Don McCullin in Kolkata

This newish video of the man shooting pictures in Kolakata:

https://www.canon-europe.com/pro/stories/don-mccullin-kolkata-film/

I used to feel some sympathy towards him after watching some interviews/documentaries about his past work, as he came across as a nice chap.
After watching this thing in Kolkata it's all gone down the drain though. Cripples, destitutes, homeless, misery, he also does appear to be particularly nice to some of the locals.

Oh and also the pictures totally suck, reminds me of the tripe that Moriyama has been spewing since moving to digital, yet the guy still thinks he has the eye for composition. I could count about 4-5 decent images, one which was of the totally deformed man with his face hanging below his chin.

I am absolutely livid.

My Kaspersky Internet Security warns me that it cannot guarantee the link site's authenticity. I am not saying the site is unsafe but just letting others know of the warning

pentaxuser

My Nortons didn't give any warning. As for the photos, I thought they were OK. I'd like to go to a place like that and try some shooting, but I don't have a Canon camera.

I just watched the film. I've been a McCullin fan ever since I bought his book, "Hearts of Darkness" several decades ago. He's a very thoughtful man, and this shows in both his approach and his photos. I was happy to see that after taking photos of the poor he did had them a little money, which I think is only fair. Otherwise you are taking from a poor person and not giving anything back--it's not an even exchange. I don't often have the chance to do "street" photography, but when I am in a distant city I do give a couple of dollars to those who cooperate. It's the moral thing to do.

I can't see myself wandering around such a poor area with two expensive cameras though. I generally only take something small, such as my Leica IIIc or a Nikojn D5300 with small lenses. I mostly shoot b&w doing this, but India looks like it has to be shot in color. India is on my "list" of place I'd like to visit someday, but I think I would hire a local man to help keep me out of trouble. Don was wandering around with a platoon of people, but I would be more comfortable with just one. I don't like attracting attention.


Kent in SD

Thanks for providing the link. An interesting short documentary... worth the time to watch.

Are there any other photography documentaries that you guys recommend? I've seen the majority, just curious as to whether there are some gems that I'm missing out on?

Interesting to watch him work. The videography was sub standard but the editing was pretty good. It just bugs me that all they can showcase is the poverty of an area. Poverty-porn as they say. Sure there are problems, lots of them, however there is a burgeoning young population working very hard to right the ship.

Eric Rose said:

Interesting to watch him work. The videography was sub standard but the editing was pretty good. It just bugs me that all they can showcase is the poverty of an area. Poverty-porn as they say. Sure there are problems, lots of them, however there is a burgeoning young population working very hard to right the ship.

Click to expand...

Exactly. #WhitePrivilege when local native Indian photographers can tell their own stories.

gr82bart said:

Exactly. #WhitePrivilege when local native Indian photographers can tell their own stories.

Click to expand...

I am not sure what you mean by this in the context of Don McCullin's photography in this location? Can you expand on what you mean. Thanks

pentaxuser

gr82bart said:

Exactly. #WhitePrivilege when local native Indian photographers can tell their own stories.

Click to expand...

ah yes the privilege of seeing the horrors of biafra, vietnam, and the incredibly sketchy tense times in northern ireland.

yes. living the life of riley there

pentaxuser said:

I am not sure what you mean by this in the context of Don McCullin's photography in this location? Can you expand on what you mean

Click to expand...

canon should have hired a local.

gr82bart said:

canon should have hired a local.

Click to expand...

This may make sense in the helping the local economy, although depending on what Don spent there, this may prove to be a debatable point but I am not clear why there is a presumption that a local would have made a better job of it. The local may have made a different job of it but so may 5 locals, if they had been engaged, each have made a different job of it compared to each other.

pentaxuser

Actually he got lots of guts to get into shanty town and take some photographs. I am from Southern part of India (Madras) and I will never be able to do what he has done with the camera. Mostly, either me or the camera will be broken into pieces if I dare to do...

Nevertheless, I am just 38 years old.