"I’m interested in people who haven’t had all the lucky breaks in life – people who are handicapped emotionally, physically or financially. Much of life is luck. No one can choose whether he’s born into a wealthy, privileged home or born into extreme poverty. I guess I’m interested in people who haven’t had as much of a chance because they reach out more, they need more. They touch me. I do a lot of other work to support myself, but those kinds of projects are the reasons I became a photographer."
Mary Ellen Mark
Mary Ellen Mark would never know that she would change the game of documentary photography after she turned in her paint brush for a camera. Her photos are raw and honesty and are capable of bringing out a light in neighborhoods that seem too dark. She is able to single out the subject and tell their story by their body language she captures.
In her work her passion for people is able to shine. You can tell that she isn't in it for the glamour but she wants these people to be known. In another project that she has done on prostitutes is heart bracingly beautiful. She is able to capture the reality of the horrors of prostitution but she is also able to capture the brilliant colors within the scene representing the masked actions of the customers. Almost like the gilded age. It looks beautiful on the outside and on the inside its absolutely horrifying.
Here's a quote that I think sums up many great pieces of work that has to deal with social issues.
“Most magazines seem to want simple solutions – pictures that are easy to look at and don’t pose any questions.”
My hope is that I would be able to have the guts to take the pictures that Mary Ellen is able to capture. My hope is to be able to look for the places that need to be seen. I want to be able to capture people in the vulnerable state that she able to capture them in but also the candid look to her work.
http://www.americansuburbx.com/2010/05/interview-street-shooter-interview-with.html
I can definitely see you in this work. I do enjoy how she captures her subject by emotions. You say you want to tell the story of those kids, and I encourage you to.
ReplyDeleteThese are definitely up your alley. I checked out her website and looked at some of her other galleries. I like the way she uses different camera angles and different kinds of framing to place her subjects in different kinds of spaces and to bring out different kinds of feelings. I think it's something you could try in your own work.
ReplyDeleteThese are definitely up your alley. I checked out her website and looked at some of her other galleries. I like the way she uses different camera angles and different kinds of framing to place her subjects in different kinds of spaces and to bring out different kinds of feelings. I think it's something you could try in your own work.
ReplyDeleteI would have never guessed she was originally a painter. She is a natural with her camera! I can't help but think how this reflects your work as well. The motive and moments she captures are so stunning and slightly heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteThese images are beautiful composed and yet so candid. It does take an artist's training and innate ability to make these images, but more important to the subject matter a natural empathy. Unlike other photographers who attack poverty and humanity, stripping people of their dignity or exploiting their position, I feel like these were taken with a gentleness. There may be want, but there is also hope.
ReplyDelete