Untold stories

 

Gothenburg 21 January

Dear Miss Ikon,

I am very excited to tell you that I maybe have found a new way to tell and share my stories, something that feels absolutely right. I have lately felt that my writing didn’t fit my visions and ideas, and I have been thinking for a while, trying to find out how I might sort that out. As you already know, I’m fond of old documentary photographers, like Gilles Perres, Eugen E. Smith, Don McCullin, but I also like and get inspired by more contemporary photographers like Jens Olaf Lasthein, Magnus Wennman, Ragnar Axelsson and Eddy van Wessel.

         It all happened by a coincidence. I was walking through the city centre, the same route as I often do, I normally pass the camera store along the way. This time, I went in, an hour or two later, I came out with a camera. This is probably the best thing I have done in a very long time. Now I can document my life, my travels, and the strolling in the neighbourhood. But, most importantly, I hope I will be able to tell my stories. Perhaps with a different perspective compared to my written ones, all kind of stories, interesting, weird, scientific, and important. My more documenting stories, but also more of personal ideas and reflections. I can tell the truth without compromising in a straightforward way, my images will show the real life. I am so eager to show you my work.

Yours

C.Anon

 

 

Lund 26 January

Dear Mr Anon,

it is wonderful to hear that you have found your way into photography. You know my deep interest in history and good stories. I am also very happy that it is photography, a medium I’m familiar with since long time. But, I think you have to reconsider your idea of telling the truth, too literally and in general terms. Don’t take me wrong, but I might need to play the devil’s advocate for a while. If you believe you tell the truth for all of us with your images, you might need to rethink it. It is a very common misconception that images tell a general truth, or present objective facts in a proper way.

Think for yourself, when you take your photos, you actively compose and leave things out, you decide what to include. You also maybe decide to make them  black and white. You perhaps edit the photo, add some hue, change the saturation, blur parts of the image. By doing this you already have added several personal preferences. I hope you see the problem with saying that you present a fact and tell the truth?

I might quote a  well known author, Allan Sekula, who said: ”The old myth that photographs tell the truth has been replaced by the new myth that they lie”.

Another aspect is how the personal background becomes an important factor, both in how texts are read and how images are interpreted. We always add some personal reflections to things, based on our own history.

                      I don’t say this as a negative comment, more to enlighten you, to make you think. But, at  the same time, with strong good images, and your stories, you might be able to create a truth! I mean, strong images that live into the future, might become what people believe and think how it indeed was. Under any circumstances, I’m very glad that you have found your way to photography. Again, I’m looking forward to meet you and see your images. So let’s try to find a day we can meet, soon!

Yours

N.Ikon

 

 

Gothenburg 1 February

Dear Miss Ikon,

thank’s for your enlightening letter, as always your point of view is good. But this makes me slightly confused. I indeed hope my stories are treated as facts and true, this is how I would like them to be considered. I have always tried to be as objective and honest as possible, a demand and responsibility as a scientist and journalist. At the same time, I also see what you mean, it is I that decides what to include in the image, it is I that presents the image, in my own way. I do not edit my images, they are what I see, not edited to be catchy and in some way manipulated to get more attention. But, as you put it, I’m aware the viewer can’t be sure what I have done with the image. For sure, there might be things left out of the image that for a viewer have a relevance of the situation or at least are important.

Don’t you think there is a way to convince the viewer, what they see is a fact? I mean I believe facts and truth are to a certain degree earned and deserved by history. It comes from honesty, of objectivity, it is something gained by what I have been or done earlier! I know this might sound religious, but moral, honesty and truth has nothing to do with religious belief, as you of course know, I just had to clarify it. People that know me should by now know that I love facts and truth!

Yours

C.Anon

 

Lund 6 February

Dear Mr Anon,

I hope I didn’t scare you and your plans of storytelling using images away? I indeed think you should continue to work with your stories. Photograph as you plan, let it evolve as you find it suitable. Treated as honest and objective is definitely something you are rewarded with by your history. I myself have difficulties with for instance Steve McCurry after his reluctance of  admitting manipulation of images. I don’t know if you remember this? I think most people accept images that are not a fact, images that  communicate something relevant, and present messages in a way that can be interpreted in the desired direction. I think it is important that, a) you are open with what you do, b) depending on the context, manipulation can be problematic, c) postprocess is today a normal procedure. In texts a way of describing things could be of using metaphors, in images I consider staged situations or constructed situations in a similar manner.

What you see in images and photos are maybe not what you expect, or the truth! Not even close to a truth or fact. You remember my love for the book ” Walden”, by the American, Henry David Thoreau. It is claimed that he once said “You can’t say more than you see”. He was so convinced that the eyes are to be trusted in his interpretation! But that is rather naive, it is a disputed thought. You, that has been writing your entire life, relying on text, I think you should try to tell your stories in images, photographies. There might be a different audience. Definitely your stories in images will be  different compared to your written ones. Today the written word is not what it was. We see shorter texts, preferably maybe a pod, or even better a film, and of course images, these are today’s communication channels. 

I don’t think you have to bother to much of how the viewer interprets your story, as long as you feel that the images represent your intentions. I also guess you plan to combine text and images, am I right?

                      I think we are in the beginning of an era of great uncertainty. Digital manipulation is easy, and found almost everywhere. AI is a very hot topic today, for instance the new chat robot “ChatGPT-4”, developed by OpenAI is an amazing example compared to previous attempts. Have you seen it in action? It was recently that it passed an exam in law. It can construct and keep an advanced dialog with humans, analyze images, create paintings, construct photos. The truth, the facts are hard to separate from pure fabrications. It was a time when a photo had a history, a time and place connected to it. Today this is not a necessity. Everything is happening very fast. What happens today can itself be history tomorrow. But that does not take away the handcraft, the work and your story. I think you should look at how others tell their stories in images.

Take a look at Philip-Lorca di Corcia, Cindy Sherman, Gregory Crewdson, Jeff Wall or Larry Sultan to name a few. They all build up a sort of scenery that describes a situation that looks as real. Their images are in no way real, it is staged situations, but the viewer might get the impression it is a real situation. Sally Mann is also in a way doing this, here images look like a snapped situations, but they aren’t. You may also like the American painter, Edwards Hopper, his slightly melancholic worlds. Hope to meet you soon.

Yours

N.Ikon

 

 

 

Gothenburg 13 February

Dear Miss Ikon,

I can’t mention it enough how glad I am that I have you as a friend. These discussions are refreshing and enlightening. I have never thought of it like that. Of course the photos can be arranged to fit my idea, it is just a new way of thinking, not what I am used to. After your last letter with suggestions for photographers setting up a “staged reality”, I came to think about your comments on truth, fact, and images telling it. Could it be so that irrespective of the image show the truth, what really matters and counts is what the viewer thinks? I’m very aware we are in a greyzone, what can be done without calling it manipulation? I more and more think this is crucial, at least am I saying that to myself. But at the same time, subjects that demand reliability can’t be dealt with sloppy and unreliable. It is the context that sets the framework for how I can make my photos, right. It can, if dealt with badly, pave the way for fake news, “false truth”! I can’t leave Trump out of this, or the fabricated images distributed by Putin. Have you seen the photos of Putin and a group of people standing behind him in the press recently? Particularly one person, a woman, shows up often. She is discussed and considered as a completely fabricated person, a person that does not exist?! But at the same time, this is not what I intend to do, maybe I shouldn’t worry too much about it. But still, it makes me hesitate to use photography in some cases. I will definitely try new methods and most certainly staged photos.

Another thing is, I don’t believe one image is enough for telling a story! I need several images, it is not like written text or a film sequence.

Yours

C.Anon

 

Lund 15 February

Dear Mr Anon,

I think this discussion is starting to get very interesting. We have touched upon several different ways of telling your stories. You mentioned the classical documentary photographers to begin with, old ones , but also more current. We touched upon the “staged reality”, where I named a few. And we have also brought up the fabricated reality, a world constructed without any connection to real things. I just came to think about another genre of telling stories. I am not sure you have seen Duane Michaels images, his series? There might be more recent photographers and storytellers but these have got etched on my retina. They are often a combination of photos and text, presented as small film strips with the text below, above or even  inside the images. Strips of 4-5 images telling a short story.

Your final thought in your last letter is interesting. I agree with you, one image is a seed for a story, a story is what comes out from the seed, something over time. At the same time, one image can be the seed to a lot of stories, stories made up in the heads for each and one person, all unique!

Of course are there more ways to tell your stories, but I don’t think you should bother too much of that. I think you should try, find your way of using images to tell your story. If you are worried of the interpretation of the images, try! See what responses you get and if it doesn’t feel right for you, try a different way. Why not try it on me to begin with?  As long as you feel your story and messages are in the images, you are not wrong.

I think it is time to meet! There is an interesting exhibition at Dunkers in Helsingborg. “Ralph Nykvist – THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S PHOTOGRAPHER“, kind of a retrospective of his work over the years. I’m pretty sure you will like it. We combine our meeting with a visit to the exhibition, what do you say?

Yours

N.Ikon

 

Gothenburg 28 February

Dear Miss Ikon,

This sounds just splendid! I take the train and we meet in Helsingborg. I also bring some of my stories, the old “Where times stopes”, “Homo sapiens – the thinking human”, “Please wait!”, and a few ideas I have. We can have a look and discuss. So let’s meet!

Yours

C.Anon