I really can’t believe that these photos of Chester won a prestigious Best of Photo Journalism Award.
Congratulations, Justin Maxon. I can't argue that artisticly these photos are awesome. I just wish
the subject wasn't the worse that Chester has to offer.
Click HERE if you dare
Photos paint a very dismal picture of Chester. Sometimes you just don't know how people live or what they have to live with. The photos are, on the other hand, amazing. The award is well deserved.
ReplyDelete"Congratulations, Justin Maxon. I can't argue that artisticly these photos are awesome. I just wish the subject wasn't the worse that Chester has to offer."
ReplyDeleteagreed.
That was weird tho because I didn't see any pictures of the hugs that neighbors give each nor of neighbors helping each other.
I guess those kinds of pictures don't really win awards, huh?
on another note, so Chester has a lot of toxic waste plants, huh? I had heard that before, but I guess I just didn't want to believe it. Makes me a little frightened for my health.
It's frustrating because I love Chester, but I gotta keep asking myself....am I just in love with the idea of what it could be and not the reality?
I am originally from DC, and my mother moved my sisters and myself to this city in 2000. I met my husband here, and he has been a lifetime resident. What upsets him the most is the negative portrayal of Chester, with stems from outsiders having no regard for the positivity coming out of this city. But I can give perspective on this as an outsider - majority rules, unfortunately because no one wants to take the time to figure out what GOOD happens here. The majority of the noted events here are from violence. It's sad because they could have pictures of the Family Fun Nights, the parades (I was in a drill team which is where I met my husband and I had FUN!), the Local Artists show (I also participated in this and will be again this year, and it could be great for the artists if the media took time out to see the talent here), skating and bowling parties, sport events from the schools, not just the "stadium", etc. There is SO much more to this city, but if everyone watches the news and believes everything they see to be 100% truth in its entirety, Chester will be stuck in this rut for a LONG time.
ReplyDeleteAlso, my husband knows the guy who took these pictures. I see some people I know, and there could have been SOOO much more positive. He took pictures of the drill team when we practiced and when we went away, but there are NONE of those. He also asked to stay with us, as he stayed with families to photograph them. My husband decline.
ReplyDeleteHave u noticed the slideshow on the right side of the blog? Those are photos from positive events. Check out the YouTube videos. Positive.
ReplyDeleteI will post any photos or videos people send from events they attend. I know folks are taking photos. I wish they would share.
Mrs Richardson. I would be willing to bet that Justin would share the positive photos he took if you asked him.
ReplyDeleteThe photos in the slideshow were submitted to win an award, not for our enjoyment.
Bill Nix and I could fill an auditorium with positive pix of Chester subjects. Is that something you think people would like to see?
If so, we'll consider setting something up.
Stefan, I am paying no attention to the fact of what he was trying to win/what people want to see, I (as a NON-Chester native) think that once you have a chance to showcase a negative situation in a positive manner just to change the general outlook, I think it should be done. Somewhat like this blog – you have everything here, not just one angle and I appreciate that. I guess my words come more from knowing this man, and seeing what pictures he took. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t coming from a bad place, he just wanted to show the struggle perhaps. However, the people that were involved would like to see more of the LOVE, FUN, HAPPINESS that he encountered. My husband and I showed the pictures to others who were involved in his photography ventures that summer, and all they could say was “D*mn.” We all know the struggle and the violence and the poverty already – the entire US knows if they saw the fact that Chester was rated number TWO in the list of Most Dangerous Places to Live in US.
ReplyDeleteIn response to your question, I don’t know what people would like to see. I think that unfortunately, people like to see the negative, and when positive is brought up, no one shows up… The people I personally know would definitely like to see an article or ten about what GOOD is going on here. My husband and I even thought of buying a camera and going around Chester to photograph the happiness this place has, disregarding the obstacles. I can say I appreciate what you post here, and I just wish Justin uses his leverage in the photography world to help us. I’m turning 24 next month, and after being here for 11 years, I haven’t been able to say “I live in Chester” without someone having something horrible to say and follow it by “But you don’t seem like you’re from there. You seem intelligent and mature, etc….” That’s because they don’t get to see that side of OUR city. We need to show them. I sing and write, my husband produces music, we work with a young man that is a dancer/choreographer, my cousin-in-law is an entrepreneur looking to start in Chester with her ideas, my friend is an aspiring author and she’s amazing, a good friend of my husband’s is a photographer in the city, etc. There’s too much here for everyone to just NOT SEE.
BTW – when I said “…noted here”, I didn’t mean your blog. I love coming to this site everyday at work to see what’s up in Chester :-)
Thanks for sharing your age. I wish I knew the average age of my audience.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I hate those photos. But they are artistic. Had he not won the award, we probably would have never seen them.
It makes you wonder about the judges.
Yeah... I don't wonder about the judges. They are the same people who love to see some type of hardship because they never had to endure it, and feel "touched" and "amazed" at the tenacity of "those people"!!!! Ugh.
ReplyDeleteAnd maybe you should do a poll to see the roundabout ages of your audience! That would be interesting.