Yesterday was my first tutorial, it was constructive, but I felt a bit sad too. I know I have so much to learn. In response to some of the comments about the West Bank pictures (probably childishly!) I have put a selection here of the more everyday things I saw. I suppose I just felt bad about the 'seen it all before' comments, people had asked me to specifically take those pictures as there are still many people who don't believe it is like that there. The fact that I was a pair of eyes that some of them knew made it finally become a real to them. But yes, I also agree, I have an enormous amount of room for improvement! (...and I will always photograph cafés)
Anyway, with this weighing a little heavy on my heart I went, somewhat ironically, to see Philip Jones Griffiths give a talk about his Vietnam photography. Weirdly, he was probably the best possible person I could have been going to see. I suppose I didn't really know what to expect, I knew some of his work, but I had no idea as to the reasons behind what he did or his motivations. I was fully expecting him to be of that exclusive school of photojournalism that has little tolerance for digital novices like me, but he was completely the opposite of this, in fact positively evangelical about it. It was such a massive encouragement.
Afterwards I was able to talk to him (by one of life's strange coincidences he had photographed my mum in the 60's and she had come along... it was like one of those comedy movie reunion moments!) Obviously I didn't want to say what I was studying, but I did say I liked taking pictures and he said the best thing that anyone could have said to me that day...
"That little box around your neck gives you an excuse to experience and learn things... Don't worry about being a professional photographer one day, just use it as an excuse to learn about the world"
He then went on to say that his last assistant had ended up becoming a human rights lawyer after the things he had seen. He is obviously a very ill man, but it was such a privilege to hear him talk with such passion about life, the world and photography.
5 comments:
Flickr would be a great place to put some of those West Bank pictures. Go for it! :)
hey rhian, i'm going to look at these other pictures that you've posted...i listened to your tutorial and would imagine that story telling in palestine/israel situation is very difficult. i'd agree with what was said, but don't despair...when you find a story that really connects to your heart and mind, you will flourish...
just looked and i love the boy on the swing. this collection could perhaps be integrated iwth your others to reflect that even during wartime, daily life goes on, people still get married, play, laugh, love...but for an outside observer, life is hard to imagine in these places...
thanks. yes, i took so many pictures when i was away that i could have pretty much made up any kind of story from what i saw. it just goes to show how much is down to the editing. had only the smiley pictures been shown a class of school children here in the uk, (which was what they were originally for) they'd have wondered what all the fuss is about.
so yes, certainly for this and the future, more integration of the images would be a better way forward.
and sco, thanks, i am sure i have by now already bored you with my flikr yahoo saga
I've just re read what I wrote, and I am not sure what I meant to say came across in the right way! (who knows?) The school children and others did see all the images, the wall, the children etc, but I did pick the wrong mix to show LCC, and that's what I'm hear to learn
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