David Alan Harvey is the Harvey Weinstein of photography

[LCSmith]

No one is surprised.

 

[Particular]

Where has he been accused of staging photos?

The OP linked article mentions a 2012 National Geographic feature on Brazil that has images staged with assistants in the image.

 

[charjohncarter]

I commend the Men on this site
that have the grace and concern for Women that may have been mistreated.

Let’s not forget this is a predominately male site / maybe 98%

Goucho Marks quote: 'If you are guilty you will have to prove it.' I used to laugh at that quote. Now I wonder.

 

[Dan]

I have not read the articles and don't really know anything about the case. However, I see everyone jumping to conclusions and it seems he has been judged guilty. I know this is not a court of law and political correctness requires denunciation. But I got to say that after 22 years as a federal agent that not everyone brought up on charges is guilty.

Before condemnation, let's see more of the facts.

You should read the article for the facts as presented. It comes across as a solid bit of journalism where there appears to be a pattern of behavior that's all too common from ego-driven elderly men in powerful positions towards young, perhaps naive 20ish year-olds.

I, too, wondered if any males took part in dah's workshops. Never was there a mention of a young, 22 year-old male assistant for workshops or assignments.

 

[35photo]

A friend of my mine took one of his work shops a few years back....My friend mentioned It was pretty obvious he favored female attendees.... He liked em young too..... Many of the male attendees complained about him to each other about how bad it was.... I'm not sure if anyone saw anything inappropriate during the workshop...

 

[Pál_K]

If these stories are true (and I believe they are), then not only is he a creep - he has poisoned what could have been positive mentoring situations, poisoned the joy these young women had in hoping they were valued - stolen something from them that cannot be recovered.

 

[KM-25]

A friend of my mine took one of his work shops a few years back....My friend mentioned It was pretty obvious he favored female attendees.... He liked em young too..... Many of the male attendees complained about him to each other about how bad it was.... I'm not sure if anyone saw anything inappropriate during the workshop...

I was in his “Inner Circle” for about ten years, I have seen a lot including the aforementioned. For me, his mentorship was a tightrope of really valuable tough love and some odd preferences that I think a lot of us turned a blind eye to at the time.

But given the additional details in this reporting piece and in looking back....damn, I am beside my self for innumerable reasons. One in particular being how many young photographers that I mentored and sent his way.

 

[PKR]

When F Stoppers first reported this business, i posted some of the early info on CW,,beginning with #1900
https://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=95325&page=48

I know/knew 4 Magnum members. Paul Fusco passed away recently. Two of the others were involved in a bar fight with DAH. One fighting with him and the other breaking it up. This was years back. The guy I know, who was fighting with David is a gentleman but, he won't take s*it from anyone.

From the news of that event, I've always wondered about DAH. I certainly like his work but, there's much more to a person than their artistic output.

What a sad business.

 

[Ccoppola82]

Cringe. We have an old guy who is a “photographer” locally constantly and openly inviting young women to do “photoshoots” nude or swim in his pool topless. I am always bewildered that he always seems to wrangle some of them in and take photos of them. I don’t know if they think they will become models? Or they like the attention? I quite honestly cannot put my finger on what brings them to be in his presence. From an outside point of view it’s just gross. Nothing else to be said about it. Why these men risk their reputations and careers to get a cheap thrill is beyond me.

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

I have not read the articles and don't really know anything about the case. However, I see everyone jumping to conclusions and it seems he has been judged guilty.

I can’t tell if you are being intentionally ironic...

 

[Michael Markey]

The rumours have been around for some time I hear .

 

[paulfish4570]

i. despise. such. behavior.
i have a daughter. i have granddaughters. i have two daughters-in-law. i see cowardly thugs like him as abusing other people's daughters and granddaughters and daughters-in-law.
this is the way any actual man should see such behavior ...

 

[ktmrider]

Helen: what conclusions did I jump to? All I said was I did not know the case and most of the posters here had already concluded he was guilty. My point about being a federal agent is I am fairly familiar with the law and federal court procedure.

And Nick, how was my statement ironic?

I do have to wonder how many individuals have their reputations damaged due to baseless allegations. These days its sexual misconduct. Remember the hysteria about satanists in the early 1990's? My father in law was accused of participating in human sacrifices, murder and black masses by two of his daughters. Police found no evidence, none of the other family members had any knowledge of it even the one's the daughters claimed were witnesses etc. Both of the daughters went to the same mental health therapist and were in the same therapy circle. Which was more likely: the daughters were delusional or my father in law killed a dozen or more women for which the police could find no evidence?

My point is that it is very easy to damage someone today on the internet. I admitted to not knowing the case but I will read the link. And if you really want to know my name (not sure why) I will gladly send it to you in a PM.

 

[Andrea Taurisano]

Whether it proves to be the case for David Alan Harvey or not, it's disappointing and disgraceful every time an otherwise talented and highly reputed man turns out to have been a creep who took advantage of his mentor position to trick others into satisfying his pleasures. The fact that "men of power always have done so", doesn't make it more acceptable. It rather makes it even more important to finally push such behaviours into history and show that we men (of power or not) can be better than that.

But this discussion makes me also think about other photographers whose work I admire, who surely have done their share of touching, kissing and (I guess) sleeping with models.. Take Araki for instance. I want to assume that he never pushed any model to do anything she wouldn't want to. Yet the question still remains of whether his name & position were the sole reason why they accepted things they would never have allowed a less famous artist. The line between being allowed things because models want to do them, and being allowed (although it's not pleasant) just because you are who you are, is thin and not always easy to draw, I think.

Art that explores the artist's own vices or perversions, is legitimate. But what if those vices, perversions or whatever we call them also involve others? There too I see a a thin line between legitimacy and abuse / exploitation. I guess photographers like Antoine d'Agata are well aware of that risk..

 

[Andy Kibber]

I do have to wonder how many individuals have their reputations damaged due to baseless allegations. These days its sexual misconduct. Remember the hysteria about satanists in the early 1990's? My father in law was accused of participating in human sacrifices, murder and black masses by two of his daughters. Police found no evidence, none of the other family members had any knowledge of it even the one's the daughters claimed were witnesses etc. Both of the daughters went to the same mental health therapist and were in the same therapy circle. Which was more likely: the daughters were delusional or my father in law killed a dozen or more women for which the police could find no evidence?

I agree that one should maintain a healthy skepticism regarding allegations. The criminal burden of proof is rightfully very high, as the accused's freedom (or life, in Texas) can be at stake.

But when many, many young women report similar experiences in a 11,000 word piece of journalism from a credible publication, I'm satisfied that David Alan Harvey is a dirt bag and has been for many years.

 

[Dogman]

The trouble is that many "credible" journalistic publications have been pretty non-credible in the past couple of decades. And some of their journalists have been guilt of fabricating stories and sources.

If DAH truly is the scumbag claimed and these women's allegations are proved factual, he should be condemned and made a pariah.

I'm a skeptic. Of everything. Hero-worship especially. DAH can take pictures...doesn't make him anything special. He shouldn't be idolized and he also shouldn't get a pass.

 

[KM-25]

I'm a skeptic. Of everything. Hero-worship especially. DAH can take pictures...doesn't make him anything special. He shouldn't be idolized and he also shouldn't get a pass.

And that throws a lot of people under your bus...like we are bad judges of talent and character and the virtuosos don't really matter so why bother trying to be good at something.

He has won numerous awards, successfully mentored countless other photographers and aside from his rather poor conduct towards women, has been a good guy all things considered in my direct personal experience.

This is what some photo enthusiasts and amateur so called photographers don't get about photography. Some of us do it for a much more than a living and want to see it remain important, impactful and powerful. We want to see it awarded distinctions when it is a bar newly set or a risk that paid off. And we want to see those who have outcomes in their own work recognized as such...not worshipped as heros but as the exceptional talents that they are.

Otherwise what are we left with? A bunch of talentless hacks who love to talk gear because their visuals will never speak much past their lunch break fantasies?

DAH is not going to get a pass, because he has hurt a lot of people who otherwise trusted him, trusted his vision and his passion. I am hurt by this, my life as a photographer MATTERS buddy, who I choose to look up to as an example is not what you lamely refer to as hero worship but mentorship and has modeled how I too pay it forward.

If you don't understand what many of us saw in his work or his mentorship, that is your prerogative. But when you say it the way you do, expect those of us who are impacted by this to call you out for it, the unfair minimizing of lives altered because unlike you, we actually give a crap.

 

[PKR]

And that throws a lot of people under your bus...like we are bad judges of talent and character and the virtuosos don't really matter so why bother trying to be good at something.

He has won numerous awards, successfully mentored countless other photographers and aside from his rather poor conduct towards women, has been a good guy all things considered in my direct personal experience.

This is what some photo enthusiasts and amateur so called photographers don't get about photography. Some of us do it for a much more than a living and want to see it remain important, impactful and powerful. We want to see it awarded distinctions when it is a bar newly set or a risk that paid off. And we want to see those who have outcomes in their own work recognized as such...not worshipped as heros but as the exceptional talents that they are.

Otherwise what are we left with? A bunch of talentless hacks who love to talk gear because their visuals will never speak much past their lunch break fantasies?

DAH is not going to get a pass, because he has hurt a lot of people who otherwise trusted him, trusted his vision and his passion. I am hurt by this, my life as a photographer MATTERS buddy, who I choose to look up to as an example is not what you lamely refer to as hero worship but mentorship and has modeled how I too pay it forward.

If you don't understand what many of us saw in his work or his mentorship, that is your prerogative. But when you say it the way you do, expect those of us who are impacted by this to call you out for it, the unfair minimizing of lives altered because unlike you, we actually give a crap.

I couldn't have said it better!

pkr

 

[Dogman]

KM-25, you fail to understand what I said. Not only that, you ran with the ball out into left field on a wild tangent.

I'll clarify my meaning: DAH should not be idolized and considered a hero just because he has a particular talent--taking pictures. That doesn't make him a saint, it makes him a photographer. Making him a photo hero doesn't make him a wonderful person. And he should not get a pass for obnoxious conduct just because he's a talented photographer.

There's enough crap coming out concerning photographers and inappropriate conduct. It makes all of us feel uncomfortable to have someone whose work we value to be accused. I personally have no knowledge of his actions, don't know anyone involved and I'm willing to be skeptical of the accusations until they are proven. You know--innocent until proven guilty.

Don't know where you got the idea I meant anything else.

 

[AntonioC]

After reading the article by CJR linked at the beginning of this post, I feel gutted and disturbed. Not just by the way DAH comes out of it, but even more so by the apparent lack of commitment from Magnum to tackle these issues in due time, when it’s clear a lot of prominent people in the industry (and within Magnum itself) knew and did nothin about it.
Needless to say, I now see DAH work under a completely different perspective.