I’m studying more and more of David “Chim” Seymour‘s photos (from the 1950s), and I’m still so amazed; how intimate and loving his photos were.
Photos by David “Chim” Seymour, one of the co-founders of Magnum Photos. See more of his photos here >
When I look at the photos of Chim, I can feel his love and empathy. I can see what he can see, and I can see the love for the subjects he photographs.
My favorite photos are his photos of children. The thing is this: even though these are photographs of refugee children, many who lost their parents in the war, the photos are still so beautiful, elegant, optimistic, and hopeful!
To me, this is the best type of photography: photographs that imbue us with hope, in the midst of darkness.
We all know there’s a lot of fucked up shit in the world. I read that currently, there are around 40 million human slaves (yes, human slavery still exists) in the world. There’s still people dying from polluted drinking water. While there’s phenomenal progress in the world with technology, there is still a lot of pain and suffering.
But in spite of all that, I feel we should stay optimistic. Being pessimistic isn’t productive at all.
I still believe in the power of the photographic image to change the world. Why? People don’t emotionally react to statistics of death. But when we see pictures of pain, suffering, and injustice (Vietnam Inc by Phillip Jones Griffiths and photos by James Natchwey), we stir the hearts of our viewers.
Not all of us need to use photography as a tool for social, political, or economic change. Yet at the same time, I think it is our duty to make photos that inspire, motivate, and uplift the souls of your viewers.
We might not be able to solve world hunger, but we are certainly able to uplift the depressed hearts and souls of some people in society.
Even if your photos have the power to uplift one depressed person, and to feel more joy and optimism in life; your photography is changing the world for the better!
Shoot with your heart,
ERIC
Some optimistic photos of mine which I love:
More photos of Chim which touch my heart, and give me hope and optimism:
