DULUTH — How would you respond to a stranger approaching you on the street with a camera, requesting to take your portrait and asking the soul-searching question: “What do you love about yourself?”

A thought-provoking conversation starter, indeed.

Photographer Max Brunner admits the question catches many people off-guard.

“They hem and they haw. I’m realizing, wow, I don’t think we answer that question for ourselves enough,” Brunner said.

When asked what she loves about herself, Brunner pondered for a moment before saying, “I love my compassionate heart and my ability to overcome a lot of stuff.”

Over 400 portraits and accompanying stories are posted to Brunner’s photography project called Folks of Duluth on

Facebook

and

Instagram.

Each portrait will be on display for exhibitions at Duluth Public Library on Thursday, Aug. 31 from 4-5 p.m. and at Zeitgeist Arts on Friday, Sept. 1 from 6-8 p.m.

“We are super excited to host Max Brunner’s exhibit at the library in partnership with Duluth Superior Pride,” Duluth Public Library Branch Supervisor Lori Crocker said. “We have art exhibit space in the library specifically so people feel represented as they come through the doors by the different artists in our community that we display. This exhibit in particular is the perfect representation of our diverse community. Max really does go out and photograph people in our community — just a variety of people and just a beautiful way of speaking their stories through these pictures.”

“I’m really hoping that all of these framed prints will sell for $10 apiece and I could donate half of the proceeds to a couple of nonprofits in the area,” Brunner said.

Brunner studied digital art and photography at the University of Minnesota Duluth before graduating in 2013.

Now, she works as a representative payee for a Sauk Rapids nonprofit called

Independent Lifestyles

to serve veterans and people with disabilities. She transferred to the organization’s Duluth office in February.

“I was feeling lonesome and longed for human connection,” Brunner said.

On a whim, she began walking the downtown city streets with her Canon Mirrorless camera in hand.

In her quest, she’s meeting people from all walks of life — from children to elders.

“The struggle is real. Every single person is struggling, no matter what,” Brunner said. “And everyone is facing their struggles and overcoming them in some way, shape or form.”

Brunner said she doesn’t feel unsafe when approaching strangers, although their reactions vary.

“Some people are on guard. Some people say ‘no’ right away and walk away. Some people are really excited,” Brunner said.

Time spent connecting with others on the streets has been personally healing for Brunner, who hopes it brings healing to those sharing their stories, too, as well as for her audience.

“Every city needs this. I want to give a face to the unseen and a voice to the unheard, and I think I’m able to do that through Folks of Duluth because everyone should be honored and respected, and everyone deserves love no matter what their capacity to give. Even if they can give nothing,” Brunner said.

Many of her encounters are with the homeless community, and listening to the stories of their daily struggles resonates with Brunner.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m talking to my brother, in a way,” Brunner said. “My brother struggles with addiction and mental health. He is not capable of holding down a job nor is he able to live on his own. If my mom was not taking care of my brother, he would be homeless, or dead by now, and that’s the reality.”

She continued, “With the anger that I’ve felt, I’m like, ‘Why don’t you kick him out? Why don’t you make him find a job? Why do you keep supporting him? He’s just using you.’ I’m not a mom, so I can’t put myself in her shoes.”

But after speaking with people who battle drug addictions, Brunner is learning that some folks use drugs to help with their internal pain, while others use drugs to help with external pain.

“I can’t even imagine what these folks go through having to walk miles and miles every day with all of their belongings on their back,” Brunner said. “I’m so glad that these nonprofits who give out supplies exist because people are going to use no matter what, so why not give out unused needles?”

According to Brunner, local organizations such as

RAAN

and

Harm Reduction Sisters

that offer syringe services programs to injection drug users don’t enable drug use, but promote safety by helping to reduce the spread of HIV and Hepatitis C throughout the community.

At times, her portrait subjects will share the extenuating circumstances that have contributed to them becoming homeless.

“Everyone, you or I, or the person at the bar up there, I think we are all one step away from becoming homeless. I mean, one hunting accident, one car accident, one snowmobile, one ski, one boating accident. …”

There are also many barriers to getting back on their feet. Some folks have felonies and are unable to get a job in Duluth or secure housing, Brunner said.

The testimonials of the Folks of Duluth range from having gratitude for being alive, to heavy criticism of broken societal systems, city practices and nonprofit resources — revealing a dark underbelly of Duluth with a glimmer of hope.

“Sometimes I feel like the city is trying to do everything within its power to get rid of the homeless folks,” Brunner said.

For instance, when the power was cut off to the lamp posts along Superior Street, one woman Brunner met was upset because she was no longer able to charge her cell phone.

“It felt like the city was cutting off lines of communication for people. I mean, not even tourists could charge their phones,” Brunner said.

Then there’s the closing of the skywalk system downtown over the weekends, and the lack of benches within the skywalk, Brunner added.

“Where are people supposed to go in the heat or the frigid cold?” Brunner asked. “I mean, who cares if a homeless person comes in and wants to rest their feet or take a nap on a bench?”

She believes the downtown workforce, elderly people and other members of the general public would also probably appreciate these simple improvements, too.

In another instance, Brunner met a new mother staying at

CHUM

who felt the organization should have helped her further to get into a different shelter, such as

Safe Haven,

so she could have her baby with her.

“I’m noticing that the stories they’re telling me, that they can be sitting outside of CHUM or what-have-you and people walk by with disgust on their faces, or they’ll pretend to be on their phone, or they’ll walk by with their head hanging down,” Brunner said. “A lot of the people that’s happening to makes them feel worthless — unhuman. A simple ‘hello’ would go a long ways.”

Perhaps they’re not treated the same as everyone else because of the perception that homeless folks are lazy, or that they’re choosing to be on drugs or to be homeless, according to Brunner.

“I don’t think it’s really a choice,” she said. “I think the public should stop shunning homeless folks, or people in general. They’re just like us, they’re our neighbors. Help thy fellow neighbor, right?”

Others find shelter outdoors on public or private property, claiming they don’t feel safe at CHUM or the shelter is already at full capacity, Brunner said.

“The city will come to campsites and kick people out after a week of being there. It’s like uprooting their lives after a week. Then they’ll go find another spot and the city will come and tell them that they have to go so they have to uproot their lives again and then find another spot,” Brunner said. “If they find a spot and they’re not harming anybody, why does the city have to keep shuffling people around?”

In Brunner’s opinion, the government has the power to create change and local nonprofit organizations such as Lincoln Park Children and Family Collaborative, Community Action Duluth, Life House, Safe Haven Shelter, Raan, Harm Reduction Sisters, Chum, Loaves & Fishes, Center for Changing Lives, Union Gospel Mission and AICHO can only do so much.

“The government expects all of these nonprofits to put an end to homelessness, etc. However, nonprofits are generally poor and these organizations are putting on fundraisers each year to not only keep their organization above water, but to also help the greater community. Our local government has access to land and even if our local government cannot fully fund a project, they can certainly make publicly owned land available to affordable developers in order to create more affordable housing in the area,” Brunner said.

At the end of the day, homeless individuals are exhausted just taking care of their basic self-care needs to live a humane life, Brunner explained.

While Brunner doesn’t volunteer for any specific organization, she has helped those in need with rides from the grocery store to their campsite so they don’t have to wait two hours for a bus.

“It hasn’t been taxing to me at all. It’s just made my heart bigger and my love for people grow, even for strangers I don’t know.”

If someone is really hungry, she’s provided rides to the

Damiano Center

or the

Union Gospel Mission,

where she will occasionally join them for a meal.

She encourages others to try it, “Maybe it would shed some light or something.”

The Festival La Gacilly-Baden Photo, from 15 June to 15 October 2023, features The Orient, emphasizing photography in Iran and Afghanistan. The photo exhibits are all outdoors over 7 kilometers (4.3 miles), making it the longest outdoor gallery, which a quarter million visitors will view.

This large outdoor Festival in Baden, Austria (25 miles southwest of Vienna) collaborates with Festival La Gacilly Photo in La Gacilly, Western France.

Photographers have always had difficulties with the authorities in Iran, as shown by PetaPixel time and again: Iranian Photographer Set To Shoot World Cup is Arrested and Disappears,  French Photographer Gets 8 Years in Jail in Iran Over Drone Photos,  This Iranian Music Streaming Site is Photoshopping Women Out of Their Own Album Covers,  Photos Show What Life Looked Like for Iranian Women Before 1979 Revolution.

Festival Director Lois Lammerhuber is concerned about the difficulties photographers face in Iran today.

“I think they [photographers] are doing the right thing,” Lammerhuber tells PetaPixel. “They stand up as good as they can. And some of them really take a big risk. Some of them have to feel the consequences, so others [can] go away. But altogether, I think they are incredibly brave, incredibly tough…contributing to society’s progress, and pushing through women’s rights.

“And they need to know they have to have a few artists around. I am not informed enough to judge Iran because it must be an incredibly complex society.”

2023 is the sixth annual edition of the Festival, with 30 exhibitions from as many photographers, with 25 of them participating in person. There are about 1,500 photos distributed between a Garden Route and a City Route.

The largest print on display is about 23×12 meters (75×39 feet) by Rudolf Koppitz, an Austrian photographer best known for his works of the human figure and his use of the nude in natural settings.

Why a Photo Festival in Austria?

Lammerhuber, who has shot over 250 assignments for Geo (similar to Nat Geo in content and published from Germany) magazine since 1983, wanted to increase the awareness of photography in Austria.

“It might sound silly, but Austria is not a photography country,” admits the photographer with sadness in his voice. “There is no photography museum. In some museums, little things are going on, but not much. And the interest in photography [is not everywhere].

“People do not know the names of the important Austrian photographers like Inge Morath or Erich Lessing. The recognition is not there. That is not the case in France. I think every child knows about some of the prominent [French] photographers.

“In Vienna, I thought the first step is to make photography known by telling stories [through photographs]. Everybody is affected by these [photo] stories.”

The Festival is committed to environmental issues and has collaborated with Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières or RSF). RSF is celebrating its 30^th anniversary by publishing an album of 100 photos by 100 photographers on the theme of The Tree – an emblem of the fight to preserve our environment. About 20 images are displayed near the tourism office.

This year, the notable Austrian photographer is Horst Stastny, a lover of B&W.

“I photographed Las Vegas – actually the most garish place imaginable – in black and white for Paramount,” says Stasny. “It took some convincing, but it turned out to be a very special project.”

The Challenges of an Outdoor Exhibit

Putting up an outdoor exhibit that remains open to the public day and night over four months has unique challenges.

“[There is] the hope that it is not vandalized or stolen,” says the director.

“I’m not here alone. It is a city of 25,000. So, I have also to respond to what people wish. It’s all about the acceptance of the public who live here. Let’s not forget that a festival of four months means that the picture is out there for six months [including installation and removal]. This is an incredible intervention for the look of the city. When the pictures are down, it looks calm. Completely different.

“[There is always] the hope that it will be accepted widely by the people who live there and not [just] the visitors who commute in and out of the exhibit. It’s the stage, you know. The visitors go into a museum or another place, but they matter to those living there. They’re the most important visitors, so to speak, because it’s their city with their kind of look.

“[To give you an example] last year we had birds facing extinction at a landmark place [and everybody loved the beautiful birds].

“This year we have artwork which deals with garbage, a serious problem in Africa, but very nicely photographed, very attractive photographs. It has a lot of humor, and you can look at it easily.

“But of course, some people [who live there and do not like it] say, ‘How can you do [put up garbage photos] that?”

Big Festivals Need Big Budgets, and Canon is Not Interested in the Austrian Market

There are 1,500 prints at the Festival. And since it is outdoors, people will view them from a greater distance than a gallery show, and therefore, the images have to be generally printed large-sized. 60% of the images are on aluminum Dibond, the rest on canvas or fabric. This is a considerable expense, plus the cost of framing/installing the displays all over the city and ensuring that strong winds do not blow them away and injure people or damage property.

“1 million euros [$1,079,550] is the Festival budget,” explains Lammerhuber. “€192,000 comes from the city of Baden [Beethoven, during the summers of 1821, 1822, and 1823, wrote substantial parts of the 9th Symphony here]. And from the government of Lower Austria another €80,000 and the remaining from sponsors, which number about 80.

“Austria is not a photography country. You do not find main [big, single] sponsors. Leica, a sponsor, has a solid connection to Austria and is owned by an Austrian, and another main sponsor is Cewe.

“All [30] participating photographers receive the same amount, €2,000 [$2,160] and, of course, all travel expenses. If they give a talk, it depends on what it is, where it is, and how I can finance it. They get an extra €500, €750, or €1,000.

“They [Leica, Cewe] are strong in Austria, but Canon and all the others are not interested. I even have it in writing. They tell me, ‘This is no market. Don’t contact us again. Austria is no market.”

“[Austria has a population of] just 9 million people [which is like the population of New York City]. They tell me, ‘Why don’t you do it in Germany? We’re on.’ It’s not unfriendly. You know how companies think…they have the market and a budget for photography. But if there’s no market, there’s no budget.”

Producing Colored Prints that Keep Photographers Happy

When so many photographers send files from around the world for printing in an outdoor exhibition, making prints that will make them happy with the colors, whether it is a cloudy day, bright sunlight, or dusk with some street lighting thrown in good measure, may be challenging.

“This is very easy,” says the photographer turned Festival director. “This is very easy for us because we are a publishing house [Edition Lammerhuber]. So, I have everything in-house.

“And we do quite a few books with National Geographic photographers. They sit in our studio for a week. They come to do the layout; they sit with the technicians. So, whatever files we get, we look at them, work on them, and proof-print them.

And if necessary, we check back with the photographers. Our studio has a huge terrace, and we always take the largest possible print into the sun. What you usually do for a book [is that] you try to find a place, you think, you could most likely be that you look at it. So, there should be a balance between red light, yellow light, sun, and the pictures must always work.

“Most of the pictures, we have to bring them down a little bit. So, maybe, let’s call it one stop, make them a little darker.”

At next year’s Festival, two giants will be exhibiting – Martin Parr and Sebastião Salgado.

“I have a feeling that I know him [Parr] for 100 years,” says Lammerhuber. “Because he feels the pulse of our time. He is honest. He does go really close to people and shows us how we are. We are not models. We are ordinary people. We have our flaws, we have our beauty, we have everything. And he can make this visible and always with a lot of humor. That is maybe the most influential voice in photography currently.

“Salgado has found a way to become an ambassador for nature for the world and mankind. The first images I saw about his work have been so full of poetry. Amazingly, I bought a few of them [prints] because I thought I had to have them nearby in my house, which was also seen by others. At the heart of all his work is Amazônia.”

About the author: Phil Mistry is a photographer and teacher based in Atlanta, GA. He started one of the first digital camera classes in New York City at The International Center of Photography in the 90s. He was the director and teacher for Sony/Popular Photography magazine’s Digital Days Workshops. You can reach him here.

Image credits: All photos courtesy of Festival La Gacilly-Baden Photo, Baden, Austria.

If you’re serious about shooting street photography or are thinking of purchasing one of the best cameras for street photography so you can take images like Alan Schaller or Henry Cartier-Bresson, then Street Photography Now is a must-read. Edited by Sophie Howarth and Stephen McLaren, published by Thames & Hudson, it was first published in 2010 – but is still the best book on the genre 13 years later.

This remarkable book features tons of contemporary street photography by some of the biggest names in the genre including,  Joel Meyerowitz, Carolyn Drake, Alex Webb, Martin Parr, and Matt Stuart (whose images flaunt the front and back cover) to name but a few, the whole book actually features the work of 46 photographers around the world, each with their own unique style and way of capturing street photography around the world.

As someone who has transitioned to street photography, I can’t count how many times I have opened up this book over the years to gain inspiration and insight into how to make my street photography better.

This book demonstrates that this vast genre of photography is forever changing and evolving as time goes on and showcases some fabulous work that really needs to be seen to be believed.

See our guide to the essential street photography tips

Spanning 301 photographs in black and white and color totaling 240 pages this book is an amazing read and visual representation of the genre around the world.

I personally have the paperback version which is still a hefty book for the coffee table, but for those that want this book to be a pride and joy, they did, and still do, offer it in hardback cover – which I can only imagine weighs a ton!

This book I think is simply a must-read for any street photographer to tuned-up on their skills for what to look out for, how to compose images, and really just look for any inspiration you can find, I said earlier I get this out often, and can honestly say even today, after owning it for a number of years I never get bored of looking through this remarkable book, and I really think if you haven’t already done say to pick it up and enjoy it, because I think it is one of the best street photography books on the market, regardless of its age, it might be old, but it’s gold!

There are familiar images: a man selling balloons, kids flying a kite, the passion captured in the throes of playing the national pastime, people walking past a religious place of worship, or a group of children excitedly scrambling to look at the digital images a photographer just took of them. The difference is that they were all taken in Afghanistan.

Omer Khan is a photojournalist who was born and raised in Kabul, earning a journalism degree there and selling some of his photography out of a space at the U.S. Embassy since 2015. In 2021, he and his wife, son, and brother evacuated on a military flight after U.S. troops withdrew and the Taliban resumed power. Among the tens of thousands of refugees who left the country, they settled in San Diego where he began exhibiting images from his self-published 2019 book, “Hidden Treasure,” which he created “to show the positive side of Afghanistan to the world.” Previously on display in Oceanside, where he also answered questions about his home country and his work there, about 20 of the 250 pictures from his book are currently on display at the El Cajon Library through Wednesday.

Initially here on humanitarian parole, which provides two years of benefits to Afghan nationals set to expire Sept. 30, Khan says that he, his wife and their 3-year-old son were granted permanent resident status this past June. Although the couple was working at a local Subway, they moved to Dallas in April for a job he found as a sound technician with an event production company; their plan is to return to San Diego in October. He took some time to talk about his photography, sharing an often unseen side of his home country, and the kind of life he would like to build in America. (This interview has been edited for length and clarity.) Khan’s quotes have been edited to maintain the way that he spoke during our interview as a non-native English speaker.

Q: Before leaving Afghanistan in 2021 when the Taliban resumed power, you had worked as a photographer at television stations and nongovernmental organizations. What inspired your photography when you were taking pictures back home?

A: My background was I was a calligrapher myself. I love arts, and when I joined the [department] of journalism, the first semester of university I read about a camera and photography that made me inspired and become in love with the camera. Then, I started photography, but since I saw the people that they feature of Afghanistan, I saw they just have bad in the media for Afghanistan. All the world, the media of Afghanistan [was negative] and that made me to photograph positive side of Afghanistan. I published a photo book in 2019 by the name of “Hidden Treasure” and I published that photo book because I want to show the positive side of Afghanistan to the world.

Q: What catches your eye/inspires your photography since arriving in San Diego?

A: Whenever I become free from work, I do street photography. I love street photography a lot. The main reason I still do photography is because it is my passion and I love it. It makes me feel free, makes me feel comfort to do photography. Yeah, so whenever I become free [from work] I just take my camera and walking sometimes in the beach, taking pictures. Sometimes, early morning, going downtown and to take a picture of daily life, like people running to their jobs, and find a good subject for photos. Outside of that, small events, big events; depends on the people, what kind of contract I get.

For myself, usually, I like street photography, a sunset, landscape photography, the beach, landscape photography of the city. These kinds of photos. When I take my camera, I feel comfortable with my passion. Whenever I take pictures, I feel very comfortable. I love to take pictures. I search a lot to work in my own field, but it’s still a little hard to work in the U.S. in the same field and find a job, but I don’t want to lose, to forget my passion. That is why I do it, to continue my own passion.

Q: Your book features photographs from across Afghanistan and was something you created to “show the positive side of Afghanistan.” How would you describe what that positive side is to people who’ve never been there? To people who’ve only seen news images of war and the Taliban?

A: When I was working at the U.S. Embassy, whenever people saw my pictures at the coffee shop, they say, ‘Oh wow, Afghanistan is that much beautiful?’ I say, ‘Yeah, you never hear about this location?’ He or she say, ‘No, we just saw all the news, the explosion, the fighting, war.’ It gave me the main reason I shoot the photos. Afghanistan have very beautiful landscapes, beautiful national parks, and also a lovely people. Every day, tourists and people come and they are surprised, saying, ‘We never seen such beauty in other countries.’ A lot of countries, they have the same thing, but every country has a different view from each other. Afghanistan has lots of beauty, the mountains of Afghanistan. Afghanistan is a mountain country, so the mountains are very beautiful and this is the beauty side of Afghanistan. I’m going to show the people. Whenever you search about Afghanistan, at first, the pictures in the internet come to war, so my main purpose is to show the actual location of Afghanistan, the beautiful landscape of Afghanistan, the national game of Afghanistan, the people of Afghanistan. It never shows the people. Whenever you search about Afghanistan it always shows, the first pictures from the internet come? The war in Afghanistan. So, it was my main purpose to show the ancient location of Afghanistan; the beautiful landscape of Afghanistan; the national game of Afghanistan; the people of Afghanistan, that they are very kind and they’re just people. The world, they know Afghanistan as a war country and the people can look not like normal people, they all grow up in the war or these things, but actually, the people are very kind. Whenever I had some friends, tourists or journalists from other countries, when they walking with me around Kabul, taking pictures, they were surprised that shopkeepers or restaurant people will offer them free food or something. They say, ‘Oh, we never had something in other countries. They never offered like that. [People here] have too much kindness.’ This was the main purpose [for my photos], to show the positive—landscape, people, ancient locations.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming is one of the most beautiful, yet pricey places you might consider visiting. It’s a popular spot for wealthy millionaires and billionaires to spend a few days in their second home during summers and ski seasons, as well as ordinary folks who love the skiing and national park touring.

While winter is what Jackson Hole is known for, more people actually visit in the summer, despite the expense. Fall is an even better time to visit, before the snow starts to drop. 

So what’s the attraction for Jackson?

It’s a really fun, classic Western town that wears its history on its sleeve, (“The Last of the Old West” is the town motto). You’ll find live shootout recreations in the center of Jackson Square, the classic Million Dollar Cowboy Bay right in the heart of town, where patrons can sit at the bar on a saddle, and dozens of Western wear shops lining the streets.

Also, it’s near not just one amazing, major national park, but two. Jackson is a ten-minute drive to the Grand Teton National Park, and 40 minutes from Yellowstone National Park. The Tetons is arguably even more impressive, at least in the summer and fall. Both parks attract just under 4 million visitors yearly.

The area has “exceptional wildlife” said Zeb Hermanson, a local photographer who works at the Jackson camera store, Wyoming Camera Outfitters. “Outside of Africa or Alaska, we have some of the most diverse wildlife you’ll find anywhere.”

Wildlife and smartphones? Yes, it can be done! As always, I filmed the latest episode of #PhotowalksTV on two iPhones, the 13 and 14 Pro Max models, the Samsung Galaxy S23+, a GoPro Hero 11 and my DJI Mavic Air 2S drone.

The Galaxy really came in handy for the moose shots, as it has a stronger, 10x optical zoom that just knocks the 3x of the iPhone out of contention in these types of situations. (Note the close-up of the moose below!) The iPhones did great for the traditional widescreen landscape scenes one would associate with visiting a national park. I couldn’t fly my drone in the park (a no-no) but I got great shots in Victor and Teton Valley, over the hill.

Did I miss having the big camera and huge zoom lens? Sure, but my body appreciated not having to lug them. And besides, how much closer did I really need to be to the moose? If I zoomed in any closer, I wouldn’t catch the antlers.

Top 5 Jackson Hole photo spots

Schwabacher’s Landing

About 16 miles from Jackson, this is a popular place for picnickers to sit and watch the moose graze in the mornings and early evenings. It’s a pretty safe bet you’ll find the moose if you come during those times.

Mormon Row

Dating back to the 1870s, these old barns belonging to settlers still look incredible today against the backdrop of the Tetons.

Jenny Lake

Known as the centerpiece of the park, here you’ll get your best view of the Tetons themselves. If you want to go beyond your basic sighting, you can hop a boat here (for a fee) and take a little ride to another part of the lake, where a short hike will bring you to a wonderful, huge waterfall.

Jackson

Downtown is a fun old Western town for walking around — but hold onto your wallet! Everything is pricey. Ice cream cones at the popular Moo’s start at $7.50!

Ansel Adams

The Snake River Overlook— Ansel Adams. The Snake River Overlook is where the legendary photographer captured the image of the Teton Range meeting the waters. But when he did it, he had an unobstructed view, which today is covered in trees. A drone would solve the issue, but that’s a no-no! If you can get high (like on a stepladder) when you visit, you’ll get a better shot.