Supreme Court and the Hearings on Gay Marriage

A couple weeks back I decided I was going to shoot the demonstrations and protests outside the Supreme Court, as related to Gay Marriage.  Specifically California's ballot proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), both of which essentially make it impossible for gay people to marry.




So, not surprisingly there were measurable contingents supporting both sides of the issue, although those that supported gay marriage were visibly more numerous.


One of the things I wanted to try was bring my trusty Speed Graphic (4x5 press camera) down there and shoot some B/W.  I figured everyone was going to get similar stuff.

This reminded me of a blog post I read several weeks back on the merits of process, and how this can affect the way we view photographs.  Joerg Colberg discusses it at length here on his great blog, Conscientious.
Do not rely on the process as that which solely determines the quality of the work. If your process is prominent use its strengths. But at the same time push against the process itself, so that the end result is a good photograph - and not some photograph produced with some process. - Joerg Colberg


So with that in mind I had another look at my 4x5s and I sighed.  They just didn't measure up.  While I came away with some ok stuff, I was ultimately disappointed in the results.  On the other hand, while I came away generally disappointed in the results of my digital images, upon further inspection, I was pleasantly surprised.  Have a look at my website gallery to see the full take.  In June they'll be making the decision.  I'll be back for that, for sure.





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