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Dyer Street PortraitureBy trchambers(47) My first documentary portraiture project is "Dyer Street Portraiture". I put this together in 1983. The project provides intimate street shots, and reveals the nature of the environment through detailed background content. The environment is one of simultaneity where military personnel blend with the locals on a street called Dyer in El Paso, Texas. I graduated from high school [Stephen F. Austin] in El Paso, Texas in 1965. And as a teenager at that time, I used to go to this street and hang out. So almost 20 years later, I had the chance to return to El Paso and the street that fascinated me as an adolescent. American Photographer magazine [American Photo now] listed this project/exhibition in its "Notable Exhibitions" section in its March, 1986 issue. Part of its listing states: "The black-and-white images record a diversity of common people in an urban habitat with an ambiance of film noir." During 1984, I received several favorable comments from leading professionals in the medium of photography: "Your images are strong, direct and honest." (Arthur Goldsmith, Editorial Director, Popular Photography magazine) "The images are well seen, and the concept seems to be viable. The series is a clean, well-photographed group of pictures." (Beaumont Newhall, Photographic Historian, The University of New Mexico) "I hope a wider public will have an opportunity to see the pictures." (Peter Bunnell, Photographic Historian, Princeton University) "It was very good to see the images, and I found them quite strong, both formally and emotionally." (Keith Davis, Curator, Photographic Collections, Hallmark Cards Incorporated) "You have some very good pictures. I wish you lots of luck." (Mary Ellen Mark, Documentary Photographer) "I always appreciate another person's very sincere efforts at his craft." (Judy Dater, Fine Arts Photographer) "I was pleasantly surprised to look at your work. I believe it's the strongest I've seen." (Robert Hirsch, Director, Southern Light Gallery, Amarillo College) These images would probably fit the street shot category, but they are staged in the sense that the subjects are posed in relation to their surroundings. A 20mm lens (extreme wide angle) is used to condense the view and show the backdrop/background. The subjects' posture and expression come across as natural, but their look is manipulated through constant encouragement. They're not smiling, and in my opinion, a documentary portrait should not include this kind of expression. As soon as a subject smiles for the camera, he or she breaks character. This action dilutes the nature of the image, and it becomes nothing more than a standard studio portrait. A portrait is just a portrait, but a documentary portrait makes a connection between the subject and his or her surroundings. And this connection conveys a visual statement about the social condition. Dyer Street Portraiture Documentary Portraiture Lesson Tom R. Chambers http://tomrchambers.com This Blog Post has been read 5 times. Posted to ProBlogs.com on Monday, January 01, 2007 View other posts by trchambers Comments on this blog post: No comments yet. Leave a Public Comment or Question: Acclaim to the photographer Kuo Tung Tai's works-Tea Series (Photo Updated) Ashes and Snow-by Gregory Colbert Earth from Above-A Great Photographer-Yann Arthus-Bertrand The McEwen Photographic Studio An American Teacher's Experience Near Zhengzhou, China Descendants 350 Mother's 45s |
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