If you have to fear "the wrong people" will see photos of you doing
something, it's something you shouldn't be doing.
From: Larry Colen
On Sep 4, 2011, at 1:17 AM, Bob W wrote:
From: pdml-boun...@pdml.net [mailto:pdml-boun...@pdml.net] On Behalf Of
Tim Bray
More on the subject: "Turning away from Burning Man":
http://duncandavidson.com/blog/2011/09/burningman
I wish he hadn't written this, it undercuts the rest of the piece:
"I wouldn?t concern myself with trying to be creative while respecting
anybody else?s rights or demands".
It implies that even without the conditions imposed by the organisers, that
the other people have some sort of rights and legitimate demands in this
matter and that photographers in some way breach them, neither of which is
true.
I'm curious if anyone else on PDML has ever been to Burning Man?
There are some marvelous opportunities for photography, but burning man isn't
put on for photographers.
I suspect that if the only people taking photos and videos were doing it for
the sake of the photography, things would be a lot different. Go to
http://www.burningman.com and read some of the stories about photography and
the critical tits ride. There are, unfortunately, a bunch of sleazebags that
don't even rate as high as GWC. (
http://www.modelmayhem.com/po.php?thread_id=344092 )
There is also the fact that a lot of people go to the Playa to let loose, and
do the things that they can't get away with in what they call the default
world. People who would have bad things happen to them if pictures of them
doing some of those things got seen by the wrong people. One of their goals is
undoubtably to preserve an environment where people feel free to do what they
want without repercussions, whether that's wearing nothing but boots, goggles
and a dust mask, dancing to rave music dressed in a fluorescent french maid's
costume, or just spending a week sitting around the camp drinking cold beer and
watching the hippies stroll past.
Larry Harvey's megalomania might also have something to do with it. He has
always wanted to grow Burning man as large as possible, to take over the world.
It is an event that they undoubtably, and with some good cause, feel that they
need to take care about what is seen, especially by people that aren't so
understanding about some of the lifestyle choices exhibited there.
My first trip to the playa was instrumental in rekindling my love of
photography. I discovered the fun of night time digital photography there.
But there are plenty of reasons to go besides photography, and there are also
plenty of much better reasons to not go than the restrictions placed on
photography. How many people refuse to go see a play, or a movie because they
aren't allowed to video tape it? How many people refuse to go to a concert
because they aren't allowed to take photos? Some, for sure, but there are
many, many more that will go despite those restrictions. And, in the case of
burning man, there are probably more people that will go because of the
restrictions on photography, than who won't go because of them
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