Shawn Duffy Photography: The Captions - Latest Comments

Re: Shuhada Street, Hebron

Bruce — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 04:26:08 -0000

Israel is not Nazi Germany, but Apartheid South Africa.

They discriminate people they occupy with their Military, based on race, fundamentally undermining their human rights and cover it up with pathetic excuses.

Take a look at a current map of the West Bank and the settlements, walls etc. and compare it the Bantustans of apartheid South Africa. The similarity is staggering, the difference being that South Africa was condemned by the entire world whereas Israel is protected and actively aided by the US.

I am South African by the way.

Re: Shuhada Street, Hebron

Bruce — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 04:18:46 -0000

Really good stuff mate, keep it up! Compiling a factsheet on Hebron and will be using some of your stuff.

I see you're taking an obscene amount of abuse for standing up against human rights abuses. This is pretty typical with Ultra-Zios and the idea that settlers have the right to live anywhere in the West Bank under military protection and at the expanse of the local Palestinians is obscene and you really shouldn't even respond to such notions.

Re: When I Dream of Michelangelo

Shawn — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 07:08:16 -0000

Thanks Shardayyy! I might be out shooting again soon.

Re: When I Dream of Michelangelo

Shardayyy — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 01:19:50 -0000

Hey Shawn, good luck on your future endeavors. You came to my mind, and i was thinking I have not seen a post from you In a while, and decided to look you up. Really love the post it helps put things in prospective.

Re: When I Dream of Michelangelo

Shawn — Mon, 09 May 2011 11:55:23 -0000

Thanks Royston. I am absolutely glad I did it, regardless of the outcome. In fact, I'd recommend anyone take a few months to pursue something like this. Whether or not, you're successful, the experience will be valuable.

Re: When I Dream of Michelangelo

Royston Kane — Mon, 09 May 2011 10:38:35 -0000

Good read Shawn. I was interested to see what caused your change in focus. Glad you were in a position to take the chance that you did. Otherwise you will always be questioning yourself, like I am always doing. You are still young, so lets see where you get to from here.

Re: When I Dream of Michelangelo

Shawn — Mon, 09 May 2011 07:59:25 -0000

Thanks Mike. I know what you mean. The daily shooting of whatever happens to be in front of me isn't cutting it anymore. I'm thinking of taking on a focused project to help get the juices flowing again and to give my work some direction.

Re: When I Dream of Michelangelo

Michael — Mon, 09 May 2011 06:55:19 -0000

I can totally relate to a lot of what your saying, I have been evaluating where my shooting is going as well the past year. I too got tired of the daily shooting and posting of random images -- I feel the funk about what to do next. I am just waiting for that creative bug to reappear and not going to push it I guess. Thanks for sharing............took guts to write "I failed", but you have to put yourself out there in the first place, and you did that. Looking forward to seeing where your journey takes you.

Re: When I Dream of Michelangelo

Shawn — Sun, 08 May 2011 21:38:34 -0000

Thanks Patty. The money just isn't worth doing something that doesn't make you happy. That somewhat defeats the purpose of doing photography full-time!

I'm looking forward to shooting again soon!

Re: When I Dream of Michelangelo

Shawn — Sun, 08 May 2011 21:37:03 -0000

Thanks Victoria!

Re: When I Dream of Michelangelo

Victoria Pickering — Sun, 08 May 2011 17:17:34 -0000

Very interesting post about how to figure out meshing everything within real-world constraints. Looking forward to seeing both more of your images and more of your writing.

Re: When I Dream of Michelangelo

Patty Hankins — Sun, 08 May 2011 15:35:53 -0000

Shawn - congratulations on figuring out what you don't want to do with your photography! I know so many photographers who are shooting what they don't enjoy shooting - just to make a few $$$$. Looking forward to seeing where you passion for photography takes you - and looking forward to seeing the photos you create along the way

Patty

Re: When I Dream of Michelangelo

Shawn — Sun, 08 May 2011 13:47:47 -0000

Thanks Rick! I really appreciate it!

Re: When I Dream of Michelangelo

Shawn — Sun, 08 May 2011 13:47:30 -0000

Thanks Robert!

Re: When I Dream of Michelangelo

Frenchrl86 — Sun, 08 May 2011 13:06:51 -0000

Shawn...thanks for sharing...no matter what others might say, your work is amazing...Rick

Re: When I Dream of Michelangelo

robert — Sun, 08 May 2011 12:28:49 -0000

I was wondering how you were doing - good update, which answered lots of questions! my camera has been mostly for photos of my son, now 16 mos., doing silly stuff. now and then I can get out and have fun - but then I'd miss being with him, so i still come out on top, even with less clicks of the shutter :-)
congrats on the new job too - it's a tough market but you have something that you ARE at the top of your game on, which is a good thing!

Re: Capturing and Showing Motion: Panning

horse_racing — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 22:29:36 -0000

wonderful... this is very a very nice blog...

showing us everything:)

Re: Video: Shooting High-Key Portraits

Shawn — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:46:01 -0000

Approve.

Re: Video: Shooting High-Key Portraits

Robert Linthicum — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:36:06 -0000

Hey Shawn--you made it look easy.

Re: Shuhada Street, Hebron

Shawn — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 21:29:59 -0000

I think that's a perfectly reasonable idea. In fact, I don't think many Palestinians would have a problem with it, either, so long as they had a real, sovereign state and could also move to, or worship, in Israel where they choose. Any person should be able to live and worship wherever they choose and be treated the same under the law.

Re: Shuhada Street, Hebron

Mikhael — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 21:24:20 -0000

Re:
"name of the city is still descended from its original Jewish name as opposed to the Arabic name of al-Khalil."

Well, technically the name "Hevron" in Hebrew contains the root for the Hebrew word "friend", and the Arabic "al Khalil" also means "friend". Ideally, I would like to see Hebron as part of a sovereign state that offers its Jewish residents the right to live there either as: (a) Palestinian citizens (I doubt they would accept it) or (b) legal permanent residents. Although I am an agnostic, I would like them to continue to have the right to pray at Mearat haMakhpela, something Jews were unable to do from the Middle Ages until 1967. (They could only ascend to the 7th Step.)
My POV re: Hebron is much further to the "right" of Avraham Burg, an Israeli descended on his mother's side from a Hebron family (and a distant cousin of mine) , but well to the left of David Wilder, the American-born spokesman for Hebron's Jewish community.

Re: Shuhada Street, Hebron

Mikhael — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 21:15:24 -0000

Is it too late to proofread/edit my typos?

Re: Shuhada Street, Hebron

Shawn — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 20:20:56 -0000

Thanks Mikhael. You make a very valid point and, believe me, it is not my intent to completely ignore the very real history of Jewish people in the area. In fact, on a previous trip to Hebron, our Palestinian guide pointed out the original Hebrew engraving over one of the doors in the Old City. So, yes, I definitely acknowledge Jewish roots there, as well, as do most Palestinians I know. In fact, as I'm sure you know, the name of the city is still descended from its original Jewish name as opposed to the Arabic name of al-Khalil.

So, thank you for your comment. It is definitely appreciated.

Re: Shuhada Street, Hebron

Mikhael — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 20:03:33 -0000

I happen to be descended from a Jewish family that lived in both Hebron and Jerusalem going back many centuries. I don't necessarily believe that Hebron must remain under Israeli sovereignty nor do I justify the radical fundamentalist hardl line of most Hebrrob settlers. Post-1967, none of my father's cousins chose to return to family property that had been abandoned in 1929.They were already resettled in Ramat Gan for many decades. I believe Israel should make territorial concessions in *most* (but not all) of the disputed areas. Nevertheless, it is a disingenuous omission in your paragraph entitled "Some background" when you glide over the fact that Jews were part of the fabric of life in Hebron for centuries, that is considered the second-holiest city to Jews (after Jerusalem) and that there was a terrible massacre and ethnic cleansing of Jews conducted by Arab rioters in that city, nearly two decades before the satte of Israel, which you and Palestinian Arab supporters refer to as a "Nakba"

Re: New Askar Refugee Camp

Kknight — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 10:17:40 -0000

I was just in New Askar Camp volunteering, came home a few weeks ago. I recognize many of the children from your photos taken several years ago. Its great to see how my kids (certainly feel like that after several weeks there) have grown over the 5 years between photos. Thanks for sharing!