March for Our Lives in Kansas City

RayD28 · April 15, 2018

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OK, someone else posted some photos of the Washington DC event and it generated a few political comments and "artistic" criticism. Essentially it was a debate on whether the photos were meant as political commentary or "real" documentary photography. I do not know the definition of documentary but I found this:

“Through documentary work, the photographer has a chance to show the interwoven layers of life, the facets of daily existence, and the unfettered emotions of the people who come under the camera’s gaze. When finally presented, viewers are encouraged to use their intelligence and personal experiences, even their skepticism, to judge. By eliciting associations and metaphors in the viewer, an image has the potential to stimulate all senses. But photographs that do not fulfill this potential remain visual data whose meaning is limited to the boundaries of the frame; the viewer is left to look, comprehend the information presented, and move on.” ----- (http://niemanreports.org)

Gun control in America is a contentious and polarizing subject and I respect all reasonable opinions. I went to the KC event because I wanted to tryout a new lens on a film camera. Plus I knew there would be many interesting themes and people who are more than wiling to be photographed. I tried to be an objective observer looking for something interesting to photograph that would visually convey the spirit of the event. Had there been an anti-gun control march the next day, I'd have gone with the same camera and lens and done the same thing.

I took about 200 photos (digital and analog) that day and most of them went straight to trash. Many were shots of clever posters that are all over the Internet. Many were shots of people I thought were interesting within the context of the event but were not after viewing at home. Out of 200, I've kept 18 analog (HP5+). Of those I'm going to present five.

Since there are just five, it’s impossible to meet the definition of documentary work described in the Nieman Reports article. Having said that, I hope you will find some worthwhile.

Ray

PS -- I believe we have a Leica camera sighting in the first post.

April 15, 2018

Hi RayD28,

Take a look here March for Our Lives in Kansas City . I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!

RayD28 · April 15, 2018

#1