Capturing Life

I appreciated the passion LaBelle exhibited in his Great Picture Hunt. It seemed like he really felt a calling for photojournalism, rather than seeing it as just a job. I felt his suggestions on how to seek out photo opportunities were good, particularly the one on eavesdropping. I've found that by spending time in "third places" watching and listening to people is a great way to get inspiration for both journalistic and personal pieces. Having learned about all of these techniques in previous journalism courses, it only makes sense that they would carry through all mediums.

I also liked Snider's photos. They showed how a picture of even the simplest of activities can draw a viewer into not only the frame, but into the subject's world. I realized that my reaction to the images showed that any kind of scene can tell a story, so long as there is someone there ready to take advantage of the opportunity to capture it.

"Street Pictures" show that the ordinary can be beautiful

Throughout his collection of “Street Pictures”, David Snider impeccably blends simplicity with tried and true photographic techniques in order to create an accessible, yet masterful collection of documentary photography. In reviewing the samples of work we were linked to for our class assignment, never did I feel that he was reaching too far. Instead, I believed that he wanted his photography to be relatable to ordinary people not just trained professionals.

I particularly was attracted to a photo of children taken in Madison Square Park in New York City. Being something of a New York fan, I recognized the setting, and relatability and finding familiarity with viewers is something I feel is incredibly important, both in documentary and artistic photography. The leading lines and self-imposed framing created by the chain links on the bridge are ideal, and Snider uses them to his advantage, rather than casting them aside as a distracting element. Shadows too seem sculpted as a part of the image, rather than as an accidental occurrence. I also really like the various tones and tints visible in the photo, particularly the stark white of the child’s shoes, as contrasted with the dirt on the clothing of the other children around him or her.

The photo taken in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris also fascinated me. Truly, the tower is magnificent in person, and in many landscape photographs taken of it. However, Snider came at the image head on, and really made a relationship between the man in the foreground an the tower. While I can’t claim to understand exactly what Snider was going for, it seems to me that the enormity of the tower is meant to emphasize the normalcy of the man. To put it another way, while he’s the subject of the photgraph and in focus, he simply can not get away from the enormity of the landmark that towers behind him.

Looking at Snider’s pictures makes it evident that documentary or artistic photography does not have to be “boring”. There are unique angles to every image, and it takes a skilled and dedicated journalist or artist to capture them.

David Snider's Street Pictures

I'll be honest here and say my first two reactions two the Street Pictures series by David Snider were negative. But not negative in that I was critical of Snider's work. His work gave me curiosity and joy. Rather, the negatives were more internally directed.

In his essay, he passed on wise advice that he learned in his classes in turn onto us: "It's not the heat, it's the timidity." As an amateur (for the love of it) photographer, I've often faced the challenge he had faced: how to capture spontaneous moments without the awareness of his subjects, and to deal with the occasional annoyance people give at being "found out" while I try to capture a photo. My stealth skills, or maybe it's just skill at being unimposing while taking photographs, are quite sub par.

There are interesting parallels here with reporting-based journalism. Reportage involves trying to capture the information and dealing with unfriendly subjects of information gathering, too. In the end, what matters is the one valuable, cooperative subject you get for every hostile encounter.

The second negativity involves bewilderment at how to interpret these beautiful photographs. Being a logical person, one of my earliest responses to a piece of art is, "What is it trying to convey?" More often than not, I just can't figure it out. And, truly, it seems to me that the greatest art doesn't easily give off messages. Maybe the problem is trying to figure out the message is, instead of having a direct experience.

Getting down to the nitty, I'm frankly distrustful of photojournalism. It's a byproduct of this uncertain, amorphous message that might be emitted by a photo. I think the subtle, non-logical aspect of art can almost be more coercive than any words, simply because it bypasses logical thought, and untruthful messages might get by the censor of a good editor simply because aesthetics is so much easier to judge in a piece of art than what it's saying.