Photography and Personal Identity

[furcafe]

Photography has been my main hobby for about 5 years now. I always liked photography, but before 2000, I only took photos when I was on vacation. I got into photography as only part of a broader personal decision to allow myself to indulge on a daily (or semi-daily) basis some of life's smaller pleasures (e.g., aimless walks, sightseeing, the occasional daytime alcoholic beverage, etc.) that I had only enjoyed on vacation before. Photography was 1 of those small pleasures, but has become the dominant 1, as it involves imagery, not the boring text that I have to deal w/all day @ work as a lawyer, & allows me to play w/lots of cool toys.

 

[hoot]

I like to take pics of interesting modern buildings, abstract stuff, shadows, [...] stuff like that - but that's hard in a backwards-oriented city full of touristy cliche monuments

But doesn't precisely that make it such a wonderful challenge? You could make the best of your original gift of seeing by showing people the other Vienna; the Vienna that they will never get to see through the windows of their tour buses and in their glossy brochures. You can't give up now!

 

[hoot]

I'm simply not interested in 95% of the people I see on the streets, and their lives

Neither, I'm sure, were HCB and the other Street masters. But it is those 5%, or less, who constitute some of the most memorable photographs in the history of the medium.

as for the other 5%, I often feel that taking their picture would be kind of exploitative or condescending, 'social pornography', taking away something from them.

In my opinion, people have no more an ownership right to photos in which they appear in public places than they do to the waves and photons of light bouncing off their bodies. I know this sounds horrible, but it's true. Personally, I have absolutely no qualms "using" strangers to make art (or what in my case is usually bad attempts at art) in this way, especially when the resulting photos never claim to be nonfiction.

 

[Beniliam]

Dear Roger

Here in Spain exist the Bask (vascuence) is one of the odd languages that there are in Europe. And the origin is unknow.

In the north of spain exist too languages apart of the Catalá, the Bable (asturias), the galego (this language probably in the centuries X - XIV derives to the Portuguese )

Is very interesting to know about this languages, the dead languages like latin, were decisive in our culture.

 

[tedwhite]

Here in the southwestern USA, along the Mexican border, there were dozens of Indian languages before Spaniards, British, and French showed up. Only a few remain (Navajo, Hopi, Apache, etc.).

As an example of how languages morph, it is said that the fifteen miles on either side of the US/Mexico frontier constitutes a "separate" country in terms of culture and language. There is intermarriage between people, and a robust mixture of the two languages.

For example, if you speak border Spanish, "Vamos a pushiar el Carro," or "Ya voy a parkiar el carro," you will not be understood further south in Mexico because the proper words are "empujar" and "estacionar."

And, if a little border girl with her mother in a department store in Scottsdale, two hundred miles further north, says, "Mira, Mommy, tienen Mexican things aqui," there could be a problem.

The English language itself is a wonderful example of grand theft from other languages.

Ted

 

[bmattock]

Here in the southwestern USA, along the Mexican border, there were dozens of Indian languages before Spaniards, British, and French showed up. Only a few remain (Navajo, Hopi, Apache, etc.).

As an example of how languages morph, it is said that the fifteen miles on either side of the US/Mexico frontier constitutes a "separate" country in terms of culture and language. There is intermarriage between people, and a robust mixture of the two languages.

For example, if you speak border Spanish, "Vamos a pushiar el Carro," or "Ya voy a parkiar el carro," you will not be understood further south in Mexico because the proper words are "empujar" and "estacionar."

And, if a little border girl with her mother in a department store in Scottsdale, two hundred miles further north, says, "Mira, Mommy, tienen Mexican things aqui," there could be a problem.

The English language itself is a wonderful example of grand theft from other languages.

Ted

Personally, I've always preferred Nadsat. Viddy me? Tonto no speak Esperanto.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[RML]

But doesn't precisely that make it such a wonderful challenge? You could make the best of your original gift of seeing by showing people the other Vienna; the Vienna that they will never get to see through the windows of their tour buses and in their glossy brochures. You can't give up now!

I can relate to Roman's ordeal. I live in Amsterdam, Holland, and the city has been touristified to the point that has become a boring place to live in.

In the 60s and 70s Amsterdam was a hub of international Flower Power, beatniks, jazzheads, pot smokers, and such. In the 80s the city emptied out when all them YUPpies moved out to the surrounding villages and towns because those were such nice places to raise the kids (clean air and green grass, and not a damn thing to do for those kids). In the 90s Amsterdam became the Rave capital of Holland; gays from all over the world came to the city to parteeeey, and ravers/ housers/ whatchamacallthem came too to dance the night away on dance parties for 10-20-30.000 people at a time. At the end of the 90s/ early 2000s the municipal government killed all that, started to (with the economic boom of the 90s still fresh in their minds) postcardirize the city, spend tons on ad campaigns to draw in companies (and promoting the construction of office blocks, that are now still empty). Also, the city has become less and less bohemian and more and more bourgouis since the middle 90s, turning the city in nothing more than a large, boring village.

If it's up to me I'm gonnan stay here (I was born and raised here) but I'm hoping verfently that this city will become more lively, more behomian and more metropolic again than it is now. Maybe what we need is large scale riots like we had in the early 80s. God knows there are tons of issues that can justify such riots. That'll give me a change to experience some PJ shooting as well. 😛

 

[nwcanonman]

Bill,
I'm staying with "english" as that's what I know best (even though I lived 20+ years in Sol Cal.) because that's the forums stated language.
RML,
Change is what Mother Nature does best and how things evolve. (Stasis is death) Humans tend to complain about it, but it will happen in the forest or in the city. It's always a learning experience ~ ; - )

 

[RML]

Change is what Mother Nature does best and how things evolve. (Stasis is death) Humans tend to complain about it, but it will happen in the forest or in the city. It's always a learning experience ~ ; - )

Quite right you are, H*. It's just sad to see a vibrant city turn into a boring village, especially as this city goes to my heart. I don't mind the modernizing at all but I wish the designers/ architects/ project managers would be a bit more daring in their designs instead of creating bland buildings, whether that be office buildings or appartment blocks or commuter districts. It's all so terribly booooring.... Perhaps that is one reason why I like Mongolia, and its capital Ulaanbaatar; you can hardly call that a boring place. 🙂

 

[nwcanonman]

"Perhaps that is one reason why I like Mongolia, and its capital Ulaanbaatar; you can hardly call that a boring place. " RML
..................................................
Remy,
Sounds like a very interesting place. When can I see some pics of it?
Harold* 😕
My corner of the world may not be as diverse as yours, but I do love it so.

 

[RML]

"Perhaps that is one reason why I like Mongolia, and its capital Ulaanbaatar; you can hardly call that a boring place. " RML
..................................................
Remy,
Sounds like a very interesting place. When can I see some pics of it?
Harold* 😕
My corner of the world may not be as diverse as yours, but I do love it so.

Harold,

my gallery is full with photos of Ulaanbaatar.

.

 

[hoot]

my gallery is full with photos of Ulaanbaatar.

Hmm, you sure like sepia, don't you? 😉

 

[Pherdinand]

Remy, I hope you were joking with the need for the riots.
Thanks for the small intro to amsterdam's modern history,anyway🙂
I myself don't think Amsterdam is sucha boring city, but hey, i live in Eindhoven since five years! 😀

 

[RML]

Remy, I hope you were joking with the need for the riots.
Thanks for the small intro to amsterdam's modern history,anyway🙂
I myself don't think Amsterdam is sucha boring city, but hey, i live in Eindhoven since five years! 😀

Joking or not joking, Amsterdam could do with some livening up. As could Eindhoven. 😛

 

[RML]

Hmm, you sure like sepia, don't you? 😉

Quite so indeed. 🙂

 

[johne]

Is my memory correct? As I remember it, when Mongolia became independent, its native alphebet had been lost. A copy was found at IREX. in the USA. Johne

 

[nwcanonman]

Remy,
Thanks for reminding me. You live in an interesting place and as always, take wonderful photos ~ ; - )

 

[RML]

Is my memory correct? As I remember it, when Mongolia became independent, its native alphebet had been lost. A copy was found at IREX. in the USA. Johne

I don't what alphabet you refer to. It's true that the (vertical) Old Mongolian script was replaced by Cyrillic after 1924, and that it is still used. BUT the Old Mongolian script is still widely used in the Chinese province of Inner-Mongolia. Also, the Old Mongolian script is part and parcel of any study related to Mongolian culture. It is based on the old Uighur script and resembles the Manchu script. There is at least one other script (Soyombo script, invented in the 17th C) but that, too, was never lost, though never used as extensively as the Old Mongolian script.

Maybe Ruben Blaedel can shed some more light on this matter....

 

[taffer]

Here in the southwestern USA, along the Mexican border, there were dozens of Indian languages before Spaniards, British, and French showed up. Only a few remain (Navajo, Hopi, Apache, etc.).

As an example of how languages morph, it is said that the fifteen miles on either side of the US/Mexico frontier constitutes a "separate" country in terms of culture and language. There is intermarriage between people, and a robust mixture of the two languages.

For example, if you speak border Spanish, "Vamos a pushiar el Carro," or "Ya voy a parkiar el carro," you will not be understood further south in Mexico because the proper words are "empujar" and "estacionar."

And, if a little border girl with her mother in a department store in Scottsdale, two hundred miles further north, says, "Mira, Mommy, tienen Mexican things aqui," there could be a problem.

The English language itself is a wonderful example of grand theft from other languages.

Ted

Fun, you should also hear me tell my friends things like 'Sí, esto es para cockar el obturador' or 'has de alinear el patch en el rangefinder' 😀

Mixing languages is IMHO a natural thing, as it's a normal tool we use daily.

Btw Beni, some studies placed Bask in close similarity to some African ones, strange eh ?

And H*, thanks, it's great to hear that, I'll feed my storyteller soul with photography while it's sleeping, just in case it wakes up someday 😉

Oscar

 

[tedwhite]

"El patch en el rangefinder"....marvelous.. One day, in Naco, Sonora I was try ing to explain to two men that I wanted sheet rock on a wall in a friend's office.. I wasn't getting anywhere. I jumped around, "El tamaño es cuatro por ocho pies," and on and on. Finally one of the guys got a light in his eyes. "Ah, usted quiere dry wall, verdad?" Duh.

Ted