Saturday, January 17, 2009

Photo Essay: The role photographs play...

Greg Saulmon at the Local Buzz has put together a photo essay that shows South Hadley Falls. With the proper attention this area could have real potential. A project like this would be a great addition to the revitalization of Holyoke. Photographs and photo essays like these play a vital role in gaining the proper attention and bringing people into a conscience awareness of what is around them. A photo essay that properly documents the subject matter can give people a new out-look on what they are viewing. Even in they are familiar with the area or the subject of the essay. A well executed photo essay has the ability to not only tell people about what they are seeing, but also has the ability to move, motivate, and inspire people to bring about a positive change. This, is the power of a great photo essay.

1 comment:

Greg Saulmon said...

Thanks for the link, Jeff.

A funny thing: I shot those pics of SH Falls just for fun; I hadn't gone out with the intention of creating a photo essay. It was really, really freezing that morning, but I thought the ice on the river looked amazing, and that's mostly what I had originally intended to capture.

When I loaded the pics onto my computer here at work, though, I started to think about the Falls as I remembered it (I grew up in SH). In school, kids thought of the Falls as the 'tough' part of town. That stereotype tended to carry over to the kids who lived there. At the same time, Holyoke was this kind of whole other world.

From there, I realized I could tell a (very short) story with the pics I'd taken.

It's an essay I'd like to expand, with more carefully planned pictures taken on subsequent trips.

At any rate, a little insight into the process behind this one.