"Coal Hollow" -- Ken Light's rangefinder photos of West Virginia

Life in West Virginia's mining towns is not easy. It's not glamorous, either.<p>

 

This month's "Digital Journalist" includes a story and photo gallery that I

thought was worth mentioning. The <a

href=http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0605/coal_hollow_thumbs.html>photographs,

in particular</a>, should not be missed.

For those unfamiliar with it, <a href=http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0605/contents.html>"The Digital Journalist"</a> is absolutely worth a look, and it is not a subscription-only site. <p>

 

In case you're curious, the photos to which I've linked above are not digital photos.

Those interested in the Mamiya 6 should have a look - that's what the photographer used.

In fact, the <i>photographs</i> caught my eye, not the camera. <p>

 

Others' eyes may differ, though.

The images are powerful and not pretty. It may be a new millenium in the rest of the world but this mining town seems still to live in the harsh shadow of the depression era.

I live close to this area and have family there, some of whom are miners. The people I know who live there are not represented accurately in Coal Hollow.

 

I have seen many of these collections of photographs. I almost invariably come away wondering what these photographs evidence, other than that these people are poor? There can be no doubt that Light is a talented photographer. So, too, is Shelby Lee Adams. I have one of Adams' books, and have seen an exhibit of his work in New York City. I think the photographs of both Light and Adams start strong, but fail to take the viewer to the next level - a desire to affect change on behalf of the subjects in the photographs.

 

The photographs of both men - and let me again reiterate that as photographs they are phenomenal - cause me to see these people as nothing more than dirty, inbred hicks who squander what little extra income they have on improperly prioritized items, such as decorative trinkets and satellite dishes. These images evoke within me feelings of piety within my own glass house. Granted, these images succeed in creating a feeling within this viewer. Like my reaction, though, I think it is too often the wrong - and perhaps unintended - feeling that is evoked in most viewers. I choose to believe that the intention of the photographer is good, but I think the message is too often lost in the process, causing that intention to be, at best, unclear.

 

There is nothing in these kinds of photographs which directly evidences any kind of cause-and-effect relationship as it pertains to the plight of these people. Though, admittedly, the Coal Hollow project tends to get closer by deft use of prose as a substantial supporting element to the visual presentation. It makes me come away with the faint but lingering suspicion that the photographer's intent is not to document at all, but to visually acost the well-heeled viewer so far removed from this lifestyle that they just have to purchase a book or a print.

 

Ultimately, Coal Hollow is just another pitiful glimpse at "Dogpatch".

 

Michael J Hoffman

Today's "New York Times" has a story about the complex relationship many West Virginians have with their home state: <p>

 

<a href=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/21/us/21west.html?_r=1&oref=slogin>"For Many West Virginians, Leaving Is First Step Home"</a>

Michael Hoffman's comments are, I believe, very true. I spent my first 16 years in the kind of life that Light depicts and I can tell you that it's much more complicated than a picture can present. I always cringe when I see these sorts of essays because it seems to me to be an invasion of privacy that almost borders on the obscene. Unless a useful purpose is gained, and here I would think of W. Eugene Snith's essays, there is no reason to put the people of Coal Hollow on a stage they would never understand.

Photo 11 is chilling...

 

Steve

Very sorry but I must disagree with those who do not think this is an accurate representation of many of the people in appalachia. I have lived in appalachia, eastern Tennessee, for fifty four years and came from a more than modest beginning. The first two years of my life were spent living in a renovated chicken coupe with an out house behind the coupe. West Frankfort is very small depressed coal and oil town in southern Illinois. The town that I came from is known for the Orient #2 mining disaster when I was a kid in 1951. Over 100 people were killed in that mine explosion and i remember it quite well.

 

Unlike many from that area and the appalachian area around me I worked and received a very good college education and have worked as a commercial photographer and documentary / journalist photographer for almost fourty years. I have and continue to work with and photography these people and must say that nyone who doesn't believe these images are living in a fantasy world. I've seen the Tennessee Valley Authority come into this area with the intentions of helping the poor farmers of the valley around the Tellico Little T River and run these poor uneducated el;derly farmers off their property and pay them pennies on the dollar for their property. The only thing that I've seen come out of this is the poor get poorer and the wealthy developers get richer. This is where the exploitation is and not the photographer taking honest images of these people. I work and photographe in these back woods areas of Tennessee and Kentucky and find many people living in the early 1900 or even before. They are making fair money as coal miners but are not educated enough to manage their finances or lives. None of us are saying they are ignorant hicks but illustrating how these people have been exploited by companies, the government and have been forgotten and left behind. These people simply do not know enough to improve their lives even if the opportunity is given.

 

http://www.photo.net/photos/X-Ray

excellent photos Don.

Greetings,

I�ve found the subjects depicted in the photos of Shelby Lee Adams and Ken Light to be an inaccurate representation of the people in the Appalachian area. I grew up in the Upper East Tennessee/ Southwest Virginia area and I�m familiar with the subject matter. When I look at the photos of Mr. Adams and Mr. Light, I�m reminded of people I know and have met in the area. However, I�m afraid people who are unfamiliar with the Appalachian area will look at the photos and believe the stereotype that has been created by Hollywood and any number of groups who tend to sensationalize things for their own benefit. The main thing that bothers me about the images is the fact the kindness and respect the people of the area have for one another isn�t evident. There�s a book called �Mountain Hands, A Portrait of Southern Appalachia� by Sam Venable that would be a bit more accurate. I know many people who�ve moved away from East Tennessee for one reason or another, but eventually they make their way back.

Bob

Beyond the heavy-handed, sinister printing - what is there? If these people get to see these images, I imagine they will feel very ill-used.

Which photo specifically do you think isn't accurate portrayal of the people?

 

I just browsed through the photos and have to say they don't even look like shots localized to the coal community. Obviously meny of you haven't really driven through rural parts of this country of ours. I can get into a car here in Portland, Maine and within 30 minutes I will be able to come back with similar photos. (that is if I didn't get shot in the process)

 

The grimmest time is April right during the Winter's thaw when all the mess in the yards is exposed and all road signs are crooked from the snow banks.

 

I've been to many states in the USA and the majority of them has such rural areas. I don't even think these are so bad. I mean if you live in remote locations then it is ok to come out in your underwear to play in the coal bin. No one drives aroun there, it's your private property, it might even be behind the house out of sight.

 

I've seen kids swimming near their school in their clothes as well. It could mean they have time to kill, their parents did not take them out on the weekend with proper swimwear so they decide to cool off. No big deal.

 

The guy with the tumor (or a really big piece of chewing tobacco) is a guy with a tumor. Many people decide against surgery for various personal reasons.

 

I'm just saying I don't really see much that would even insult the people. The shots are true and honest.

 

He could have included shots of Walmart parking lot with people loading up their trucks with 20 roll packages of toilet paper and huge carts of food just to show that things aren't that bad ... ;-) I mean what else do you want to show? Maybe people in Sunday clothes at a church ...

"Coal Hollow" is the name of the film and photography project, not the name of a specific place in West Virginia. <p>

 

Wonder what makes someone conclude that the persons interviewed and photographed have <i>not</i> seen the photos or the documentary ? Or presume to know what their reactions were or might have been ? <p>

 

More background info is <a href=http://www.digitaljournalist.org/issue0605/coal_hollow.html>here</a>, in the accompanying story.

Don, I have just browsed your shots. Excellent photos, especially the one with the guy who carved a motorcycle out of wood.

 

Some people need to wake up and smell the coffee with reality. This is America. It has total highs and total lows. It also helps to understand how low it goes in this country of ours before we label other country's citizens as savages.

Don't get the idea that everyone is like this. I live in an area that you can see multi million dollar homes and a parade of $100,000 cars all the time but you can also turn the other direction and see single wide trailers and people living well under the poverty level that can't afford to properly feed and clothe their kids. I shoot for a number of health care organizations and I've worked first hand with these people in their homes and seen their lives. You would not believe the filth and conditions some of these people live in. Some of these people only receive medical care because a few kind physycians put others ahead of their desire for wealth. The sad part is these feople often have very low levels of education if any at all and many have very low IQ's and have never been exposed to the outside world other than lives much like their own. I've worked with people with no inside plumbing and no electricity. I worked with a very young teen who gave birth to the first child of 2000 in a near by county. Her boyfriend, the father of the child, went to prison before his child was born. She lived in a single wide trailer with her grand parents and her grandmother was mear death with liver cancer. The family didn't hardly have money to feed themselves and depended on state welfare for medical care. The young mother and child hardly had clothes. The hospital that I was shooting for waved the fees for the birth and medical care and took clothing to the young girl. Unfortunately this is too typical of this area and too many people live in a fantasy world wanting to sweep these people under the rug where they won't be seen.

 

Do a little research on incomes for some of the local counties like Cocke, Morgan, Scott (70% illiteracy as of last count), union and claiborne.

"Wonder what makes someone conclude that the persons interviewed and photographed have not seen the photos or the documentary ? Or presume to know what their reactions were or might have been ?"

 

What an extraordinarily beligerent comment!

Not because I imagine for a moment that it will alter your behaviour but because I get sick of the bullying tone on this forum....

How could my comment beginning "I imagine..." make somebody respond like this? Too much caffeine? "presume to know"? Didn't you see that I wrote "I imagine"? I have no idea whether they've seen the images - I meant that if they had I would imagine that they would feel ill-used. Maybe they've seen them and thought them generous and fair. Personally, I was struck by the fact that the images owed much of their effect to the printing. ...."presume to know" ....!!!!!????? I don't know anything! I had the temerity to express an opinion.

Certainly I didn't mean to be belligerent or bullying.

 

(I post on the Forum a fair amount, Stephen, and I suspect that if you nominated me for a "belligerence award" or a "bullying citation," you might have some trouble getting a second.)

 

You're certainly entitled to your opinion -- any opinion at all, with or without the multiple exclamation points you've used to defend it and the evidently deep offense you've taken when questioned about it. My comment wasn't intended to deprive you of that opinion, only to challenge the basis for it.

 

Some of the processing on those photos is a bit on the dark side, isn't it ? :-)

>> What an extraordinarily beligerent (sic) comment!

 

That was sure extraordinarily way out of line. Makes you wonder if he know what belligerent

really means...

<p>I think this discussion demonstrates that the photographs had power and impact.</p>

 

<p>Living in another continent (under a different system), with no first hand experience of the place and people depicted, dis-qualifies me from any part in the debate except to say I think the photographer succeeded if he wanted people to think and talk about daily life in these mining towns.</p>

 

<p>One of my earliest newspaper memories (when seven years old) was of the Aberfan disaster in Wales... http://www.nuff.ox.ac.uk/politics/aberfan/home.htm ...The fact that an entire primary school was engulfed, killing many children my own age, made a tremendous impact.</p>

 

<p> It is obvious that with decent education (and further education), few people brought up in such communities would ever opt to enter into mining as a profession with all the attendant health risks and reduced life chances to those above and below ground. Even with massive investment (by state and private companies) for improvement of productivity and conditions and safety/welfare for workers, these will always be dangerous places to live and work in. This does not mean such investment should not be made. As George Orwell pointed out in 'The road to Wigan Pier' in the 1920s.....</p>

 

<i> In a way it is even humiliating to watch coal-miners working. It raises in you a momentary doubt about your own status as an ﾑintellectualﾒ and a superior person generally. For it is brought home to you, at least while you are watching, that it is only because miners sweat their guts out that superior persons can remain superior. You and I and the editor of the Times Lit. Supp., and the poets and the Archbishop of Canterbury and Comrade X, author of Marxism for Infantsﾗall of us really owe the comparative decency of our lives to poor drudges underground, blackened to the eyes, with their throats full of coal dust, driving their shovels forward with arms and belly muscles of steel. </i>

 

<p> I don't think that much has changed since </p>

Michael - as I'm sure you will recognise, I didn't use "multiple exclamation points" to add weight/give credence to my opinion - I used them to draw attention to your (to me, infuriating) response.

It's terribly annoying to be told that I've "presumed to know" anything at all when clearly I haven't. In any case why use such a silly (?pompous) expression - was it designed to be conciliatory/informative or inflamatory? If you didn't mean to be bellicose/aggressive, so be it - it's easy to mis-read the tone of a post.

In any case, as a thought experiment, maybe you could consider the images printed differently and see if what I said has any merit. If not, maybe I'm just plain wrong.

"I mean what else do you want to show? Maybe people in Sunday clothes at a church ..." RENE BRAUN

 

Yes, for starters. The photographer intends this project to be a documentary on life in a coal mining community. If it is to be a documentary, then the photographer must take pains to represent the subject matter accurately AND thoroughly. If you were to make a photodocumentary on a day in the life of a Johns Hopkins vascular surgeon and only showed him in the operating room in scrubs with blood up to his elbows, and not six hours later in a jacket and tie enjoying dinner with his wife at a fancy restaurant, would you have accurately portrayed his day?

 

Michael J Hoffman

I have never been to the eastern states, but I have been all over the west and south. There

are depressed communities all over the place. What's fascinating to me is the number of

photo essays on poor communities that center on coal mining. Maybe it's easier to get a

dirty poor feeling in your photos when the town is covered in coal soot?

Maybe it is that instant fascination for the dangerous activity of digging under the earth to get ores and fuel that has been continuous in some areas through 4000 and more years (true here in the UK at least). It is messing around in the underworld which still has a grip on the imagination even in these more 'enlightened' times. I have photographed parts of the UK that have been mined for copper, tin and lead from 1500 BC (at least) through to almost the present day. Some of the first tin mining and smelting in Cornwall (UK) took place back when Pheonician ships would pull in to trade for it. The copper, tin & gold was partly what brought the Romans to our country. The iron and coal mining helped changed the world because of the industrial revolution they fed. I cannot see how mining communities would fail to be interesting no matter what the 'angle'.

 

I mean, shopping mall communities or computer programming communities or corporate middle management communities really are not as 'elemental' are they?