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The Act of Witnessing Ordinary Dreams
- Texas A&M University Press
- Chapter
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WE LIVE IN AN ENVIRONMENT dense with visual imagery. Much of this abundance is directed toward the selling of products or the creation of visual fodder for the celebrity-obsessed public. A far smaller portion of contemporary image making deals with documentarystyle photography, and much of this deals with images that shock or reveal the excesses or fragility of human existence —war, famine, poverty, disease—the Four Horsemen recorded on film. Of course, images like these are valuable, and much of the history of documentary-style photography concerns itself with this type of subject matter. Thus, it is both unexpected and encouraging to find a publisher who will produce a book that documents ordinary lives, in this He who understands everything about his subject cannot write about it. I wrote as much to discover as to explain. — The Act of Witnessing Ordinary Dreams Dennis Carlyle Darling University of Texas–Austin case, two Texas colonies of a little-known religious sect. It is even more encouraging that two women, both trained in journalism and seasoned in news-agency and political-press photography, took the time and used their considerable talent to do long-term projects that document with style and grace the ordinary lives of the Mennonites in Texas. The images that Laura Camden and Susan Gaetz have produced are quiet ones, like the people they portray. They do not rely on death, destruction, or abuse of one kind or another for their strength but draw the viewer in with the strong and recognizable themes of family and community. They project a certain precision and economy of image that fits the topic and the landscape their subjects inhabit. And like all successful documentary-style photography, Camden’s and Gaetz’s images convey a sensitivity to and moral awareness of the people whom their cameras frame. Every type of photography places special demands on the image maker. For commercial photographers, it may be the mastery of artificial light. For news photographers, speed is usually of the essence. In some cases, news photography , defined in broad terms, can be a form of documentary image making. However, because of the market and the way the images are used, news photographers generally work under circumstances, conditions, and deadlines that are very different from the ones that photographers who commit themselves to an in-depth exploration of a subject deal with. Like other forms of image making, documentary-style photography has its own special requirements to consider. Photographers who practice documentary photography are usually in the business of taking stock of others.The magical part of a camera is that it gives you entry into others’ lives. Once inside, the real challenge for image makers is to remain faithful to the people they are photographing during this act of witness. Using the camera as an instrument of social awareness has always been a delicate balancing act between subject and practitioner.Because of the extended nature of the fieldwork and the sensitivity necessary when entering another culture, documentary-style photographers must ask themselves , then honestly answer, a number of questions before they embark on their project. Image making must be more than the old news photographers’ adage, “f and be there.” Documentary photographers must be aware of the unique considerations this type of work imposes. Here are some of the questions one might ask before taking the first frame: What is my intention? What responsibilities do I have to those I have chosen to photograph? What kind of accountability should I have? What are the terms of my entry into (and my departure from) the culture? How do I convey to the subjects what I have in mind, what I hope to accomplish, and why I feel it is necessary to make these images of them? Will I be sufficiently sensitive to know when enough is enough and not to stay on beyond the point of doing something meaningful and relevant? What will I do with the images after I am finished? What input, if any, will the subjects have with the completed work? Have I been objective and accurate? Both Laura and Susan have worked in a very deliberate fashion. Photographs were made only after each photographer , through direct observation, was aware of the subjects’ cultural traditions and values. Before departure, each one carried out extensive research on the history of the sect.Out of respect for and in order not to offend the values of the hosts, they carefully considered their clothing...