Gentlemen...your opinion...

Some very good stuff, Michael. I like 24 and 28 in particular. Hopefully you find a good way to publish those.

Best,

Roland.
 
very much enjoyed seeing that. How did you get such open access to a hospital. They dont even seem to notice you. I'm humbled by your comittment to your craft.
 
Thanks a lot for your kind words.
I'm on this project on/off for three years.
The idea came when I got my son hospitalized there some five years ago.
The second Intifada was raging outside, and I was there, in the playing room of the pediatric department, exchanging smiles with an arab woman with whom I had no common language while our sons where playing together with no language at all.
I had this very strong feeling of some kind of demilitarized island in the epicenter of a war. That was the trigger. It took me two more years to think that it is possible, meet the hospital spokesperson, the hospital direction and set the modus operandi of the work.
I have to say that I am still amazed of the openness of all the chain of people I had to convince to do this work, from the direction, through the staff in each department, up to most of the people I asked to shoot in the hospital.
I have the strongest feeling that this work wouldn't have been possible in Europe or the US. People here, at all levels didn't fear from photography the way I sense in other countries in the west. I have to add that the inconspicious and un-threatening nature of the Leica had I great part in my ability of "vanishing" after I asked the people if they would mind me taking pictures. After two three clicks, most of them would simply loose interest and I could shoot tens of pictures thus allowing a "good one" to appear.
Well, the last department was the pediatrics and it was very hard at times. The last day I was there, the nurse responsibe of the CF children day care told me that one of the men appearing in a picture has since then passed away. I really felt exshausted by the whole project and decided that I'm done.
I'm moving next week to the US where I'll try to find a way to publish this story.
 
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sanmich said:
Thanks a lot for your kind words.
I'm on this project on/off for three years.
The idea came when I got my son hospitalized there some five years ago.
The second Intifada was raging outside, and I was there, in the playing room of the pediatric department, exchanging smiles with an arab woman with whom I had no common language while our sons where playing together with no language at all
Click to expand...

I just googled the second Intifada.
Im Jewish and live in the US and am embarrassed that I had never heard of it before. Of course, I tend to insulate myself in my own dream world most of the time... drowned by my own problems and struggles.....
So much in life is taken for granted here.
 
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Excellent!

Excellent!

Congratulations for this outstanding set. I will certainly come back to it a few more times. Did you had any sort of restrictions from the Hospital Board ? Or from the patients? Or from the caregivers?
Thanks for posting
Joao
 
Hi Michael,

All of the shots have a consistent look and are all good, some that stand out for me are: 15, 75, 92, 116, 123.

As I've said before you do good work.
 
I sent my former post by error, then finished it and edit it.
for those who want the whole story...
Thanks again to all...

BTW, beyond good and bad, I would be most interested by your feelings when you saw the pictures. I'm way too much involved to start to figure this one...
 
sanmich said:
I had this very strong feeling of some kind of demilitarized island in the epicenter of a war.
Click to expand...

Michael, this is exactly what I felt when I looked at them the first time. A microcosm. With much compassion/love, and more pain than "normal" life.

Sincerely,

Roland.
 
Thanks for sharing the essay Michael. I was very touched by it. I really like the ways in which you juxtapose photographs that depict human interaction with those that convey the loneliness of some of the people in the hospital. I will definitely come back to the essay for another viewing.
 
Joao said:
Congratulations for this outstanding set. I will certainly come back to it a few more times. Did you had any sort of restrictions from the Hospital Board ? Or from the patients? Or from the caregivers?
Thanks for posting
Joao
Click to expand...
Thanks Joao
No restrictions other than:

1- first, I had to coordinate my visits with the Nurse-in-chief (no idea if that's a title)

2- No pictures before making clear to the photographed persons what I was doing and ask for their permission.

3- For the pediatric department, a written permission of the parents was required for shooting kids. I thought this one would be a major problem but I managed it out...
 
Michael,
The photos are very expressive, and sometimes I find images to be very personal. It would be very difficult to get the permissions to take such images in a US hospital. I wonder if you need any written permissions to publish these images in the USA or not.
I may have some extra sensitivity to seeing hospital images during time of war.
This was a brave project.
 
A very strong body of work! ...probably much different scenes than you would be shooting in Gaza today :(

543_007 is my favorite because it implies a more universal sense of humanity (and I like the light and composition).

526_022 for the same reasons.

best!
 
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