Hah! Shitty picture — hadn’t thought of that. Would have been a better post title!

Don’t invest too much in my stellar character. Have have all the warts and failings of others. And I always wonder if my restraint is driven more my shyness and an aversion to conflict rather than any lofty philosophy. There’s certainly a part of me that fantasizes at times that I just do whatever I want.

Thanks for your kind words though. I appreciate them — warts and all.

I wonder how many other “groups” have to put up with unwanted photography on a regular basis. Celebrity people obviously. I was going to say politicians but they want their picture taken — often.

Sounds like you’ve found a way to not intrude, assess willingness, and take into account anyone’s concerns. While that approach may mean you’ll miss certain opportunities you’ll have others. I’m not photographic purest so I can make all sorts of accommodations but I know some photographers who absolutely don’t care what the subject wants or thinks. It leads to some unusual images to look at but at the expense of someone’s feelings or desires. In public, as far as photography goes, it’s a free country. To each their own…

Photo releases are a pain. That negotiation is a real mood killer but sometimes a photographer has to do it if they want to make a dollar.

If you want to see real active resistance to photography, try photographing kids. People are irrationally wary and believe a lot of strange things about rules applying to photographing kids in public. I never point my camera at a kid anymore unless I either know them, they’re my kids, or their family has given permission as part of an assignment I might be doing.

I can haul a DSLR and 300mm lens in the topcase of the Vespa! I agree, the Amish are great subjects. But they don’t want their pictures taken by strangers. Certainly not without permission.

I suppose I’m not really that interested in photographing them. Or most people for that matter. In graduate school I did a project focusing on my wife and I made thousands of negatives. But aside from her my photography of people outside my commercial work was infrequent. My eye wandered elsewhere…

Jack Riepe, were he living here, would get that picture of an Amish fellow on a Vespa! I don’t have Riepe’s drive though…

Coleman was a unique photographer. While he and I didn’t talk often, we did have a few memorable conversations. When I first came to town he still had a portrait studio and hadn’t started photographing the Amish yet. Once he did it seemed like he found a new path in life. He and Dick Brown from the Centre Daily Times seemed to be the Amish photographers of record in this region with both having befriended Amish families.

It’s too bad how some people torment the Amish. I’ve spoken to a couple people who have active hostility toward them for reasons they can’t explain. Makes me think of graduate school and discussions of “the other”….

We had a terrible accident a few weeks ago here where a UPS truck hit a buggy — killed a mother and her child and critically injured the father and the other kids. Every few years it seems to happen. Those buggies end up on some of the larger roads where the traffic is fast and aggressive. It would scare the heck out of me to be driving a buggy.

I’ve been in a number of enterprises where a group of people were asked to make photos of their “life” for a fixed period of time. It’s kind of amazing how differently people see that.

As far as how people see me…. depends on the person I guess. For years I had long hair. Then switched to the buzz cut and now I am somewhere in between but the buzz cut is not far off. Jeans and a t shirt with a sport coat is the usual work appearance. I have few requirements of my workplace but I’ve sort of lived by the “no dress code, no regular hours” theme. I know when I new to wear a suit and tie and I know when I need to be somewhere. But I decided decades ago that I didn’t want to be a slave to clothes or clock. That required some careful choices about employment. Could have made more money had I taken a different road but it would have meant submitting to clothes and clock.

I’ve always felt Scooter in the Sticks would provide some memories of what I’ve done and thought about. I wish my parents had kept a blog…

I think you’ve hit on the key aspect of a photo project — collaboration and permission. It applies to any project and not just the Amish. The kind of candid, street photography that came from Europe and into America in the late 50s and 60s is interesting to look at, has been romanticized, but can have a pretty aggressive streak to it. I do find interesting ideas in those photos but the production of them doesn’t fit my temperament…

While I may have photographed a tornado landscape or building damage I certainly wouldn’t want to photograph people’s pain. Having worked as a photographer a long time I know in the news business you’d better be thick skinned. If you ever have a chance to view the documentary “War Photographer” about James Nachtwey, it’s unsettling how he sticks his camera right in the face of people who just had their children or spouse killed. He explains why he does it and his sort of zen approach in the process but still, it seems wrong to me.

But as consumers of news, we all want to see the car wreck…