TALES BY LIGHT ESSAY #1

TALES BY LIGHT ESSAY 1 (Life and Death: Part 1)

The two episodes I watched were separated in parts, therefore I only got to see one photographer. His name is Stephen Dupont, and he specializes in documentary photography. I didn’t really like him that much because all of the stuff he said in his voice-overs were so pretentious that it almost felt like I was watching a Portlandia skit. The most comical part to me was when he mentioned that to be a documentary photographer, you have to “fit into the crowd,” which was followed by shots of him completely standing out in the streets of India, with a massive fedora hat and camera.

However, the locations that he did visit were super fascinating! I think the most interesting thing I got to see was how the people of Varanasi celebrate / handle the death of their loved ones. I find it so captivating how they decorate their loved ones in colorful fabrics and take them to the Ganges river. Also, I really liked how they introduced us to a local photographer, and emphasized how difficult it is for him to make a living off of what he does. It just really shows how hard it can be to make your creative endeavors into a huge source of income, especially when living in a developing country.

In this episode, I didn’t learn anything specific from the photographer, but I learned a lot about the culture of Varanasi and other tragic events that he photographed. He really has a lot of courage to come face to face with such traumatic and devastating sights. If anything, I’ve learned how bittersweet and heartbreaking it is to be a documentary photographer.

The main thing that surprised me in this episode was how harsh the citizens were to the local photographer. It felt so contradictory to the beautiful ceremony that took place just a few scenes before.

Overall, I feel as I’ve gained more insight about the culture of India, rather than what Stephen Dupont had to say.