Week 2 assignment

TOPIC 1:

Walker Evans 

"He could see the present as if it was already the past.", he photographs life on the streets of NY, within 31 year span, Evans contributed more that 400 photographs and 45 articles published in Fortune magazine. His work reminds me of Addario's. He captures the emotions of street walkers and small cafe workers. Some happy, others sad. He initially started with painting, then worked his way into taking snapshots of his family. Evans eventually dropped out of college and picked up the camera again and began to bring the strategies of literature to photography by photographing The Depression years (1935-36).

TOPIC 2:

So far, I love the book! The detail she provides on her experiences makes it so easy to picture while reading. I feel like I am right there with her as she is photographing in war zones. What impressed me most was her perseverance. With all of her childhood experiences and being shot down so many times when she was first starting out. Not to mention when she almost died a handful of times photographing in Pakistan. Addario's work is astounding. The emotions that she captures are eye opening. Living here in a free country we have no idea what it is like to live in absolute poverty with no water, no food, and the constant fear of being kidnapped or bombed. I think that since we don't experience or know a lot about what is happening in third world countries, we often forget it's real. Addario did an amazing job at photographing reality. The lessons I learned was to not be afraid to get your shot. Addario was never afraid to take photos of people and that is was I am most scared to do. I often think people are going to get mad at me or yell at me. The last sentence of the prelude reads: "I am sure there are other versions of happiness, but this one is mine." This quote tells you so much about her feelings of her career. While reading about her being kidnapped and in the middle of hails of bullets, I am thinking, why on earth is this lady doing this? Is a photo really worth it? But it is worth it to her, and the photo is definitely worth is. She photographed history. Choosing just one favorite is going to be hard. My favorites are the ones she captures of active war and the injuries. That is when it sunk in that this is reality. The photo's of the kids playing around a burning car was just mind boggling. In the states, that would be considered child abuse! I have to say my all time favorite was the photo of the woman with a tear rolling down her cheek. It was just breathtaking with so much raw emotion and reality. I don't know why she is crying, though I know she has many, many reasons to.