Your Dream Photo Assignment

[SolaresLarrave]

I listened to this BOOK REVIEW in NPR a while ago, and found myself longing for an assignment like the one these photographers had: to photograph life in the United States during and after the Depression. Some of those pictures are still unclassified in the Library of Congress! 🙂

Check it out...

What would be your dream photo assignment?

 

[Peter]

My dream photo assignment would be documenting major conflicts. More like what they did during the Vietnam War instead of being 'embedded' with some military units in the Second Gulf War.

 

[rover]

Peter, your photographs are very documentary, I would say that you would excel at that. I wish I had that eye a bit more, the ability to see the story and tell it in a small image in my finder.

Being a graduate of the University of Connecticut, with the sucess of our Men's and Woman's basketball teams, I found myself really being there in the middle of the celebration with a camera. I think the draw to me is the event, and the emotion of the people at that moment.

 

[rover]

Francisco, I enjoy the NPR reports. I will have to check this one out when I get home to my high speed connection.

I may be the only person here with a faster internet connection at home than I do at work.

 

[That Guy]

Presidential personal photographer.

Jacques (Jack) Lowe is still my favorite photographer ever.

 

[wierdcollector]

While first impulse would be to blurt out, "Playboy Photographer" simply giving it a second thought leads me to say photographer for either "Outdoor Photography" or "National Geographic" for travel to exotic locations and the growth such travel brings. Never mind the growth jokes either guys, LOL.

 

[Kris]

Glad to hear I'm not the only one who thought of "I wanna do lots of glamour photography!!" 😀

I haven't got a clue what my dream photo assignment would be. One week I'm only interested in people photography, another week in landscape/cityscape and the next week in macro/nature. And there are weeks where I simply don't have the interest of taking photos of anything.

 

[rover]

Another great NPR story Francisco. That letter to the photographers is a classic.

 

[back alley]

i'd love to be able to drive around the country and just photograph people at play, work and rest.
with a small bag of lenses and lots of film, not have to worry about deadlines or my next paycheck.
...maybe if i win the lottery...

joe

 

[Russ]

i'd love to be able to drive around the country and just photograph people at play, work and rest.
with a small bag of lenses and lots of film, not have to worry about deadlines or my next paycheck.
...maybe if i win the lottery...

joe

I have to agree with Back Alley here. I really only shoot weddings for friends ands loved ones. However, as soon as someone requests a B/W wedding shoot, with only one rangefinder, I'll do it for free....

 

[JohnM]

Rover - as a fellow UConn'er, if your photos are online, I'd love to see 'em.

 

[taffer]

Well another first impulse vote to 'glamour photo' too 😀

After thinking about it, I think I'd like to reflect everyday life, sort of a 'Photoethnography' using Karen Nakamura's word.

About documenting conflicts, well this is the nearest I've ever been of a violent incident (with a camera) 🙂

 

[rover]

Rover - as a fellow UConn'er, if your photos are online, I'd love to see 'em.

Hi John, no, I was home watching on TV like you probably were. I was watching though thinking it would have been great to be in the crowd snapping shots of the celebration. Dream Assignment.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

I must confess to double posting (something I seldom do): I asked the same question at the Pop Photo Forum and one of the responses I got, from Czar, got me a-thinking: what if we go ahead and satisfy those documentary urges by shooting facades and interiors (i.e., documenting) of small stores and businesses still unabsorbed by behemoths like Walmart, McDonald's, Borders and the like? In other words, let's document our very locally owned stores and restaurants before the giants eat them or beat them.

I started doing it a while ago, not very systematically, I admit. This one (a garage) is a two-year old shot, from my Minolta manual SLR days. The building has been "renovated" already.

 

[oftheherd]

Along the lines of what Francisco mentioned, when in Korea, I always had it in mind to photographically document all the little Korean churches, especially those in the countryside. Never did, and have regretted it ever since.

I guess the moral is if you come up with an that you like, idea, DO IT!

 

[wierdcollector]

Strangely enough, when we went to the east coast of Canada last year, I shot lots of pics of old churches, yet once I come home it never occurs to me. Guess I'll have to assign myself a few PAW topics to shoot.

 

[GeneW]

I must confess to double posting (something I seldom do): I asked the same question at the Pop Photo Forum and one of the responses I got, from Czar, got me a-thinking: what if we go ahead and satisfy those documentary urges by shooting facades and interiors (i.e., documenting) of small stores and businesses still unabsorbed by behemoths like Walmart, McDonald's, Borders and the like? In other words, let's document our very locally owned stores and restaurants before the giants eat them or beat them.

I started doing it a while ago, not very systematically, I admit. This one (a garage) is a two-year old shot, from my Minolta manual SLR days. The building has been "renovated" already.

I once read a long newsgroup thread (which alas I can no longer find) about an unassuming photographer who lived in a small town somewhere in the US midwest, and spent most of his time shooting town sites with his TLR. He had done this for decades and had recorded buildings and places that have since disappeared or have changed drastically.

I'd say he will leave, in a quiet way, an outstanding photographic legacy. Nothing particularly artistic and no NYC-style street shots, but a lasting history of his home town.

Perhaps there's a lesson there for all of us...

Gene