http://www.mcachicago.org/exhibitions/work_detail.php?id=163&artname=&page=colnew  one picture and info.

http://www.aperture.org/store/travex-detail.aspx?exhibition_id=42   More insight into Bey's curiosity and passion for his subjects.

     I thought it interesting to think of the photographer and his subjects as being in constant communication.  I guess I had never considered what actually goes on in the thinking of those involved in 'creating history'.  I love to look at old photographs and try to imagine what it was like in the world when they were taken.  My curiosity is piqued just as I imagine Dawoud Bey's must be every time he engages in the dance of discovery with those who enter his world, or is it he who enters theirs?  His love for the human experience pushes him to seek just the 'right' image to reveal what he wants the viewer to discern.

     He speaks of relationships and discusses how most 'picture takers' act much like thieves in the night, zooming in quickly, stealing the image, and moving on with little respect for those they've 'captured.   This makes me think of Brittney Spears and the paparazzi who certainly have no regard for her or how they will affect her life.  What would you call that relationship?  Suicide?  Bey says, "I wanted the relationship to be much more meaningful, more symmetric, more respectful, more reciprocal." (p. 127) 

     He talks of 'sharing stories' which I think is the ultimate respect.  We saw how Kay Cottle shared stories, too.  There is just the right mix of giving of one's self and knowing when to back off so that others can then be invited to share of themselves.  Everybody has a story. Most just want to be validated, to belong.  I think that is missing in our culture today, especially with young people.  That's why I think Dawoud Bey is so successful.  He honors the soul of each person he meets.  He respects and honors them.  He gives them a sense of belonging.  As he said, people know when you're really interested and when you're fake.  Teenagers have a knack for zooming right in on that.  

     I think it was so sad when he talked of the lack of respect from his teacher who couldn't "reconcile his brightness with her stereotype of him" (p.141)  He seemed to always be misunderstood.  I wonder how those who mistreated him react when they see all the accolades and degrees he has amassed.  He has such a respectful goal when he seeks to help the young people he encounters to change their lives.  He seeks to help them answer the universal question, "what am I going to do with my life?" (p.147)   I think of all of us teachers.  Isn't that what we hope to do?  Don't we hope to change the world and make a difference in at least one life?

Teresa,  I agree with you about the Brittney Spears thing.  I'm not sure that there is a relationship with the paparazzi in that situation.  I almost want to suggest that it is photographic assault.

 I also agree that I think there is an element of teaching in all of us.  I think we teach people about oursleves and life when we live out our own lives.

Jacqueline's Thoughts

     Dawoud Bey's chapter was very insightful to me.  I needed his perspective.  It helps me understand my husband's perspective a little better.  My husband is artistic himself.  He paints water colors of landscapes.  He often talks about the use of light and perspective in creating a piece.  However, I never truly understood what he meant until reading Dawoud's chapter.  I guess because I relate to human beings more than landscapes, when Dawoud was talking about how his subject matter changed as he learned more about how to use light and perspective to illustrate the stories that he wants to tell.  My husband has always has a fascination with barns.  We can be on a trip, and he will pull off the road, back up on the shoulder of the road, just to get a good view and pictures of barns.  So, a few weeks ago, I asked "Why barns?"  I can't believe that I haven't asked it before, but nonetheless, I was asking now.  My husband's response was an intriguing one.  He said that no barns are the same.  They are created by a family for the family's specific purpose.  He says that when you look at the structure of the barn, and how they have it built, you can begin to understand what the family finds important based on how they build and take care of their barns.  Some are used for housing hay for animals, others are used for equipment, and some are used for a variety of other purposes.  As he takes pictures, he is having an internal conversation about what that family might be using that barn for.  To me, it goes back to the title of the chapter: curiosity.  My husband uses a different subject matter than Dawoud does...but the purpoes is the same, curiosity.

     The one thing that Dawoud does that my husband does not is establish a relationship with the subjects.  This allows his photography to be more initimate.  It allows him to see the charcteristics of a person's soul that he wants to capture in the lens of his camera.  I think that is a vluable piece because he had so many people in his life that couldn't or wouldn't take time to look into his soul.  He remembers one teacher who established that quality in the second grade, Mrs. Jones.  I love the part on page 137 when he explains the magnitude of her impact on his life.  He explains, "She established real relationships with every single child in her class.  Everything was possible and everyone could do it. Ever since second grade, all Dawoud's other teachers and all his other educational experiences have been measured against Mrs. Jones's "amazing skill and compassion" and they have all come up wanting."  Wow!  If I could have an impact like that on about five children, I have done my part to answer the call to my profession.  And, isn't it sad, that his second grade teacher was the last person to evoke that kind of emotion!  It was the beginning of something great, and yet, in a way, he had to continue his journey alone.  But, I also think that his loneliness provides the perspective needed to capture the qualities that he does in his photography.  He learned that he had to depend on himself to make those decisions.  And he did a great job of making them independently. 

      Of course, he also had a great family upbringing.  Something that we have talked about helped make each of these individuals the strong people they are today.  In this case Dawoud's father, Ken was a big influence.  I liked the part when they talked about how his father interacted with others at work.  He was an electrical engineer and was manager or director of many od the places that he worked.  However, when Dawoud would visit, he never felt like his father was the boss.  He established a sense of equality of power.  I think back to the bosses that I have respected the most and I think they shared that same quality - equality of power.  It was a team effort.  That is anoter quality that I think makes Dawoud's photography as intimate as it was.  He got to know his subjects so well, there was an equality of power.  I think when a person can achieve this, other people around you feel more comfortable to let their guards down.  The walls that they have built around their lives slowly come down and you can see a fuller, richer potrait of a person.  I hope that I can foster that freedom in the people around me.