Ok, I finally got my act together and edited some of my digital images from El Salvador. I must admit my film looks a lot nicer but, I haven't gotten around to scanning it in. Anyhow here are a few images that I really enjoy from my rough edit thus far. When I was working on the image with the Salvadorian men's heads in the frame with the mountains, I thought "I can see Honduras from my kitchen window." Hehehehe because those mountains are Honduras, that was in Perquin in the northern part of El Salvador. (we really could see that from our kitchen window, that's what makes it funny.) These images are not from the story I shot there, I haven't edited them yet, those are to come. :)
-I also attached this Link to help you guys understand what happened in El Salvador a little bit better it's a multimedia piece that Susan Meiselas (of Magnum) worked on. It's about a town called El Mozote, where their was a massacre and everyone in the the town (with the exception of those who escaped days before) lost their lives. I went to this town, they are just starting to rebuild now, after 25 years. I know this stuff is heavy, but I'm finding more and more everyday that I am becoming very concerned with Social Justice.
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I am so jealous that is such a great experience. The photos look great, I can't wait to see the film pics too. LOVEEE the colors in the clothing line shot, very bright and muted gray at the same time. They are great great great! Update with moree! Social Justice seems like a good concern for a photo journalist.
ReplyDeletethanks boo. Im real excited about the film ones, cant wait to show you guys.
ReplyDeleteFabulous my dear! These look really wonderful, particularly the bottom three. They feel timeless and yet specific, which I imagine is the goal of a photojournalist. The documentary aspect is automatically attached to an image, so the context is what makes the image important. With that, I enjoy that you are bringing yourself to a tighter focus with social justice. Now I would like to know what you will do with it. Will you take a stance on a particular matter or leave it open for the viewer to interpret? Are there artists or events you're aspiring from? Will you research and gather the backgrounds to your topic? I would love to see how it works out and what inspiration you can get from it. Can't wait to see more.
ReplyDeleteWell, I have been researching a ton on Central America, for this project I'm focusing on one man and his family's journey during the War. I hope you guys checked out the link I posted it is so powerful.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that an entire nation is progressing off of the US in quality of life, yet destroying their own economy blows my mind. Giving justice to those who deserve it, not judging until you know someone's story is crucial to depicting them in a truthful fashion. Background is key, never walking into a situation blind. I felt so prepared for the field work I just did and I am confident in the work I have produced, now I just need to edit edit edit and fit it all together. A viewer will interpret a story how it is handed to them, the position of the story teller, if they are moral, is to be diplomatic. Everyone has a story, and every story has a second(+) side to it. It is important to realize that you are covering one side and that their is the possibility that a world of viewers has only heard the other.
erika, first, i LOVE the images. they're interesting and beautiful. i'm with everyone else, can't wait to see more.
ReplyDeletesecond, very cool to hear you talk about your process of researching, focusing, and your expanding theory behind what you want to do. just be very careful about the morality thing. its all back to that reality thing... understanding that we're all going to approach everything with our own perspective on what's moral. diplomacy will likely serve you well. as will an awareness that you're going to be imposing your thoughts and opinions on every situation/story. there is no way to prevent that. only to be aware of it. know it and acknowlege it. to me, it seems easy for a journalist/documentarian to get heavy-handed real quick and start telling the view what to think about the situation, even if its through subtle implication.
third, that video was powerful. i wanted more. more about why that village. more on who the killers were. what were the events that lead up to the masacre. sorry, even though, i'm way old, i was only 2 when it happened and don't know much about the situation. i'm really looking forward to learning more from you as you post more from this project.
keep up the good work, lady!
on a related note:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090131/ap_on_re_eu/eu_holocaust_by_bullets;_ylt=Aup_upZ4lo23s0krwpVqOXMDW7oF
i found these new stories/facts really interesting as well as the perspective of the priest on the whole situation.
Yes, your own feelings towards something will tend to come out in our artwork no matter what. Every good photojournalist will do everything in their power to seperate themselves from the situation, to observe but not take part, and to document. In many situations I find it hard to not help someone when they clearly need you. With that said, I feel that the main difference between a fine artist and a photojournalist is that in a fine artist work, it is usually about their own experiences and a photojournalists is about the experience of others.
ReplyDeleteErika I loovveee these, I think my favorite is the second one down the breathing room and space is great, i can't wait to see more from your trip. And I think you can really present the experiences of others. Your observations in all of these photographs seem like pretty intimate moments, I love how you zero in on details but i still feel a great sense of space and discovery in these. I wish i could see these in print form. miss you :'(
ReplyDeleteErika,
ReplyDeleteGood stuff. My favorites are the second and the fourth.
I love the gazes that the two are in(second down), lost in thought, they are somewhere else. Above these two minds, endless space for them to wander. Quite surreal.
The blurry bit of the fence going through the bottom(fourth down), the stark black shed behind the colorful clothes, all the different textures and tones of the trees...amazing, they're all different and extremely interesting. Then the ever so dramatic clouds, and the wires coming in the top right. I feel as if I am there, peering over the fence. Something is coming, a storm? I want to go to this place, this image is filled with mystery.