Shifter:Notes on Photography 13
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- čas přidán 21. 11. 2021
- Projects can take over your life. Even those that don't get much traction. But these projects return something to the person willing to take them on. They return in both expected and unexpected ways. And sometimes, those unexpected ways lead to unexpected pictures. North Africa was like this. One moment in time but found through a multi-year trek of perseverance, patience, luck, and rare timing. Let me explain.
- Zábava
Im not a Muslim, but a 2nd generation Chinese born in an Islamic country and have been here for 53 yrs.
I will guarantee you that its unheard of in my country to see a non-Muslim with BIG BALLS to even walk to the front entrance of a real mosque (not those glamour empty mosques specifically for tourists and tour groups).
Even a local Muslim would not want to help out a local non-Muslim photographer to bring the non-Muslim into any mosque.
This is where skin colour helps a lot (or could create huge issues) in all forms of street photography, as I have mentioned in many previous comments.
If you’re an Anglo and managed to know a rich and influential Muslim who goes to that mosque very frequently, and if he likes you, then MAYBE, he can arrange to bring you in. Its even easier if he is a regular donor to that mosque.
Great images, Daniel. Well done!
Even if i have balls of steel, I cant even dream of photographing inside a mosque or madrasah or any Islamic religious club houses. My only way is to visit a huge glamorous “tourist mosque” flooded by foreign tourists such as those in Istanbul.
However, kindly bear in mind that such images (such as the one with the lone shadow on wall), strictly requires a narrative to inject a proper context and meaning. Hence, such images can easily be exploited by malicious parties for nefarious purposes.
Eg: if it appears in Nat Geo or any magazines, it will be perfectly fine. Some sort of “ceramah” in progress..the usual talks before prayers.
But it can also be manipulated by Islamophobes to depict a group of not Muslims, but Islamists conspiring and discussing the next big project.
Great work as usual, Daniel.
Keep it up!
Religion is a touchy subject. And this was long before real internet or social. Doubt this would happen today. In fact, much of what I've done in the past would not happen today. Hence my style adapts. I am thinking about abandoning reportage entirely and starting with works on paper. Mixed media. That way I can work from anywhere and don't need access, permission or risk being sued.
It's the story that really enhances the photo. The photo by itself is fantastic, but the story really makes it shine
I think this applies to most images. Having the time to tell the story is key.
You are the hope of CZcams. Your storytelling and delivery of wisdom is spot on.
Uh oh, if I'm the hope we are in big trouble but I like your optimism.
What a fantastic story and I loved the soundtrack at the beginning - it was that good that I burnt my supper waiting for the end .. it was worth it!
I wish I had more sound. (cue regret here)
I loved the image, and loved the backstory even more.
great story, great pic, its got atmosphere its intense you can use your imagination about what going on, what there talking about, even the walls are interesting. I love it
One of your best that I’ve seen to date Milner… both story and photograph, and end. Thanks for sharing
Thanks!
Great, great video! Enjoyed it a lot. Thank you for sharing this.
I lived in Arabia for 8 years working quite closely with Muslims both within my everyday work and outside the office. I am not a Muslim but find their religion interesting in the hidden parts of its cultures and influences. I would have really enjoyed taking photos but unfortunately I would not have been allowed to. Your project is fascinating because of the time it has taken and depth of view. Thank you for your video it opens up many memories
There are so many things I'd love to photograph but can't. Think this is partly why I still want to do it.
Beautiful image and even better story behind the image.
Great story, great shot, great!
This was a wonderful story. This may seem odd, but I know exactly the feeling you have about photos like these. Those photos you lived. It is powerful. Great story telling!
Thank you. These moments were rare, and they are getting more so. At least for me.
Fully understand your thoughts. I had similar experiences with islam when I first was in Iran for business in 2004. One of my few life-changing journeys. Still being protestant and humanist, it opened my brain for a lot more.
Iran has been on my list for decades. Would love to see that place.
I rarely see photographs and films as captivating as yours. Kiitos.
Thanks. Just wandering around the dark most of the time.
love the foreground silhouette of heads against the bright negative space with the two extreme light reflection highlights. awesome video, mr. dan.
Thanks Magnus! It was a GREAT trip and a great moment.
I enjoy your perspective on documentary photography, it clearly shows you are a real photographer, not just some CZcamsr interested in photography. Great job Mr.
I went all in back in about 1990 so, to your point, a lot dif than making a few YT films. I was also very fortunate.
so, sooo good! Shukran! Maroc is a special place! wonderful images.
Yes..it...is.
Greetings from England, this is excellent, I love you work but this is, for me, is the best to date. You should be proud of this.
Thank you. I got lucky and had the ingredients which I don't have from all my projects. Takes a lot to make a little.
Very interesting story about a very captivating image.
DM - Beautiful work. Have never been there, but the shots of North Africa remind me of the photo equivalent of "Under the Sheltering Sky.". Plus the phrase "Compliance with chance.". Phenomenal statement in a Bowles -like way to compliment these fantastic images. Not to mention the back story! Thank you for sharing.
Bowles is one of my all time favs. Actually have a project on my list that would take me around the world with him in mind. I'll never get to it but it would be fun and a good story.
@@DANIELMILNOR505 "Compliance with chance". One of the best turns of a phrase I have heard in a long time. I may "borrow it" for a brief I have to write.
@@DANIELMILNOR505 "Compliance with chance". One of the best turns of a phrase I have heard in a long time. I may "borrow it" for a brief I have to write.
Great episode, Dan!! Keep give us more ;-)
one of your best videos, thank you
Absolutely ❤️ this Dan / thank you
thank you.
Daniel I totally relate to your story of your encounter with the Islamic scholar, I myself am a Muslim and hobbyist photographer and I have made it an interest to photograph local activities of Muslim communities. I'm mixed race and on the lighter complexion so sometimes certain ethnic groups are sometimes curious or uncertain of me (some don't realise I'm Muslim) - but once they're familiar with me, they enjoy having a friendly person taking interest in them. It's nothing personal, it's just that Muslim and Imam/Scholars/Community leaders are up against so much in the media and internet with defamation and false headlines etc, so they're sometimes very cautious! One way to open religious people like myself is ask them about their belief! How long they've been religious, what the local community is like etc.
Great video and story as usual :) you have a great quality of both empathy and sincerity.
I never held it against anyone and the media was a real issue so I could understand where they were coming from.
@@DANIELMILNOR505 looking forward to more stories :)
The positive elements of that final image you described were exactly those I thought about prior to your discussion. The one (and only) element I didn’t like was the black triangular piece jutting out from the right.
Photoshop..just kidding.
Incredible story and images
Great video Dan!
Great storytelling and a nice build-up to the eventual image. This is my favorite series of yours. Can't wait for the next one.
I like doing these as well. I hope to be adding NEW images to mix but getting the time to shoot is not easy.
Thanks for sharing. In addition to the shadow detail, I love the texture on the walls. Great stuff.
new intro is baller, keep it up mr. shifter
I've been shooting the Muslim community in Hamtramck, MI since 2013 now and I agree access can sometimes be tricky as a non-Muslim. However, I found that anytime I'm confronted I tell them exactly what I'm doing and people are generally very receptive to it. So much so that I recently got the opportunity to present the images in the local newspaper in a monthly column I'm writing.
With respect to this image you presented, I think the strongest element is the fact that the figures are placed in front of a corner. The lighting highlights the angled walls which gives the image a ton of dimension while highlighting the human forms you discussed. This is what makes it a great image to me, if the figures were in front of a flat wall I don't think the image would be as salient.
Really enjoyed this video and the images as well.
Wow, good on you. I had both good and bad experiences with this story and access. But, can say the say about most of the stories I've worked on. Par for the course.
So good… I would have loved this to have been an hour long or a mini series!
The story is a great lead in and I think I take and appreciate more from the image that way.
Wish I had more to share.
The rim light hey, diggy diggy, the rim light hey c'mon, the rim light ... Great shot and backstory Dan for the all the reasons you explained but for me, if I didn't know the backstory, then the picture of Mecca and Islamic script hanging on the wall contextualises this shot and event and are therefore crucial.
Nothing like access, a good spot and a small camera.
I haven't been to Morocco (home country) for a very long time and those sounds at 0:30 onward felt very nostalgic...
It's such a great place, and so different from many other places in that region. Open, tolerant and so filled with history and geographic marvels. I'd love to go back on a motorcycle or bicycle. Take my time.
@@DANIELMILNOR505 that sounds like a great plan!
I love silver grains.
Me too.
Wow! Loved the story and you showing your old film work. So so amazing.
What a joy to watch and listen. Thanks for all the effort you put into this! Cheers from Turkey.
Beautiful image señor Milnor. A testament on patience, connections, and the will to learn. That's why I love photography. Thanks for sharing.
And toss some luck in there....
Damn great story.
I would love to see more of this work. I really would. Ever since I saw Harry Gruyaert's beautiful colour work from Morrocan (from the 70s) I'm fascinated by the place.
It's a cool spot. Albert Watson did a book on Morocco. Bruno Barbey as well.
A good example of how context helps a photo. I think all photography is elevated with context.
Agreed. I love process and the story behind the image.
These are great images Daniel. Thanks for sharing.
So good.
Beautiful work, thank you.
Inspiring !
Having lived in Riyadh for five years this resonates with me Dan. Without a "door opener" go-between it is nigh on impossible for an infidel to capture any intimacy in these understandably suspicious communities. Well done you.
The Kingdom seems like a hard nut to crack. I get it. There should be suspicion these days. But, with enough time it normally goes away.
Thank you for taking the time and sharing this story. I was fortunate to get 6 months in Ethiopia while assigned to the U.S. Embassy but didn't want to impose with my camera. The images that I hated back in 2015 are now my favorite after revisiting the catalog. I totally get being attached to a photo in the early stages.
That sounds like an incredible six months. Living with the work, walking away from it, can be really healthy.
Good story, man
The sound design (voices) behind the pix adds an extra dimension to already evocative photos. Bravo
Agree. I wish I had more recordings.
once again a great video and very good motivation to live a decent life and photograph it!
PS. just noticing the same recordings of the Arabic market (I guess) was used in Anno 1404 game :)
Really? I actually have recordings from Morocco but maybe I found this one from somewhere else? It's possible. I have a huge NASA database, at least I think I do but can't imagine that being part of it.
@@DANIELMILNOR505 your database must be huge, I know, maybe you shared it with the game devs at some point? :)
This one was really good.
Thanks, I like it too. I had the sound which was really key, and is key moving forward.
Loved this storytelling Dan. Cheers from Ireland. ☘️
Hey Ireland. Man, want to see your land some day. And thanks.
This is a "Great" piece (I'll call it a piece), from the lead-in images, to your insightful breakdown of a favorite. Canvassed by intriguing story and circumstance. And...Somehow, you tied it all up, with the marriage proposal. Beautiful!
She still replays that moment when people ask us how we met. She was totally caught off guard.
Hey Dan, I'd like to wish you and your wife a happy Thanksgiving. I'll be camping up in the Santa Fe national Forest eating squirrels.
My mom used to eat them as a kid. I've not yet had the pleasure.
What a story... And how well do images and ambient recordings work together, so simple but effective.
Yes, the sound is so key. Lucky I still had those sounds. I've got sound from Peru, Uruguay, Morocco but not from so many other spots. Sloppy on my part.
slow and deliberate
What a great story Dan (bonus that your good Lady said 'yes' too!). I loved your image - and was predicting (mostly correctly) the reasons why you liked it. I would also add, that I like the vertical line created where the two walls meet, and divides the image into two. I'm three-and-a-half years into a silver-halide film project and I have twenty-four 16 X 12 images to show for it. I am aiming for another eight shots - ideally over another two years. Then of course, there will be an added 'history' element to the work as some of my subjects have moved on, buildings demolished, jobs changed etc.
I like it. Goals are good. Plans, schedules at least to some degree. Good luck with the work and thank you.
Thank you @@DANIELMILNOR505. When it all comes to fruition, I'll send you a copy of the book.
Good story.
Thank you for not using music. Most of the time, channel owners either overdo it or get the music choice wrong. Terrific photos regardless.
Maybe someday you'll be able to access a Masonic Lodge. Heh heh.
Thank you!
Absolutely riveting!… Love that image and breakdown. This is the photography school I never went to… Allah U Akbar! 🙏🏿
This is more fun than photo school......
Great story. You do tell a good story! What is interesting to me about your picture, is that despite the faces being dark, you can very clearly see how they are hanging onto every word being said, you can see the concentration in their faces. Furthermore, the ghostly figure appears to be making sure that they are listening intently. It's a picture that one can extrapolate many thoughts from, which i suppose was the essence of the situation.
Thank you. Love reading the different interpretations.
Ahhhhh serendipity, be my companion. Great back story Dan but the image certainly stand on it's own and I think that's because even without knowing the back story, it's actually there in the image in some part. Perhaps the quiet respectful onlooker perspective - as you say those from other angles you didn't think quite worked. My most treasured image from India is a Muslim man standing behind his loom in a dimly lit room, the loom silent in recognition of a close relative that has recently passed away, the image taken through the weave of the loom. It holds a special place for me yet draws no recognition from anyone else, and that's perfectly ok with me because I know the back story adds so much for me personally.
Ah, yes. The inside story. Working on a book of these images now. A related theme but images that are subtle and might mean something to me but won't to anyone else. I love that. Not everything is for everyone else.
@@DANIELMILNOR505 I think that maybe I knew this, but it took you to make it really sink in. I've just received a book from Blurb, it's 'titled A Walk In The Garden', images of my three grand daughters as we walked the city garden. But, and this is where you came in, I've left big spaces for them to both draw and write in it their memories of the day. It will be a treasure and something I don't think I would have considered without your take on what a photographic book can be.
she said yes !
Miracle.
I love impossible to get photos. They tell us about the similarity and differences between people. They are not like snappidy snap photos walking down the high street.
That's why i've never loved street photography. I am looking for that deeper connection.
It causes me to look at photography differently. Also I can see why doing documentary work is difficult.
Can be a real grind. I'd love to get back to a good story to see how it is now.
you got me at fiat uno…
We managed to break the fog lights but held them in place with spare t-shirts.
This was very good. Only just enough talking head and the rest was left to stills and the imagination, backgrounded with the sounds of Morocco. More of a mini documentary in itself. I think there are many people who would appreciate this film that would not normally be drawn to your channel.
Hope so. I would love to make these films all the time but they take time and resources and not happening anytime soon.
Was this tmax 3200 because it looks pretty dark in there
Yep, TMZ.
@@DANIELMILNOR505 this looks like a 35, did you wish you had a 28 or 24 in that small room? I feel if you had to many lenses on your shoulder you would have missed the shot.