Photojournalist shares intense experiences

Not many people are willing to live and travel with Nazi Skinheads for two and half years to photograph and write about them. Not many people hang around gravediggers for a year and a half to see what makes them tick and to capture it on film. \nMarc Asnin has been there and done that, and he has a passion for it.\nAsnin delivered a public informal lecture for the Institute of Advanced Study as a Distinguished Citizen Fellow Monday night. He discussed his work, how it has shaped his life and why he does it. This vociferous Brooklyn man, sporting a goatee, glasses and a black brim hat, captivated his listeners with his photos, experiences and a New York accent. \n"The job does get overwhelming," Asnin admits, when asked if it was hard to live amongst a group filled with as much hate as the Nazi skinheads. "Even though they are very nice people on a personal level, I was surrounded by such a concentration of hate." \nAs he spoke of this experience, he clicked through images on his slide show involving crosses engulfed with flames, skinheads holding guns, skinheads involved in clan rallies and skinheads with large Nazi tattoos on their bodies. \nOne of Asnin's most acclaimed projects is his photo essay entitled "Uncle Charlie." For this project, Asnin became a fly on the wall to his uncle, his five cousins and their mother for 20 years. In the process, he took many pictures and accumulated over 100 hours of interviews with his uncle's family. He told about the difficulties and rewards of such a project. As he spoke, black and white pictures flashed on the screen -- images of raw life and the emotions of a family whose struggles deal with mental illness, broken relationships, drugs and poverty. Startling photos of his uncle staring hauntingly into space, getting high on crack and receiving oral sex from his crack-addicted girlfriend were among the images that portrayed every aspect of Uncle Charlie's life along with photos of the family standing straight-faced by the Christmas tree or Asnin's cousins rubbing their father's feet.\nMary Ellen Brown, director of the Institute for Advanced Study, said having a Citizen Fellow lecturer was part of a nomination process.\n"This time we had a fairly unusual lecturer," Brown said, considering past speakers who have served the same position. "But I see it as a breath of fresh air for everyone who partook. We heard from someone with real experiences, and I think that serves as an example for students, whether they take it positively or negatively."\nTyagan Miller, IU photojournalism teacher and good friend of Asnin, said he enjoyed Asnin's presentation and said students could obtain a lot of insight from the lecture.\n"He offered the idea that photography isn't always about income," Miller said. "It's not always about the prizes and the books. It is the commitment and value that goes along with a long term project that can provide a richer, deeper and more rewarding experience."\nMiller went on to say that through Asnin's talk, students should realize that social documentary photography does not pay well, and people rarely do it. Asnin has demonstrated how deep one can actually go into a project if one acquires a cavernous amount of commitment, he said.\n"It is not about that decisive moment," Miller said, concerning the quick click of a camera by many photographers just to get a picture. "It's the process of shooting and shooting and realizing there is more than one decisive moment."\nJunior Katie Griffin, Arbutus yearbook photo editor and photojournalism major, said she was stirred by Asnin and his work.\n"It's always inspiring to hear about someone who has done so much," Griffin said. "I very much enjoyed his ability to capture emotion."\nAfter seeing Asnin's work, Griffin said it motivated her to get out of the classroom and live that life right away.\n"It's what I want to do," Griffin said.\nAsnin will be in Ernie Pyle Hall Room 157 ("the Pit") Tuesday night for an informal gathering to talk with photography students and anyone who is interested in photography. On Wednesday, Miller and Asnin will be at IUPUI all day. Throughout the week, Asnin will also be visiting photojournalism classes.