Wednesday, July 4, 2018
At Kansas City's Black Archives, Images That 'Helped Motivate Political Activism'
By Courtney Bierman • Jul 2, 2018
By Courtney Bierman • Jul 2, 2018
“Let the world see what I’ve seen.”
These were the words of Mamie Till Mobley, mother of Emmett Till, when she allowed the media to use an infamous photo of her 14-year-old son’s mutilated body upon his death in 1955.
More than half-a-century later, a traveling exhibition inspired by Mobley’s declaration has taken up residence at the Black Archives of Mid-America in Kansas City. “For All The World To See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights” is an exploration of visual imagery in the civil rights era from the 1940s to the 1970s.
The exhibition presents posters, photographs, books, television, film and other media to encourage visitors to reflect on how representation of African Americans has affected the fight for racial equality.
"From documenting the ravages of Jim Crow segregation in the South to reporting on more subtle forms of racism in the North, these pictures helped motivate political activism in the African-American communities," the exhibition's curator, Maurice Berger, told KCUR in an email.
Berger is chief curator at the Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. This traveling exhibition is a smaller version of a full-scale one, which visited venues such as the International Center of Photography in New York City and the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
The images, Berger said, also inspired "an acknowledgement among white Americans that racism was a real and present danger to democracy, undermining the lives across the nation."
Prominent in the exhibition are photographs by Gordon Parks, who was born in Fort Scott, Kansas in 1912. Parks became famous during the Civil Rights Movement for documenting the social and economic effects of racism on black Americans.
“Gordon understood that photography could play more than one role in the struggle for racial equality and justice,” Berger said.
“On the one hand, it could offer evidence of the destructiveness of segregation and racism. On the other, it could celebrate the power, strength, and self-possession of African Americans."
Parks' photography, Berger said, "empowered black people in the face of withering stereotypes while inspiring 'empathy' in white people, as Gordon would say. That underscored that the lives of people of color where little different from their own, except in the prejudice that they experienced on a daily basis.”
“Visual culture has just been so important historically as it pertains to how black people have been portrayed, perceived, treated,” said Glenn North, director of education and public programming at the Black Archives.
“We felt that it was very relevant to what is going on here, with us being so close to Ferguson and the momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement,” North said.
The exhibition, which was also on display this spring at the Wyandotte County Historical Museum in Bonner Springs, will visit 45 venues through 2023 as part of a tour funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
After it leaves Kansas City in August, it will be on display at the Kansas African American Museum in Wichita from November to January.
“For All The World To See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights,” 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday through August 11 at the Black Archives of Mid-America, 1722 E. 17th Terrace, Kansas City, Missouri 64108; 816-221-1600.
These were the words of Mamie Till Mobley, mother of Emmett Till, when she allowed the media to use an infamous photo of her 14-year-old son’s mutilated body upon his death in 1955.
The exhibition presents posters, photographs, books, television, film and other media to encourage visitors to reflect on how representation of African Americans has affected the fight for racial equality.
"From documenting the ravages of Jim Crow segregation in the South to reporting on more subtle forms of racism in the North, these pictures helped motivate political activism in the African-American communities," the exhibition's curator, Maurice Berger, told KCUR in an email.
The images, Berger said, also inspired "an acknowledgement among white Americans that racism was a real and present danger to democracy, undermining the lives across the nation."
“Gordon understood that photography could play more than one role in the struggle for racial equality and justice,” Berger said.
“On the one hand, it could offer evidence of the destructiveness of segregation and racism. On the other, it could celebrate the power, strength, and self-possession of African Americans."
Parks' photography, Berger said, "empowered black people in the face of withering stereotypes while inspiring 'empathy' in white people, as Gordon would say. That underscored that the lives of people of color where little different from their own, except in the prejudice that they experienced on a daily basis.”
“We felt that it was very relevant to what is going on here, with us being so close to Ferguson and the momentum of the Black Lives Matter movement,” North said.
The exhibition, which was also on display this spring at the Wyandotte County Historical Museum in Bonner Springs, will visit 45 venues through 2023 as part of a tour funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
After it leaves Kansas City in August, it will be on display at the Kansas African American Museum in Wichita from November to January.
“For All The World To See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights,” 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday through August 11 at the Black Archives of Mid-America, 1722 E. 17th Terrace, Kansas City, Missouri 64108; 816-221-1600.
Analog Photography: Chicago
My trusty Leica and I took a trip to Chicago.
The shots in this article were all shot on my Leica M6 and I used black and white film — mainly Pan F 50 speed and Tmax 400.
Michael Neal
I love candid shots with film.
Michael Neal
I also love shooting textures and structural pieces with film. It can really show the film grain and give off a classic look.
Michael Neal
Here, you can see another candid shot I liked featuring me in a Justin Beiber T-shirt.
Michael Neal
Another thing I try to shoot when traveling is street style shots of the area. I think capturing tags, graffiti, and other city elements help me to remember the trips I get to take.
Michael Neal
I really enjoyed the lines and symmetry in this shot of the light falling on the stairs.
Michael Neal
Here is another structural shot I really liked.
Michael Neal
Shooting film in Chicago was a blast, and limiting myself to only black and white was a fun challenge. I'll let the article end with a few more shots.
Michael Neal
Michael Neal
Michael Neal
The shots in this article were all shot on my Leica M6 and I used black and white film — mainly Pan F 50 speed and Tmax 400.
Michael NealMichael NealMichael NealMichael NealMichael NealMichael NealMichael NealMichael NealMichael NealMichael Neal
Cover Image Credit: Michael Neal
Stunning Film Photography by Matt Garcher
Black and white photography in Scarsdale
It is the first exhibition of Maier’s photography in Westchester. Her black and white photographs, mostly from the ’50s and ’60s, provide glimpses of the architecture, street life, children, women, elderly and indigent in Chicago and New York City. The New York Times has recognized her as “one of America’s more insightful street photographers.”
The gallery also will present a free screening of the 2015 Oscar-nominated documentary “Finding Vivian Maier” on July 12 at 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 9, 2018
5 Practical Tips To Help You Find Your Footing In Street Photography
Despite the ever-changing definition and aesthetic of street photography, it is a genre that will remain vital to photography as a whole. Dogmatists, of course, will contend that there is no great street photography being produced today, but this in no way means the genre is dead. And it certainly doesn’t mean everyone should give up doing street photography.
In fact, I’m in favour of every photographer giving street photography a try at least once. It’s worth the challenge, especially if you end up developing a knack for it. Whether you establish yourself as an all-time great isn’t the point (nor should it be your goal, really).
You’ve got to start somewhere, so here are 5 practical tips that will help you find Your footing in street photography.
1. Be Confident
Street photography brings up feelings of anxiety for many photographers. Fear of getting negative reactions from subjects can prompt you to shoot at too great a distance, thereby creating “empty” shots. Fear can also lead you to try to take a sneaky approach, attempting to conceal your camera and what you’re doing, which is ironically only going to generate more attention toward yourself.
Generally speaking, street photography works best when you get close to your subjects. To sort of erase yourself into this, try shooting in places with lots of tourists (or assume the role of a tourist yourself).
In very busy areas people aren’t likely to be paying close attention to you and everyone is probably going to be accustomed to the presence of cameras in public spaces.
2. Don’t Obsess Over Gear
We often hear street photographers talk about their preference for small discreet cameras, but the truth is any camera can be used for street photography. While I mostly agree with and abide by the “small is good” logic, I think what’s more important is to use a camera you’re very familiar with so that you’re not fumbling over settings and missing shots.
Tech specs aren’t of monumental importance either, certainly less so than if you were shooting architecture or landscapes. It’s not the camera that’s going to make you a good street photographer, but knowing how to use your camera will be invaluable in achieving that end.
3. Speed Kills
When shooting on the street you have no control over much of anything. As people in all their shapes, sizes, colors and states of dress swirl about, the best thing you can do is be prepared.
Obviously, you can’t see everything that occurs around you, but when you do spot a moment worth capturing, you’ve only got a matter of seconds to get the camera up to your eye and press the shutter.
It’s perfectly fine to shoot in Program mode and let the camera do all the technical work. Just get the shot. As you become more adept at shooting on the street you may opt to shoot in aperture priority or shutter priority for different creative effects. And if you ever reach hero level, shooting fully manual isn’t out of the question.
But remember the one rule to rule them all: just get the shot.
4. Skip The Cheap Shots
As with all things creative, there’s going to be differences of opinion concerning what’s good and what isn’t. If your goal is to craft interesting street shots, I have discovered over time that if a shot is too easy to capture it’s probably not worth capturing.
It’s certainly possible that, under the right circumstances, shots of the back of people’s heads can tell an interesting story.
But this isn't always the case — inexperienced street photographers tend to shoot the backs of heads because they are easy targets. Instead, look for facial expressions and gestures to anchor your candid street photos.
Of course, this means you’ll have to get close (see #1).
5. Establish Your Vision
While you may be taking photos of other people, your street photography says more about you than it does about those you photograph.
When you’re out with your camera you are capturing mere moments in the lives of individuals you don’t know and will probably never see again. But as you strive to record those moments in your own way, you will eventually build a collection of images that reflects your worldview and your creative process.
When you find what works for you, keep doing it.
Final Thoughts
Don’t get caught up in the debates about the state of street photography — it isn’t going anywhere. But if you are going to participate in this particular genre of photography, make sure you’re contributing something meaningful — something interesting, at the very least. The ideas presented above will hopefully help you figure out how to get there.
3 Fundamental Reasons Why Film Photography Is Still Powering
If film is dead or dying, then it would follow that film photographers, at some point, should have been considered an endangered species.
Yet, they managed by some twist of fate to survive the global transition to digital photography.
Film is surely an afterthought (or a non-thought) for most people, but there are those who have remained deeply entrenched in the analogue realm, and perhaps more interesting, still others who have recently come to an enthusiastic appreciation of shooting film.
What follows is a brief examination of 3 reasons why, despite ongoing technological progress, analogue photography just keeps hanging on.
What’s Old Is New Again
It’s tempting to blame the uptick in interest in film photography on millennials or “hipsters” but I see those groups as catalyst rather than cause.
They have certainly helped boost awareness of film photography (of the instant variety especially), but as I already mentioned, film never really died. Some photographers who started out with film and eventually transitioned into digital have found their way back to film — they’ve also had a hand in bringing new film photographers into the fold, further reigniting an interest in all things analogue.
This is the cyclical nature of things. Vinyl records were once kicked to the curb in favour of CDs and ultimately mp3s, but the medium has seen a resurgence. The story of film is similar. There’s just a certain ebb and flow to life.
Ilford SFX 200 | Photo by Jason D. Little
It’s Really About The Cameras
Old film cameras remain sought after to this day because so many of them are so beautifully designed. It has been said time after time that there are no truly bad cameras in today’s market — a sentiment I agree with.
But few of today’s digital cameras match the wildly diverse and unique aesthetics and ergonomics of yesteryear’s film cameras.
What comes to mind when you think of the Nikon F2 or Leica M3? How about a Rolleiflex TLR, Olympus OM-1 or Contax T3? Most people who have used one or more of these or other similar classic cameras hold them in extraordinarily high esteem.
Make no mistake, old cameras often come with a bevvy of quirks and are prone to failure (jammed mirror, broken light meter, obsolete battery type) because they’re…well…old.
But in terms of feel, fit and finish, classic cameras are generally unmatched by much of anything more modern. Some photographers shoot film simply to be able to use a particular camera.
Ilford SFX 200 | Photo by Jason D. Little
Creative Control
Anyone who creates things usually wants as much control as possible over the things they create. For photographers, one method of achieving this is by doing everything the analogue way. And there’s a lot to do: choose a film (black and white or color, slide or negative, 35mm or medium format) that is going to provide the desired look; load the film properly; shoot wisely, as there are a limited number of frames per roll; unload the film; develop the film; make prints.
Not all film photographers develop their own film and make their own prints, but those who do are simultaneously gaining more control and shouldering more responsibility. If your negatives turn out beautifully, you get all the praise. If they turn out poorly, it’s your fault. You can’t blame the lab.
Ilford SFX 200 | Photo by Jason D. Little
Final Thoughts (For Now)
The reasons for shooting film discussed above obviously don’t apply to all analogue photographers, and they may or may not be enough to encourage someone to try film photography for the first time.
This is simply an effort to provide some insight into what makes the film photographer tick, to think about for a moment why anyone would bother creating on a medium considerably less convenient than digital. Of course, there are other valid reasons and I will cover three more of them in a subsequent article.
Until then, happy shooting — whether film or digital.
These Photographers Captured the Madness and Passion of Heavy Metal
The roots of metal stem from British and American musicians living in working-class neighborhoods—mid- to late-1960s acts like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and Deep Purple, as well as Blue Oyster Cult, MC5, and The Stooges—who infused classic rock ‘n’ roll with heavier riffs, louder distortion, and more sinister lyrics and aesthetic tropes.
Metal would evolve constantly and complicatedly over the following decades, eventually splintering into countless subgenres: power metal, the “new wave of British heavy metal,” progressive metal, thrash metal, black metal, Norwegian black metal, death metal, Swedish death metal, grindcore, metalcore, stoner metal, industrial metal, nu-metal, and even Kawaii metal (sometimes described as “cute metal”). Each branch has its own codes, cues, cliques, and quirks in both sound and style, as well as diehard legions that follow their preferred sub-subgenre or particular band as if it were a religion. (In the case of Norwegian black metal, the votary was quite literal, as the Scandinavian metal community of the early 1990s became overtly tied to Satanism and anti-Christian practices.)
Though the differences among, say, the virulent blast-beats of black metal bands like Venom and the viscous sludge and turn-it-up-to-11 distortion of stoner metal groups like Sleep and Kyuss could not be more pronounced, the disparate scenes all share a certain ethos that transcends pentagrams, devil-horn hand gestures, rippin’ guitar solos, guttural singing, and face paint. A number of excellent photo projects have attempted to highlight the fans and bands that have made this cult music genre more than the sum of its parts.
Metal would evolve constantly and complicatedly over the following decades, eventually splintering into countless subgenres: power metal, the “new wave of British heavy metal,” progressive metal, thrash metal, black metal, Norwegian black metal, death metal, Swedish death metal, grindcore, metalcore, stoner metal, industrial metal, nu-metal, and even Kawaii metal (sometimes described as “cute metal”). Each branch has its own codes, cues, cliques, and quirks in both sound and style, as well as diehard legions that follow their preferred sub-subgenre or particular band as if it were a religion. (In the case of Norwegian black metal, the votary was quite literal, as the Scandinavian metal community of the early 1990s became overtly tied to Satanism and anti-Christian practices.)
Though the differences among, say, the virulent blast-beats of black metal bands like Venom and the viscous sludge and turn-it-up-to-11 distortion of stoner metal groups like Sleep and Kyuss could not be more pronounced, the disparate scenes all share a certain ethos that transcends pentagrams, devil-horn hand gestures, rippin’ guitar solos, guttural singing, and face paint. A number of excellent photo projects have attempted to highlight the fans and bands that have made this cult music genre more than the sum of its parts.
“I am unafraid to photographically explore that which society might deem politically incorrect,” explains American documentary photographer Peter Beste, whose oeuvre has spotlighted music subcultures such as Houston rap, London grime, and especially Scandinavian black metal.
The latter genre has one of the most violent and nefarious histories of all of metal’s substrata, burgeoning in the early 1990s with Norwegian groups like Mayhem, Burzum, and Gorgoroth, who built off the extreme sound developed by earlier European acts like Zurich’s Celtic Frost, Copenhagen’s Mercyful Fate, and Sweden’s Bathory.
The latter genre has one of the most violent and nefarious histories of all of metal’s substrata, burgeoning in the early 1990s with Norwegian groups like Mayhem, Burzum, and Gorgoroth, who built off the extreme sound developed by earlier European acts like Zurich’s Celtic Frost, Copenhagen’s Mercyful Fate, and Sweden’s Bathory.
Known for theatrical “corpse paint,” misanthropic worldviews, and a public embrace of Satanism and vitriolic anti-Christianity, Scandinavian black metal (sometimes nicknamed “Satanic black metal”) established a global presence after members of the scene incited a wave of arson attacks against historic churches throughout Norway. In 1994, Varg Vikernes of Burzum was found guilty of both burning down several churches and murdering Mayhem guitarist Øystein “Euronymous” Aarseth, effectively establishing the country’s music underground as the most brutal faction within all of metal. (For context, Mayhem’s singer, Per Yngve “Dead” Ohlin, had committed suicide three years prior, and Euronymous allegedly fashioned pieces of his skull into necklaces.)
Beste documented the Norwegian metal scene for many years, gaining access to its insular and cultish heart. VICE Booksreleased Beste’s monograph, True Norwegian Black Metal, in 2008. His photo work showcases the deadpan morbidity and self-seriousness of this fringe community; we see band members from acts like Darkthrone and Carpathian Forest wearing face paint and leather, brandishing weapons on the streets of Bergen and other black-metal hubs. Rather than purely glamorize the anarchic bands or attempt to rewrite history, Beste sought to “portray the various groups documented as they express themselves, without reference to outside opinions or ideologies.” Whether it’s a shot of disembodied sheep heads on display at a concert or a photo of vocalist Nattefrost “covered in his own shit,” the documentarian lets the bleak imagery speak for itself.
Beste documented the Norwegian metal scene for many years, gaining access to its insular and cultish heart. VICE Booksreleased Beste’s monograph, True Norwegian Black Metal, in 2008. His photo work showcases the deadpan morbidity and self-seriousness of this fringe community; we see band members from acts like Darkthrone and Carpathian Forest wearing face paint and leather, brandishing weapons on the streets of Bergen and other black-metal hubs. Rather than purely glamorize the anarchic bands or attempt to rewrite history, Beste sought to “portray the various groups documented as they express themselves, without reference to outside opinions or ideologies.” Whether it’s a shot of disembodied sheep heads on display at a concert or a photo of vocalist Nattefrost “covered in his own shit,” the documentarian lets the bleak imagery speak for itself.
Sanna Charles
Sanna Charles, God Listens to Slayer, 2015. Published by Ditto Books.
When Sanna Charles, a British music photographer who worked for NME and Melody Maker, was assigned to shoot a Slayer concert in the early aughts, the nefarious California thrash metal band’s set was delayed by three hours, leaving fans waiting in grueling heat and packed into the venue like sardines.
The band eventually performed, but it was the fans—not the quartet’s pummeling speed anthems—that inspired the photographer’s work for years to come. While other photojournalists left after a few songs, Charles was “mesmerized by the crowd” whose “pure release of anger and aggression…felt so free,” as she said in an interview over a decade later.
The band eventually performed, but it was the fans—not the quartet’s pummeling speed anthems—that inspired the photographer’s work for years to come. While other photojournalists left after a few songs, Charles was “mesmerized by the crowd” whose “pure release of anger and aggression…felt so free,” as she said in an interview over a decade later.
Charles began traveling around Europe to shoot (often shirtless) teenagers with long hair outside venue gates and inside mosh pits. In 2015, Ditto Press released the impeccably titled God Listens to Slayer, a photo compilation of Charles’s years-long ethnographic exploration into the band’s disciples.
Though Slayer fandom is a fervent, extreme lifestyle (naturally, the book features images of the Slayer logo carved into the arms of sweaty headbangers), Charles was interested in “the innocence of their often youthful fans.” God Listens to Slayer turns its lens on the pockmarked kids whose budding angst is alleviated by the group’s escapist, “fuck everything” mentality—a ritualized release that Charles visualizes in equal parts joy and fury.
Though Slayer fandom is a fervent, extreme lifestyle (naturally, the book features images of the Slayer logo carved into the arms of sweaty headbangers), Charles was interested in “the innocence of their often youthful fans.” God Listens to Slayer turns its lens on the pockmarked kids whose budding angst is alleviated by the group’s escapist, “fuck everything” mentality—a ritualized release that Charles visualizes in equal parts joy and fury.
Jonas Bendiksen
Jonas Bendiksen, Erik Unsgaard from Sarkom, from “Norwegian Singers,” Norway, 2016. © Jonas Bendiksen/Magnum Photos. Courtesy of Magnum Photos.
Jonas Bendiksen, Jørgen Nilssen from Befouled, from “Norwegian Singers,” Norway, 2016. © Jonas Bendiksen/Magnum Photos. Courtesy of Magnum Photos.
Listening to metal and seeing it live are two different beasts, as the mega-tour spectacles of bands like Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax clearly evince. But rather than focus on pyrotechnics, overpowering strobe lights, and stacks of Marshall amps, Norway’s Jonas Bendiksen honed his lens in on the expressive faces of frontmen mid-performance for a photo series titled “Singing Norwegian Singers.”
Not unlike Magnum alumnus Bruce Gilden, Bendiksen literally got up close and personal with his subjects. We see eyes bulging out of sockets and sweat-drenched beards; mouths are twisted or agape, in a way where you can feel the sheer abrasiveness of the vocals without hearing them. The artist once described the project as “a tribute to that energy of this way of making music.…I just wanted to photograph Norwegian brutal music in a brutal way.”
Jacob Ehrbahn
Jacob Erhbahn, Headbangers, 2015. Published by powerHouse Books.
Jacob Ehrbahn doesn’t have long hair, but the Danish photojournalist is deeply familiar with those who do. Though his past work has grimly showcased heavy handed subject matter—such as the plight of Mongolian runaways known as the “street children” generation, or the disenfranchised community in Youngstown, Ohio, after the loss of steel industry jobs—the staff photographer at Danish newspaper Politiken took a euphoric (and heavy-headed) approach to his documentation of European metal fans.
In Headbangers, a photobook released by powerHouse in 2015, Ehrbahn used an on-camera flash to capture metalheads frozen in motion as they flail their bodies, shake their jowls, and give themselves a case of whiplash to the accompaniment of double kick drums, dueling guitar solos, and doom-filled anthems. The photographer traveled to the crème de la crème of metal fests—Denmark’s Copenhell, Germany’s Wacken Open Air, and Sweden’s Metaltown—but you wouldn’t know it from these photos: Most subjects are shot from below with little in the frame besides unkempt locks, rapturous facial expressions, and grey skies. The publisher calls it an “intimate world disconnected from time and space,” but to metal fans, it may as well look like heaven.
Paul Shiakallis
Paul Shiakallis, Samie Santiago Newsted, 2014. Courtesy of Paul Shikallis/Redux Pictures.
Metal as a genre has infinite permutations, but it’s impossible to deny that its musicians and fans are often homogenous. Look at concert footage from any major festival, and the crowd will be a sea filled primarily with white men.
So when South African photographer Paul Shiakallis first encountered the “Marok”—the name for Botswana’s metalhead subculture—at a 2010 show, he was “instantly attracted” to the self-described “Queens” who are integral to the scene.“I had never seen a group of women letting go like they did at this concert; it was liberating,” he told i-D in 2017.
So when South African photographer Paul Shiakallis first encountered the “Marok”—the name for Botswana’s metalhead subculture—at a 2010 show, he was “instantly attracted” to the self-described “Queens” who are integral to the scene.“I had never seen a group of women letting go like they did at this concert; it was liberating,” he told i-D in 2017.
After seeing other news outlets cover the Marok and only highlight the male members, Shiakallis decided to document the leather- and stud-clad women, emphasizing the “forgotten narrative of the eccentric black woman in rock.” Collected in a series entitled “Leathered Skins, Unchained Hearts,” his images feature these stoic, stylish female fans posing both in their homes and in nature, accompanied by quotes from subjects about the country’s metal underground. As one Marok Queen told Shiakallis, “Only girls who believe in themselves and are not afraid to express themselves can be rockers.”
by: Zach Sokol
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