Imagine if you want to make a name for yourself....

...you have enough money to go anywhere in the world and you have a desire to

make a name for yourself in the documentary photography world, where would you

go, what or who would you photograph, who would you try to sell the images and

story to?

Start in your backyard. If you can't find a story in your own town, you won't find one throwing money after a search for one elsewhere.

India seems to be a popular destination at the moment, Iraq and Afghanistan offer a lot of possibilities but aren't very photographer friendly at the present time. I would have to think about where I would like to go and what I would photograph, but my photos would certainly be people oriented portraits.

Cuba. It's about to melt down.

Pick a social problem you feel passionate about and do a documentary photographic series on it.

New Orleans would be my destination. This story has not been told and given the sad fact that everything is still the way it is still offers plenty of opportunities.

 

Of course, one will have to travel to Texas and other states to find the refugees.

Russia.

or China as well... But being from Eastern Europe, I'm afraid, China

would look to me too much like a tourist destination, and it would

be hard

for me to distance myself from it.

During the Viet war I flew missions out of Korat, Thailand. I also had a maintenance job that kept me pretty busy. I had a motorcycle and when I could get a little time off I took the bike deep into the countryside to villages that could only be accessed by narrow paths via two wheeled vehicles. The inhabitants had little or no exposure to Americans. I had a Minolta rangefinder that was a copy of a post world war II Leica. Can't remember the model number. The people I found in the hinterlands were marvelous. They shared their food with me and even though I had few words of Thai we could communicate on a rudimentary basis. I got some very nice black and white pictures. My roommate and I took a bike trip from Korat to Surin to watch the annual elephant round up. We went pretty close to Cambodia if not in that country. It was hard to tell exactly where we were. About halfway through trip we going like hell down a dirt road and I hit a pothole, the rear axle bottomed out jarring the hell out my back. The camera was in the rear saddle bag and flew about thiry feet in the air. That ended my picture taking in Thailand. I never got to shoot the elephant round up. I would like to go back with a motorcycle and do a better job of picture taking in those villages and get the elephant pictures I missed lo those thirty some years ago. I don't care about notariety. Those little trips really helped make my year there bearable and I got expoxed to passive Buddhist culture in Thailand. We could learn something from these gentle people and I would like to do a little PJ on these back country cultures. I also got attacked one night while riding a pedicab and got my nose broken with a beer bottle. There were also some not so gentle people there. I do long to go back and to visit other remote cultures that are different than ours.

Are you asking what we as individuals would do or looking for suggestions for what YOU

should do?

 

If the latter is the case, Mike Eurussi has the only right answer.

<p>I agree with Mike Eurussi to pick a social problem, such as <a href="http://

www.briansteidle.com/">Brian Steidle</a> has done. We should all be as dedicated to a

cause. Unfortunately, it's often futile in the world arena as nations don't like to discuss, let

alone really solve, problems like this. I won't talk about the issue that the US has had

Special Forces units in Ethopia (Sudan's neighbor) with ships off-shore training the

Ethopian army to overthrow the Somalia government, the very one the CIA helped come to

power, and won't lift a finger to go after the Janjaweed militias. It makes me wonder.

 

<p>But in the end it's the old adage, think global, act local. There are tons of local issues

you can help with photography. It's a matter of your interest and motivation, and as always

some opportunity and luck.

"You have enough money to go anywhere"

 

Very few photographers I know of started that way. I've read where Joseph Koudelka still

sleeps on the floor and shaves with a piece of glass. The man is a gypsy!

 

Its best to have a minimalist attitude or reach some balance in life so you're not trapped.

 

Best wishes

Paul

Working with your three criteria, I would try to find a topic that is only beginning to make its way to the forefront of public consciousness. Make a list of all the issues you think will lead the news broadcasts in six months to a year. Here in the States, that is relatively easy right now, as we are just getting into the silly season of agressive political campaigning in the run-up to the 2008 Presidential election.

 

Pick one topic from your list, preferably something you can do locally. Why incur the travel expenses if you can work from home; and, if you do want to get away, maybe what you need is a vacation instead of a "project". Anyway, assuming that what you really desire is a project, I think there are many topics you could select from. Those include, but are not limited to:

 

returning Iraq/Afghanistan war vets

 

the perception of the immigrant population

 

healthcare (especially as it regards aging Boomers)

 

the death penalty

 

Of course, you could pack up everything, spend a ton of money and head to some far-away land, like Darfur or the Israeli-Palestinean border areas and get some high-impact human suffering, but you will also face a tremendous amount of photographic competition in those regions. Working from an area of familiarity will allow you to provide a more thorough photographic essay than would a place you do not know.

 

You may also want to concentrate on a particular human interest story wherever you are. Is there an industry or way of life that is dying off? Is there a family-owned business struggling to remain successful in this era of huge, corporate retail chains? Do you have one of the few remaining drive-in movies in the country? You get the idea.

 

Stay local. Its less expensive. I takes less of a toll on personal relationships. And, it allows you to provide a more in-depth photographic examination of your chosen topic.

 

Michael J Hoffman

What you would do may, and probably is, different than what I would do.

 

First of all, I wouldn't be going out to make a name for myself -- not my primary intent.

 

For me, I know that there are Catholic missionaries that do good work in many parts of the world. I would hook up with them and spend a few months helping them AND taking photos. I would then self-publish, then go from church to church and diocese to diocese to sell the book, then donate the proceeds to the missionaries and the people they serve.

 

KL

Thanks for the responses. Its always nice to have a discussion without too many lecturings. I was asking about what YOU would do, not if you think I should sleep on the floor like koudelka or whether I should stay in my backyard and find stories here.

paul - I didn't mean to sound so offensive in my last post. sorry about that.

What I personally would focus on? Water use and misuse.

..andif i was really intent on making a name for my self, I'd hire a well connected agent.

I just got up off the floor and cut myself shaving with a piece of glass. Not to worry.

 

I am working on a few different projects, some not in the US. Poverty and disease

especially malaria. The other has to do with the rise in leftists governements.

 

Another one local focuses on families living in tents or other unsuitable quarters. The only

way the children get showers is at the local school. Know what? its only about 20 miles

from my home. Hard to beleive. Low cost project, but realtively high danger compared to

foreign countries.

 

 

Chase something, you'll find your way.

"Imagine if you want to make a name for yourself..."

 

Mine would be Louie! :-)

Make mine Carlos. ;*)