uhoh7
Veteran
How did I miss this controversy?
OMG try a search on google with the term.
Basically its a raging argument from photog grunts all the way into the most rarfied circles of philosphy about the meaning and value of "ruin porn", which reaches it's pinnacle in "The Ruins of Detroit" . I know that work is widely known around here.
Here is a good survey article which holds lots of interesting links to both sides and much in between.
In depth....whoa
We've all seen lots of it...thoughts?
I must admit I'd love to spend a month in Detroit, myself.
OMG try a search on google with the term.
Basically its a raging argument from photog grunts all the way into the most rarfied circles of philosphy about the meaning and value of "ruin porn", which reaches it's pinnacle in "The Ruins of Detroit" . I know that work is widely known around here.
Here is a good survey article which holds lots of interesting links to both sides and much in between.
In depth....whoa
We've all seen lots of it...thoughts?
I must admit I'd love to spend a month in Detroit, myself.
Mackinaw
Think Different
A shot of the old train station on Michigan Avenue I took while in Detroit in 2010. The "bride" was actually part of a photo-class. She was a model hired to walk in front of the old train station as the teacher explained the basics of lighting. I kind of forced my way into the group and quickly took this picture.
Also, an article in the Detroit News about the old Packard plant:
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/...d-Plant?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s
Jim B.
Also, an article in the Detroit News about the old Packard plant:
http://www.detroitnews.com/article/...d-Plant?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|s
Jim B.
Trius
Waiting on Maitani
jordanstarr
J.R.Starr
Like any photograph, if the photographer misses the vision of his work, it's just visual eye candy. If a photographer is trying to encapsulate an idea of beauty, motion, body, texture or whatever into a photograph of a naked woman and it turns out to be just a "picture of a naked woman", it becomes nothing more than porn. Same thing with ruins.
Antonin Kratochvil has been photographing Chernobyl for years with great success and vision (I would argue one of the best photographers in the world at linking photography and vision). Bruce Gilden is doing work on foreclosures in the USA and countless photographers have been photographing the Katrina disaster's effects on New Orleans and the earthquake that laid out Haiti. Many of these photographers have been successful in portraying their vision of natural disaster and the ruins effects on the psychological state of the people they effect with sincerity and respect. A photographer that goes in saying "I want to take pictures of busted up stuff", is only going to get what's called "ruin porn".
I think the key is to be able to link a genuine vision of what you want to portray to the subjects at hand. If you're exploiting an event, just to have an anecdote of Haiti in your portfolio, you'll just come out with crap.
Antonin Kratochvil has been photographing Chernobyl for years with great success and vision (I would argue one of the best photographers in the world at linking photography and vision). Bruce Gilden is doing work on foreclosures in the USA and countless photographers have been photographing the Katrina disaster's effects on New Orleans and the earthquake that laid out Haiti. Many of these photographers have been successful in portraying their vision of natural disaster and the ruins effects on the psychological state of the people they effect with sincerity and respect. A photographer that goes in saying "I want to take pictures of busted up stuff", is only going to get what's called "ruin porn".
I think the key is to be able to link a genuine vision of what you want to portray to the subjects at hand. If you're exploiting an event, just to have an anecdote of Haiti in your portfolio, you'll just come out with crap.
emayoh
Established
I agree very much with most of Poyner's points. And, Jordan Starr as well. Good points.
Poyner says this:
"The curious thing about American disapproval of 'aestheticized' pictures of ruins is that it seems ahistorical. Perhaps the US, as a younger country, is just less used to the presence and idea of ruins. Maybe ruins, as signs of thwarted hopes and failure, offend deeply against national positivity so that photographing them, appearing to enjoy what the pictures show, is felt to be in horrible bad taste."
All I would add from my own experience is that Americans, I think, feel an intense shame that ruins even exist. I was recently accosted aggressively by a passerby while I was taking a photo of a rusted out decrepit Thunderbird around a garage in severely-depressed Amsterdam, NY. People seem to have no qualms about the ruins themselves -- leaving junked cars out for all to see is somehow acceptable because they plan on cleaning it up someday. A photo of ruin, though, reminds them of the reality of n-o-w that they'd rather not face.
There is some crossover into the discussion a few days ago about taking photos of prostitutes being exploitative. As then, I still believe that if you as a photographer are telling a true story, then you are doing something necessary.
Poyner says this:
"The curious thing about American disapproval of 'aestheticized' pictures of ruins is that it seems ahistorical. Perhaps the US, as a younger country, is just less used to the presence and idea of ruins. Maybe ruins, as signs of thwarted hopes and failure, offend deeply against national positivity so that photographing them, appearing to enjoy what the pictures show, is felt to be in horrible bad taste."
All I would add from my own experience is that Americans, I think, feel an intense shame that ruins even exist. I was recently accosted aggressively by a passerby while I was taking a photo of a rusted out decrepit Thunderbird around a garage in severely-depressed Amsterdam, NY. People seem to have no qualms about the ruins themselves -- leaving junked cars out for all to see is somehow acceptable because they plan on cleaning it up someday. A photo of ruin, though, reminds them of the reality of n-o-w that they'd rather not face.
There is some crossover into the discussion a few days ago about taking photos of prostitutes being exploitative. As then, I still believe that if you as a photographer are telling a true story, then you are doing something necessary.
raytoei@gmail.com
Veteran
*dang* i was thinking of something else....
uhoh7
Veteran
On the one hand, ruin worship is imbued in western civilization itself. I mean what have Americans done on the "tour" of europe since the 19th century? Ruins ruins ruins.
Of course, they are very clean and very distant ruins.
Perhaps the "freshness" draws the eye.
My 12-year old was instantly fascinated with "The Ruins of Detroit" and wanted to go on vacation there.
Perhaps a ruin is inherantly sensational.
Leigh Youdale
Well-known
If any of you have access to "Lenswork Extended #95" you will find a great series of 61 images taken by David Bogden of Michigan Central Station.
Charlie Lemay
Well-known
What's a "real photographer"?
Griffin
Grampa's cameras user
Actually we're going to Detroit this summer. I'm planning on visiting the city center. Anyone have any tips where I can see some faded glories?
peterm1
Veteran
There is something alluring about ruins. I am not sure what it is.
A decade or so back I had the opportunity to visit Budapest. Hungary had not long come out of 60 years of communism and the signs were still clearly evident. While the city had beautiful architecture, much of it was in a ramshackle state - in many instances still showing signs of WW2 and the '56 revolution with bullet holes in walls of buildings and sometimes shell holes, roughly bricked up. Almost universally these buldings were not strictly speaking ruins in the sense that they had not been abandoned but were still in use as apartments and so forth. I have never before or since seen such fertile ground for urban photography. Here are a couple .....I must upload more so you can see them. (Poor scans though I am afraid.)
But, talk about "ruin porn"...........this place was full of it!
A decade or so back I had the opportunity to visit Budapest. Hungary had not long come out of 60 years of communism and the signs were still clearly evident. While the city had beautiful architecture, much of it was in a ramshackle state - in many instances still showing signs of WW2 and the '56 revolution with bullet holes in walls of buildings and sometimes shell holes, roughly bricked up. Almost universally these buldings were not strictly speaking ruins in the sense that they had not been abandoned but were still in use as apartments and so forth. I have never before or since seen such fertile ground for urban photography. Here are a couple .....I must upload more so you can see them. (Poor scans though I am afraid.)
But, talk about "ruin porn"...........this place was full of it!
Griffin
Grampa's cameras user
Love the last shot.
p.giannakis
Pan Giannakis
haempe
Well-known
A ruin is always the remembrance of the downfall of an idea.
Not a bad thing, to take a photo before it's gone.
Not a bad thing, to take a photo before it's gone.
Richard G
Veteran
After reading a lot on the photo.net wedding forum I reckon wedding photographers are real photographers.
Sparrow
Veteran
Palaia Peritheia ... an abandoned village in the mountains of Corfu
Michael Markey
Veteran
Vince Lupo
Whatever
Oradour Sur Glane
Freakscene
Obscure member
And every new thing already has the shadow of decay lying over it. New ruins get built every day.
Marty