How do you think being from outside of India (and usually the West) might have changed how these artists chose their subjects and framed their shots? Another layer of mediation here is the fact that these were not digital cameras - and the action of photographing someone very conspicuous.
It is true (with portraits, especially), that photographs often reflect the relationship between the subject and the artist. Do you think dynamics like the native-former colonizer, or even the Young White Man on a Gap Year in South Asia play out on print? That'd be really interesting to notice, I think.
Interesting, I didn't think about this. The composition style of all three artists is quite different. Hiroshi emphasizes the place, Mitch Epstein emphasizes the characters, and William Simpson seems to be focusing on the era. That could just be me trying to say something clever though.
Mitch does bring a different sensibility to his compositions for sure, maybe being captivated by things we might dismiss as banal, lurid, or commonplace. I think he manages to express that feeling well. The chaiwala photo especially was fascinating to me. But I'm not sure how his personality plays into the photos because I don't know much about him personally.
You could explore this and write a piece about it! It's an interesting question.
How do you think being from outside of India (and usually the West) might have changed how these artists chose their subjects and framed their shots? Another layer of mediation here is the fact that these were not digital cameras - and the action of photographing someone very conspicuous.
It is true (with portraits, especially), that photographs often reflect the relationship between the subject and the artist. Do you think dynamics like the native-former colonizer, or even the Young White Man on a Gap Year in South Asia play out on print? That'd be really interesting to notice, I think.
Interesting, I didn't think about this. The composition style of all three artists is quite different. Hiroshi emphasizes the place, Mitch Epstein emphasizes the characters, and William Simpson seems to be focusing on the era. That could just be me trying to say something clever though.
Mitch does bring a different sensibility to his compositions for sure, maybe being captivated by things we might dismiss as banal, lurid, or commonplace. I think he manages to express that feeling well. The chaiwala photo especially was fascinating to me. But I'm not sure how his personality plays into the photos because I don't know much about him personally.
You could explore this and write a piece about it! It's an interesting question.