instead of screaming it at you.
It is outside the box, for me, I sort of sensed this essay is different/ good, it put me off in the first place and it took me little more time to find out/ see why. That f.e. this “perspective” and in result the type of images, on first glance also a bit dull/ passive to me, actually is one of it’s real strenghts. I think this work has a very strong energy, whether you like this feel or not..I don’t really like the feel, but you just can’t ignore it, I think that is something good/ special. In this case I feel/see the subject more than the photography-/ style- part of it, while this part also being strong, but not dominant to the subject. For me one of the reasons why I do like it a lot. Burn: Very inspiring, thanks (and all others) for these insights and this excellent platform, looking forward to upcoming essays/ singles!

Bye, David

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By: david alan harvey https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/03/brian-shumway-la-chureca/#comment-33830 Wed, 25 Mar 2009 07:40:55 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1273#comment-33830 DAVID ROZING…

sorry, i should have said :

this essay could have been just another one of dozens and dozens of stories done on people living in trash dumps …if a photographer told me that she/he has done a story on families living in a trash dump, my eyes would probably glaze over…

there are so so many such stories all just playing on the uniqueness and obvious “drama” …

however, because of his RAW TALENT as a photographer and his clear humanity, Brian Shumway has taken us away from one of the cliches in photojournalism and drawn us into the power of his vision which transcends purely “documentary”…

i could pull out many “stand alone” photographs from this set….however, together they form a unique whole…Brian is definitely a photographer we will all be seeing him in the future…..yes, the man is special..keep an eye on him…

cheers, david

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By: panos skoulidas https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/03/brian-shumway-la-chureca/#comment-33819 Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:20:41 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1273#comment-33819 “………….. it’s a pedantic being thrown from an airplane……….”

Ahhh Mike…
you have the best-est
sense of humor around here………
love u man
:))))))))))))

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By: Mike R https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/03/brian-shumway-la-chureca/#comment-33818 Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:08:52 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1273#comment-33818 Andrea, I, too, have a problem with photographic critique. I mean; you show someone a photograph and they say “There’s a dust spot in the sky”. You say “No, it’s not a dust spot; it’s a pedantic being thrown from an airplane: what about the CONTENT of the photograph?”. They say “The horizon is not quite straight”. You say “The world is fucking round, of course the horizon is not straight”…..

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By: jared iorio https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/03/brian-shumway-la-chureca/#comment-33817 Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:07:56 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1273#comment-33817 Yeah, but Lincoln told the North what they wanted to hear when he spoke to them and was totally contradictory when he spoke to the South… just sayin’ :)

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By: Mike R https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/03/brian-shumway-la-chureca/#comment-33816 Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:55:56 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1273#comment-33816 Brian, thanks for the reply. I hope you make it back there.

Andrea, “Which doesn’t mean discussion and comments are wrong or not interesting, just…i don’t know..a bit hypotetic. If you dig deep enough, you’ll always find something.” yes; to paraphrase Abraham Lincoln “You can please some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not please all of the people all of the time”. Brian, to your own self be true. I’m sure that you are. Thank you for expanding our understanding.

Mike.

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By: jared iorio https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/03/brian-shumway-la-chureca/#comment-33815 Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:46:06 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1273#comment-33815 Brian,

I’m glad as well, I don’t find it to be so.

Why do you think your work has escaped that all too common critique. Maybe you have some insight into this?

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By: brian shumway https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/03/brian-shumway-la-chureca/#comment-33814 Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:42:32 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1273#comment-33814 mike, no it was only one trip. was there for three weeks, but i do hope to go back and when i do i will definitely be carrying prints with me.

jan, i’m happy i was able to (at least somewhat) win you over.

jared, i’m glad this hasn’t been seen as exploitative (as least thus far!). but that does happen all too often in this kind of work…

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By: Andrea Gjestvang https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/03/brian-shumway-la-chureca/#comment-33813 Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:30:43 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1273#comment-33813 Herve..somehow I agree with you, it’s not interesting to discuss and comment if evertthing is perfect and it’s nothing to improve. But still,i do think that when eighty burn readers want to comment and share their thoughts,you will get eighty ways of doing it. Several would propably be very good,but this photographer chose to do it just this way. Which doesn’t mean discussion and comments are wrong or not interesting, just…i don’t know..a bit hypotetic. If you dig deep enough, you’ll always find something.

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By: Mike R https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/03/brian-shumway-la-chureca/#comment-33812 Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:26:29 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1273#comment-33812 Number 3 shows, to me, humanity, family, mother-daughter love. Wonderful work Brian, a very strong essay. You seem to have become invisible; how long did you stay there? More than one trip? As I said earlier, masterful use of the square. I would love to see actual prints. Did you give photographs to your subjects?

The situation pisses me off. How many doctors etc. are looking for plastic bottles? But beautiful photographs. A paradox.

Best wishes to all,

Mike.

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By: David Rozing https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/03/brian-shumway-la-chureca/#comment-33811 Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:16:00 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1273#comment-33811 Sorry David, Alan..!

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By: David Rozing https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/03/brian-shumway-la-chureca/#comment-33810 Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:13:54 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1273#comment-33810 Hi David Allen Harvey/ all,

Reading your first comment/ reaction, what do you mean by this essay being special in every way?

Bye, David

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By: Jan https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/03/brian-shumway-la-chureca/#comment-33809 Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:06:10 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1273#comment-33809 Brian,

The change in order and really changes the mood. I can’t put my finger on it, but I think it infiltrates rather than confronts.

I am particularly taken in by #3, a new addition. I can’t help but be impartial to the non-center composition I mentioned earlier, and this image is what I had in mind as an alternative to that type of composition in the best of ways.

I don’t know if you realized it consciously or not, but there is a great deal of harmony in the use of triangles here. You have three heads, reinforced in the center by the angle of her arm and then further underlined by her breast. In the top right you have the pin-points of light that bring the eye up to the black so successfully, and that is counter-weighted by the baby’s eyes and nose and then further touched by her downward glance. The exposure whitening on the left compliments the upper right’s darkness. There is the interplay of the flower’s on the dress and the pin-points of light. If one wanted to, the allegory of the father (substituted for the most Latin of symbols–the Virgin Mary), son, holy ghost (the Trinity and Triangles) could be summened from within thos with religious inclinations–or on a deeper level a human archetype. And to boot, I feel YOU in the picture, as if you managed to rescue something for us to see. I realize this may seem like a technical roadmap to explaining beauty, but I’m only trying to break down the why I find this so powerful and congratulate the marriage of esthetics with your personal signature and magic. Congratulations.

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By: burn magazine https://www.burnmagazine.org/essays/2009/03/brian-shumway-la-chureca/#comment-33807 Tue, 24 Mar 2009 21:07:22 +0000 http://www.burnmagazine.org/?p=1273#comment-33807 Brian,

as per your request, the essay images and accompanying text have been updated.

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