October 25th, 2010

The Damm Family in Their Car, Los Angeles, CA, USA, 1987, By Mary Ellen Mark



The Damm Family in Their Car, Los Angeles, CA, USA, 1987, By Mary Ellen Mark
family

Image by Thomas Hawk
Last week I ordered a copy of www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http… and it arrived today. There is something about fine art photography books that just makes images seem so much more magnificent when you see them in print vs. just online.

For those of you who have not seen Mary Ellen Mark’s work, it is really something. It is some of the finest portraiture work done to date by any photographer. Central to Mark’s photography is a certain intimacy with the subjects that she shoots. And getting intimate with society’s fringes is not always the easiest thing to do. Mark’s subjects include some of the most interesting every day people you’ve seen, but they also include circus oddities, homeless families, runaway kids, and women locked far, far, away deep in mental hospitals.

Much of Mark’s work pushes the boundaries. One of her photos is of a homeless family in bed together. The family had granted Mark unlimited access to their lives for a photo essay that she was doing for Life Magazine at the time. In the photograph a stepfather has his arms wrapped around his step daughter as his wife sleeps on his other side. His drug paraphernalia sits on the nearby dresser. The stepdaughter is awake and has this emotionally haunted and empty look in her eyes as the photograph is taken. It’s a painful photograph to see and makes you want to cry.

At the time the photograph was taken Marks tried to talk to the girl and had a gut feeling that she was being abused by her stepfather. The girl denied this at the time, although it did come out that she was being abused a few years later. Mark has a photograph of the same family years earlier (see above) when they were living in their car with a vicious pit bull.

Another of Mark’s photos shows a boy about 15 with a hand gun. According to the book he told Mark that he’d stolen the gun in a home burglary. When Mark photographed the boy he was squatting in a vacant building in Seattle with his friend.

Photographing society’s disenfranchised is never easy. So often it borders on just exploitation of these people more than anything else. But when done right, these photographs can tell a story and have power. They remind us that we are all human. And they remind us that those who are worse off than us need our help. They remind us that pain exists in the world and that we ought not lose sight of this.

Exposure represents Mark’s most complete anthology to date. She has other books as well, but Exposure is the best and broadest representation of her work.

Much of Mark’s work also is international. Her circus photographs from India are also some of her strongest.

To learn more about Mark you can check out her internet site here. Her Wikipedia page is here and here also is an interview she did with Salon from a number of years ago.

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55 Responses to “The Damm Family in Their Car, Los Angeles, CA, USA, 1987, By Mary Ellen Mark”

  1. sesame ellis, on October 25th, 2010 at 11:17 pm Said:

    She is one of my all time inspirations.

  2. suzanne†, on October 25th, 2010 at 11:24 pm Said:

    oh my goodness….heartbreaking, thank you for introducing this incredible photographer (to me).

  3. Photomotion, on October 26th, 2010 at 12:17 am Said:

    a very touching photograph. And I could not agree more on the difference between seeing photos online vs. seeing them in a photo book.

  4. sashasue, on October 26th, 2010 at 12:38 am Said:

    "They remind us that we are all human. And they remind us that those who are worse off than us need our help. They remind us that pain exists in the world and that we ought not lose sight of this. "

    Bravo, Thomas!! Thank you so much for sharing this. Many of us are only a paycheck, an illness, or an accident away from becoming homeless ourselves. Noone is immune from misfortune.

    I’d always admired Mark’s work, and I’m reminded to revisit it again…

  5. Lidia Camacho, on October 26th, 2010 at 1:30 am Said:

    thanks for all of the info!

  6. RM Stratton, on October 26th, 2010 at 1:49 am Said:

    Mary Ellen rocks!
    I love that book!
    it’s on my must own list when i can afford to divert funds from lens purchases etc

  7. ancawonka, on October 26th, 2010 at 2:22 am Said:

    Wow, I saw this photo in 1987, but as soon as I glimpsed it in the thumbnail I knew what it had to be. This is a gripping, very moving photo, and it sticks to you, just like the rest of her work. Thanks for sharing.

  8. Dalmatica, on October 26th, 2010 at 2:57 am Said:

    thank you for this great introduction. i will have to get her book.

  9. mtbjohn, on October 26th, 2010 at 3:37 am Said:

    Thanks Thomas, these type of photographs make me uncomfortable. And yeah, that’s a good thing.

    –
    Seen in my contacts’ photos. (?)

  10. jennm926, on October 26th, 2010 at 4:33 am Said:

    Thank you for sharing this photo/story with us. I think I need to own this book. There is something about this picture that will absolutely haunt me for a long time. I can’t look away from it.

  11. Andy Frazer, on October 26th, 2010 at 4:43 am Said:

    The Speakeasy has an audio interview with Mary Ellen Mark. I haven’t listened to it yet (there’s a lot of other photographer interviews on that page), but I am a big fan of M.E.M.

    –
    Seen in my contacts’ photos. (?)

  12. Precious Roy, on October 26th, 2010 at 4:59 am Said:

    interesting.
    but wondering how someone lives in a car "with a vicious pit bull."
    you wouldn’t live in a car with an alligator, so obviously the dog was not "vicious."

  13. carpediem365 (here & there), on October 26th, 2010 at 5:27 am Said:

    …so I wonder where that family is today…haunting and powerful image…

  14. Random Trish, on October 26th, 2010 at 6:17 am Said:

    Published vs. Online…couldn’t agree more!

    This photo is amazing and distraught, among other emotions felt. I will definitely take a look at Exposure!

  15. plousia, on October 26th, 2010 at 6:19 am Said:

    Wow. Powerful and haunting photo, to be sure.

    Even more so with the story.

    Thanks.

  16. erin watson photography, on October 26th, 2010 at 6:59 am Said:

    thanks for introducing me, this definitely has an unsettling feeling to it, not necessarily bad, just uncomfortable. i’m going to look into more of her work. it’s awesome that you included so much info : )

  17. indian nomad, on October 26th, 2010 at 7:15 am Said:

    Thanks for sharing this Thomas. Thats awesome work. I will read more about her and her work…

  18. dropdeadred, on October 26th, 2010 at 7:30 am Said:

    This is on exhibit now, at the Huntington Library, in San Marino, Ca.

  19. Tammy Sams, on October 26th, 2010 at 7:31 am Said:

    thank you for sharing this

  20. gabrielavasquez304, on October 26th, 2010 at 7:47 am Said:

    Que lindo

  21. Je suis Hector :P, on October 26th, 2010 at 8:05 am Said:

    Wow, is an amazing photograph …

  22. justJared, on October 26th, 2010 at 8:29 am Said:

    powerful photo!
    Thanks for introducing her, I checked out alot of her other work and its amazing

  23. aashu189, on October 26th, 2010 at 8:43 am Said:

    A

  24. hannu.eskelinen, on October 26th, 2010 at 9:16 am Said:

    This is very stopping foto…

  25. Golfhunter, on October 26th, 2010 at 9:19 am Said:

    Bonjour, je suis l’administrateur du groupe My car & Me : a love story, et nous aimerions beaucoup que vous ajoutiez ceci à notre groupe !

  26. makeyourheritage.com, on October 26th, 2010 at 9:54 am Said:

    Captures life of a family. What year was this taken?

  27. Seth chen, on October 26th, 2010 at 10:12 am Said:

    I love this kind of feeling

  28. andre govia, on October 26th, 2010 at 10:15 am Said:

    This is first class 10/10

  29. Lonersquare, on October 26th, 2010 at 10:52 am Said:

    One of the most powerful photos I ever seen im my life. Truly reminds me to appreciate what I have. May I add this to my Family Virtues and Family Values, group?

  30. Bettie Page Styled, on October 26th, 2010 at 11:20 am Said:

    I searched under "pit bull" and "kids" and this pops up? Seems like the step father was more of a threat than the "vicious pit bull".

  31. Quenby_Sheree, on October 26th, 2010 at 11:51 am Said:

    That "vicious pit bull" was the family pet and did nothing more vicious then poop in the car, dude. The story is dramatic enough without you adding falsehoods.

    Where did the girl mention being abused by her step dad? I never read anything about that.

  32. mizha.imoet, on October 26th, 2010 at 12:36 pm Said:

    Tida untuk di liat..hehe

  33. mizha.imoet, on October 26th, 2010 at 1:32 pm Said:

    Freand

  34. sxyskye_c@yahoo.com, on October 26th, 2010 at 2:30 pm Said:

    Lol

  35. matthewsism, on October 26th, 2010 at 3:02 pm Said:

    Hi, I’m an admin for a group called dissecting the family album, and we’d love to have this added to the group!

  36. kristianm18, on October 26th, 2010 at 3:53 pm Said:

    Great photo!

    -Kristian
    Sportsbook Review

  37. poojachaturvedi8860, on October 26th, 2010 at 4:39 pm Said:

    A

  38. Giuseppe Amato - giusam, on October 26th, 2010 at 5:21 pm Said:

    Questa foto non mi stanco mai di guardarla

  39. daccos88, on October 26th, 2010 at 5:33 pm Said:

    B

  40. ViCkY222, on October 26th, 2010 at 6:27 pm Said:

    Muy buena foto!

  41. just4memike, on October 26th, 2010 at 7:08 pm Said:

    Moving!

  42. ipaco8, on October 26th, 2010 at 7:36 pm Said:

    She’s an inspiration, as it is Sebastiao Salgado and Michael Ackerman

  43. αиgєℓα ριккσℓα ѕтєℓℓιиα , on October 26th, 2010 at 7:56 pm Said:

    HEY.LiTTLE.DiCKZ.CHECK.OUT.Mi.AWZUM.FOTO

  44. shahrulsmart95@yahoo.com.my, on October 26th, 2010 at 8:41 pm Said:

    So good

  45. epolcrueltyknxy4460KN, on October 26th, 2010 at 9:04 pm Said:

    Amanda lost 19 pounds in 2 weeks, Mark lost 21 pounds in 11 days and best of all I am living proof that this stuff works, It only costs $6 and 100% guarenteed to work. These are the same pills that Oprah was talking about last monthClick Here to find out morehttp://bit.ly/umGQv

  46. mufa47jmtm, on October 26th, 2010 at 9:42 pm Said:

    L

  47. lloyd fleming, on October 26th, 2010 at 10:02 pm Said:

    Hi, I’m an admin for a group called R’Family, The human family, the family of man, and we’d love to have this added to the group!

  48. Save The Silver, on October 26th, 2010 at 10:44 pm Said:

    Amazing shot !

  49. azrarion11, on October 26th, 2010 at 11:04 pm Said:

    Dk

  50. sixty8panther, on October 26th, 2010 at 11:16 pm Said:

    Wow…. that’s really horrific & amazing at the same time.

  51. pauljapan, on October 27th, 2010 at 12:07 am Said:

    Awesome family foto !

  52. nguoivoboben_nguoivoboben, on October 27th, 2010 at 12:50 am Said:

    Malida

  53. devii_beauty, on October 27th, 2010 at 1:07 am Said:

    ADE

  54. ehrensw, on October 27th, 2010 at 1:44 am Said:

    Not sure this is in the creative commons. It would be cool if it were, but we need to keep our licenses straight and I don’t think it is.

  55. Markus*, on October 27th, 2010 at 2:23 am Said:

    I’ve read about Mark recently and I decided to check out her work. this is one of the darkest photographs under the label "family picture" that I know. thanks for sharing, I’m going to order the book immediately!

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