Peter van Agtmael “Robert Capa’s adage has become one of the most ubiquitous phrases in photography. Like many iconic quotes, it’s both incredibly vague and specific; you can interpret it any way you please. The mea
(...) ning is neither strictly tied to physical proximity (the ‘right distance’ can be anywhere from centimeters to kilometers), nor emotional distance (some great photos are intimate, some detached). To me, being ‘close enough’ is part physical, part emotional and part intellectual.
This picture of a ‘second line’ parade is from a series that focuses on race and class, as I was looking at the imprints of history on the present. These particular parades came about after the Civil War. Because insurance companies wouldn’t cover ex-slaves, African Americans formed benevolent societies that helped members defray health costs. The dues included a band for funerals and a public parade every year. Today there are parades almost every Sunday in New Orleans.
I try to take great individual pictures, but most important to me is how the individual image can create a broad-reaching and unexpected, yet coherent interpretation of the world. That’s a lifelong task, and one that demands the enduring need to ‘get closer.’”
— Peter van Agtmael © Peter van Agtmael | Magnum Photos
