I was walking with the LGBTT-feminists group which included people who were not women or homosexuals themselves, but supported women's and LGBTT movement.
I think, and many people said, we were the most colorful, most interesting group of the day :) Just wanted to take a picture of others looking us, with the blacks anarchists in the background.
Dear Zeynab, I know a little Arbic, but not enough to get along, just to say "thank you" (Shukran) & the like. There is no need to fear me for being an analyst. I don't read other peoples' minds. Like you, I'm not a believer. I like to think of miself as a free- thinker. So "Salem, good night." Rafi
I just added you as a friend, you made me really happy! :) Thank you for your very kind words and taking my opinion into consideration and putting your photo here. I liked this new framing very much, too :)
Yes I had already read your profile and I know you're a psychoanalyst (sounds a little bit frightening! ;) )
Salaam Aleic is almost right, I guess this is the arabic spelling. In turkish we use and say it as selamun aleyküm, probably with the same meaning as shalom, gods peace/happiness/goodness be with you- but I usually use "selam" in short, as the long form is rather a believers salutation here and I'm not a believer... (Do you know arabic?)
I just added you to my friends' list, so that I suppose I might refer to you as dear Zeynab. Of course Shalom is right, in all it's meanings (peace.) & to you would it be "Salaam Aleic?" You express a very strong public message & you do it aesthetically without losing its strength. Thank you for your explicite critique of my photo. I accept your words, although when I saw the picture, my immediate reaction was: "This is as it ought to be." I'll attemt to follow your words below. B.T.W, did you know I am a psychoanalyst & share your opinion on equal rights? Shalom, Rafi
thanks a lot. It's a coincidence that I have this 55mm lens, but it has become one of my few conscious choices in photography. I agree that a shot like this would look much more interesting, with a lot more information with a 28mm lens. But I still want to conservatively stick on the 55mm, as I think it makes photos more loyal to what I see with my eyes. As you said before, it is impossible to capture the moment exactly as it is, with everything in the surrounding, and all the smells and heat and movement; knowing that, I still obsessively want to stick to it, and I feel very wide or very narrow angle lenses don't show what I see, I even feel deceived by them sometimes.
But I also find these lenses and photos taken with them very exciting. Fisheye lenses seem wonderful to me. But I don't have such equipments! Maybe that's another reason I'm happy with the 55mm :)
about the police, with this shot it wouldn't be possible to include them, even with a fish eye. So this question again shows that you are right that the photo lacks the feeling of surroundings! On that day there were a few thousand people in the demonstration, and the LGBTT group with the rainbow flag was hardly 100. So, if you could see the surroundings of this photo, you would see lots of people from other groups with their different kinds of flags, which indeed could be interesting. but we were not surrounded by the police like that. the armed police with the uniforms surround the whole group of demonstrators like an outer shell, some others watch from high buildings around to shoot at you "if necessary" (!). but the ones who film us are the ones we call "the civils", you know they're police but they aren't uniformed. (I'll try putting photos of the police as well) They move around you or film you as the groups enter into the field one by one. As another consequence, sometimes when I take photos at demonstrations, if the demonstrators don't already know me, I feel their suspicious looks over me, "are there women civils as well??" :)
Excellent dear Zeynep. Let me tell you my personal choice here.. You took the shot with a 55 mm lens I believe. These shots look much interesting if taken with a wide angle view say at least 28 mm. In this way, more activity could be shown on both the horizontal sides, which could allow the viewer to get the feel of the place you took your shot.
Though this is an excellent photo journalistic shot.. it somehow lacks the feel of the surrounding.
I read your answer/comment to Saad Salem, and you mentioned the police were there too, filming your activity. Just imagine.. inclusion of the group of police taking snaps of your group could add more drama to this image..
Thanks Saad! LGBTT stands for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, travestis and transexuals. many other people have prejudices or fears about them, or oppress them, or pity them; so they walk to show they exist and stand up for their rights... and also to protest hate crimes = the murders of LGBTT people just because of their sexual orientations, which has taken place quite often in turkey this year.
And yes I also want to put the photos of the demonstrators, and I think I will... I'm was little bit concerned for our safety, you know the state never hesitates to hurt you when they want to, and I tend to exagerrate the safety issue sometimes. Anyway, I'll put undisguised photos, besides the police has already taken photos of us and even filmed us, as they always do. I guess I won't be contributing to the states information about us when I put photos.
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{K:89517} 6/21/2009
