Oakland, Calif., Sept. 1987, Richard Nagler
It felt like a slap in the face.
When I first saw the above image on the (generally fabulous) NPR Picture Show blog, I reeled back from my computer screen as if I had been physically struck.
I have no idea what were the intentions of Richard Nagler, the photographer who created this image. Perhaps he didn’t even realize why juxtaposing a Black woman next to a sign that reads “Trash” is problematic at best. But I think it speaks volumes as to how ingrained distorted ideas and views on race and sex can become, and how images have the power to bring those latent thoughts to the forefront.
Seeing this image and noticing that the people at NPR Picture Show didn’t analyze the racial and gendered aspects of this photograph reminded me of why I do what I do. I’m a photographer as well. I have a vested interest in not only creating images, but analyzing them, dissecting them, and finding a deeper meaning to them. Sometimes, it’s tempting to think that a photo is just a photo. But images have power. And Nagler’s image made it that much more clear to me why I am a photographer, why I create the images I create and why I helped co-found a black women photographers collective.
Critique is important, to be sure, but making sure I’m actually creating the images I want to see, and encouraging others like me to do the same counts for just as much. Perhaps even more.
Danielle Scruggs is a photographer and writer currently living and working in Washington, D.C., and Silver Spring, Md. Her work has been exhibited in Baltimore and Brooklyn and published by The Washington Post, Stop Smiling magazine, FILE magazine, and F-Stop Magazine. Scruggs holds an M.A. in Digital Arts from the Maryland Institute College of Art and a B.A. in Journalism from Howard University. She is still very much in love with Charm City, albeit from a distance.
Hi Danielle. Thanks you for your thoughtful and profound comments about this photograph. I had to give it a lot of thought whether to include this image in WORD ON THE STREET. I had discussions with the great writer and poet Ishmael Reed when it was decided to include this image in my second book, OAKLAND RHAPSODY, as well. None of the pictures in WORD are posed. They are visual accidents. This is exactly what I saw as I drove my car down San Pablo Avenue in Oakland. What I was trying to convey was the dignity of this person (who, by the way, I think is/was a man). My WORD photographs are an attempt to show the dignity and beauty of people I encounter on the street. I found it strange and poignant that a fellow human being was juxtaposed with the word TRASH. On the contrary, I felt that this person was beautiful and valuable and important. I was trying to say that sometimes words can be wrong and painful. And that we need to look beyond the surface to capture the soul and the depth of our fellow human beings. I can understand your reaction to this image and I want you to know that I sincerely regret any pain this photograph might cause you.
Thank you, Richard, for responding. Like I said, I wasn’t sure of your intentions, I just know I had a strong reaction. But thank you for taking me through your process and what you were really trying to convey with this image. It’s interesting how visual art is constantly interpreted and how people’s personal histories affect how they interpret what they see.