Pussy Riot live from the Police State!

Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

Thanks so much, Ibraar! I appreciate your thoughts and views, and hope your forecast isn't true. Brave people like Nadya Tolokonnikova are a big part of the solution, and maybe each of us can be a small part of the solution in our own ways. Non-violent resistance is the most effective weapon ever invented to combat authoritarianism. And in the end when enough of us combine our voices, there is no way we lose. Photography can also play a part as we've seen with the many great posts on No Kings. All best from the Police State, s

James Evidon replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

Now in my 90's, I am truly broken hearted at the radical changes occurring in my beloved country. While this technically is not the proper place for political statements, I do wish to thank Mr. Hussain for his comments. If I were younger, New Zealand would look tempting as a democracy located at "the ends of the earth", so to speak. Will these disastrous changes become more or less permanent? Certainly not, if our system remains intact enough to change the direction of my beloved country in 2028. But at this point in time, that looks like a very big "if".

Ibraar Hussain replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

Absolutely - we are the many. I do find pointing at china and Russia to be a Maga’ist distraction - ‘look over there - Chinese social credit system..’ meanwhile we have Musk Thiel Trump and Netanyahu implementing what I can only describe as a tyranny at home and an Empire abroad

Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and feelings. I remain confident that this will pass, and I think it's likely that it is already past its peak. But things will only turn out well if we all speak up and tell truth to power even in a photo blog!. I'll save the rest of my thoughts for another forum, but thanks so much and wishing you the best, s

Ibraar Hussain replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

Thanks Scott Thing is, it’s the US and by extension the Anglo American establishment which most of us see as the source of war, tyranny and instability in the world - rather than Russia or China, which has been the case for many decades and is getting worse with each passing President, with Trump being the last of a long line of Gangsters. So I don’t have much hope.

Ibraar Hussain replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

You’ll find it’s the Government which is the problem - they all follow the same general policies and steer in the same direction, regardless of whatever face they wear - they’re cunning at using Hegelian dialectics to set people against each other - let the peasants squabble. Of course Trump is probably the most despicable unmasked face - did you see him slobbering and barely able to form words a week or so ago?

Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

Thanks Stephen! Yes, personal and collective courage and resistance are what we need.

Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

Thanks David, I was very pleased with the portrait of Nadya, and overall happy to have photographed the show. Yes, the bold faced statements by people defending this horrific killing might be almost as scary as the event itself. Also frightening is the two versions of reality we seem to be living in right now where two sets of people see the same video and one group sees it as 2+2=4, and another sees it and confidently proclaim that 2+2=5. I hope we emerge from this murk as soon as possible.

Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

Thanks Benjamin, I have printed a couple of them through a digital lab, including a decent sized print of the portrait of Nadya, but currently don't have the access or skills for darkroom printing. Interesting about Teen Vogue, I'd love to see some of the articles you reference. Best, s

Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

Thanks so much Art, While I wish they were as photographically accomplished as your amazing photo of the year at No Kings, I'm really happy to have gotten them, and have to confess there's something I have kind of gotten like about the somewhat lo-fi look of these photos, kind of an 'underground' feel that suits the subject. May we all be safe from state sponsored violence! Best, s

Gary Smith replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

Wow! You just don't get it do you?

Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

Walter, I had written a lengthy and thoughtful reply that I accidentally omitted with an errant keystroke. Maybe it's a good thing. I tried to provide a warning about both the political content and the technical challenges of the photos in this post in the disclaimer at the top. I appreciate your candor and the technical feedback, but I'll probably keep taking risks and trying new things and sharing my learning curve here on 35mmc -- the feedback from more experienced photographers like yourself has been a big part of that learning curve, which I appreciate, and from time to time, I might save another photographer from making the mistakes I've made along the way. Cheers, s

Alexandre Kreisman replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

Seeing the lighting conditions, i doubt that an average reading might work at all. I often use the internal spot meter in these circumstances and have great success (whether spot or ponderal). You comment suggest you have knowledge on shooting in dim light though. If that is the process Scott has choosen to learn photography, who are you to judge it ? Have you ever heard of constructive criticism ? Yes 200 Iso is not enough, yes relying on an old build-in light meter with an unknown film is a risky move, again, who are you to judge ? If you have 50 years of experience in photography, shouldn't you be more prone as to guide instead of a blatant criticism ? Just think about this! This community is here to teach and share. Share images, experiences, knowledge. In this case, the way you expressed your opinion was not beneficial. Perhaps you should think about it.

Walter Reumkens replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

What don't I understand, Gary? I want to talk about photography here, not politics, neither Trump nor any other politician. Just our wonderful shared hobby.

Walter Reumkens replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

Thank you for your comment on my remarks, Alexandre. I admit that my words were too harsh. The automatic translation from German probably made them even harsher. I am new here and grateful for your feedback. Scott takes photographs with this Contax T2, a Hasselblad and a Leica camera, which is rather unusual for a beginner. That's why I assumed some basic knowledge of film exposure, which is probably not available, but could certainly be expected with this equipment. He would have been better off using his Leica and measuring the exposure with an external light meter. I don't have this Contax, only the very similar Tix, but I don't think this camera is very suitable for this shooting situation.

Gary Smith replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

At best, 35mmc makes for a poor discussion forum. Hamish created the Real Photographers Forum for that purpose and includes a link. You should have understood from the title of Scott's article that it wasn't going to fit into your comfort zone. There are several regular contributors here that I routinely skip because I know that I'm not going to be interested in their subjects. If you want to TALK about photography I suggest that you visit sites that support dialog. This site is geared to the reading of user contributed articles with the limited ability to comment. Scott has posted numerous articles in the past. His commentary on the political views of the object of his evening of concert photography reflect the anguish that many here in the USA (and probably around the world) feel and should have been clear from the title (if not from his warning). Mom always said: 'If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." You could have skipped reading or having read anyway, skipped commenting as Scott clearly doesn't need your advice on how to take photographs.

Gary Smith replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

Scott has worked in the film and TV industry for years so I'm not sure that I'd classify him as a beginner. Here in the USA, music venues usually restrict the use of professional cameras during a performance by a professional performer. Venues aren't particularly adept at spotting "professional" photographic gear so often they resort to any camera with an interchangeable lens. The small/sleek Contax easily fits into a pocket. It may or may not have provided better photographs than (say) an iPhone.

Alexandre Kreisman replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

Hey Walter, No problem, coming from Luxemburg, Hamish usually tells me to write in my native language and then translate, fortunately for me I've worked more than 10 years, primarily in English so his suggestion doesn't work for me, so I understand. I agree with you that Scott's approach and using different medium whilst learning the basic is unorthodox to say the least, but as a friend say : It is what it is. Glad you got my point ;o) Happy shooting Alex

David Pauley replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

Walter, Jumping in here with my two cents. I don't think criticism of the sort you offered here is ever really constructive or helpful, however gracious Scott is being about receiving it. First because it presupposes that there is a "proper" photographic technique from which any deviation is inferior -- a rather simplistic criticism lobbed at many famous photographers...such as Robert Frank (to pick just one obvious example)—whose work now hangs on museum walls. And second because your comment in its sharpness borders on being mean-spirited. I do generally like and value your comments here Walter but this is for me quite an exception. I'll not add anything on the topic of politics as others have already done so better than I could. David

Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

Hello friends! I went out to a gallery opening and dinner and came back to a very spicy conversation here. I appreciate the supportive comments from my friends who responded more positively to the post and its content, and I'm not upset at my friend Walter for his more bluntly expressed thoughts. Ultimately, we both may have been using an imperfect tool for what we were trying to do, in Walter's case, google translate, in my case, a small point and shoot with an internal meter. If I had been a credentialed photographer, or in a situation where I was confident photography would be allowed, I would have brought a spot meter, the M3 and a couple of lenses, including the Summilux 1.5. If I was shooting for someone other than myself, I would have probably used a more familiar film, perhaps XP2, which I had recently shot in low light with excellent results on the T2, which you can see in my Halloween post. But Gary is exactly right on the reasons I came with the smallest lowest profile film camera I have. And shooting Ukrainian film had a certain kind of meaning for me in the context of the event, even if it meant taking on a risk by using an unfamiliar stock. On the topic of meaning, writing about what the show and the experience of taking the photos meant to me felt as important as the discussion about the camera and film stocks and the technical challenges I faced. I was aware that some people might not respond warmly to the political aspects of the post, which is why I started with the content advisory at the top of the post, and consulted with Hamish before submitting the post. But if I have aspirations for my photos, conveying meaning and emotion are the reasons I'm in the game, and despite their technical flaws, these photos have meaning and emotion for me, and it seems some members of the forum. Hopefully next time I try shooting a concert, I'll be able to bring more appropriate gear, and next time I'm using the Contax in tricky lighting, I will have learned a bit from shooting these photos. Again thanks to all for the lively dialogue! And Wake Up America!

Walter Reumkens replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

Yes, Scott, it turned into a heated discussion here. I have already responded to @Alexandre; my statement was inappropriate. I apologise. I was not aware of the reasons you have now given for the concert and the camera, and therefore did not take them into account. I only saw the photos and still believe that it was the wrong camera for this purpose. The difficult lighting conditions on site cannot be captured with the more or less spot metering of the centre circle (AF metering field) of the T2. The black and white film can only reproduce a contrast of 1:32, but on site it was considerably higher, so you have to take several measurements and decide what is important to you about the subject. Thank you for your understanding, Scott. Sorry!

Ibraar Hussain replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

the highlights have blown quite a bit I’d have metered for the shadows then dropped exposure by 2 stops. Of course an SLR would’ve been ideal. I’d also have used a compensating developer. Apologies for my a-political anti establishment rant Walter. Inappropriate

Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

Walter, No worries at all and apology not necessary, but accepted nevertheless, and keep that feedback coming even when it's not a pat on the back for a job well done. It was definitely not the ideal camera for that situation, but as we've noted, the only option I had for shooting film shots. And I'd love to be able to go in and shoot a concert with a spot meter and try to make really strong shots like Alexandre does in his gorgeous concert photography. And maybe some day I will get there. Meanwhile, this was a good learning experience, for sure! If I am limited to the Contax in a similar ad hoc situation, I hope I do better compensating for backlight in the future -- historically, I've erred on the side of underexposing the faces, and here I overexposed a bit more than would be ideal. In any event, this has been a more interesting conversation than I anticipated. I'm not sure what hit a bigger nerve, the politics or the exposure issues in the photos!

Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

Gary, Thanks so much! I'm truly happy that the photos as well as the writing seemed to have touched many readers, despite some of the less thanperfect qualities of of some of them. it means a lot that anyone got it, especially photographers I respect. And for those that didn't love it, that's ok too. This was a 'stretch' shooting situation, and I learned from it, including from Walter's feedback. Best, s

Gary Smith replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

At 70+ years old, I'm not sure that I would brave a Pussy Riot concert - certainly not here in one of the cities that has been invaded by Trump's brown shirts.

Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 10/01/2026

The vibe at the show was a bit more "Fine Art" event than mosh pit. Laurie Anderson did a conversation with Nadya before the concert and there was a lot more grey hair than purple, green or pink. Many of us thought New York had a target on its back after Zoran Mamdani got elected and thought we would next in line after Chicago. But so far Zoran has managed to develop a very interesting and unexpectedly positive relationship with Trump without selling his soul or bending the knee. He seems formidable and I think the many people forecasting his administration will be a catastrophe are underestimating him. Time will tell -- something Zoran has more of than most of us!

Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 11/01/2026

Thanks so much, Curtis! I really appreciate the warm feedback, especially about the photos, which I have grown to like for their energy and somewhat 'expressionist'/punk feel, but don't feel totally secure about on their technical qualities. I think we might be reaching a moment where the fray is coming to us and photography has a very important role in times like these. All best, s

Art Meripol replied:

Comment posted: 11/01/2026

Indeed photography has a roll in these times. Great recognition on your part. Not everyone can be on the street but we all have our own voice and using the camera to say it is strong. You did it here. I worked on newspaper and magazine staffs where some shooters were superior technically while others had a powerful eye but couldn’t be bothered with technical aspects. Just wasn’t their strength. But moment and emotion was. It’s great to strive for both but to stir the heart is usually the goal.. These may not be clinically perfect but I think they do capture the attitude. Technique can get in the way of emotion but it can also enhance the impact. Keep on with what you’re doing. Knowing what to do is important but learning what doesn’t work and not wasting effort on it is too.

Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 11/01/2026

Hey Art, Thanks so much. I appreciate your generous thoughts on the photos as well as the value of photos in our current moment. Everything I've shot since I got back into film photography in mid 2024 has been on a giant learning curve, and to the degree I've improved, it has been by trying to stretch and sometimes risk failure. I wouldn't say that I can be bothered with the technical aspects, and I'm disappointed when photos come back that aren't up to snuff, but I think I prefer an interesting failure to a boring success, and I think these photos do capture and attitude and energy better than they do skin tones or white fabric. All best to you, and see you at the barricades. Best, s

David Pauley replied:

Comment posted: 11/01/2026

Thanks David for this post, which I think helps me to better understand what Walter was trying to say about technical matters related to Scott's photos. It's so easy to impute tone to other people's words in a written forum such as this. I'm afraid I may be guilty of that here—seeing a hostility that it seems clear was not at all Walter's intention. Walter, if you're reading this, please accept my apology for jumping to that conclusion. It also makes sense to me that you "pros" may see and be vexed by obvious photographic missteps that this old amateur, at least, may not notice or even be aware of (or may at times see as a valid aesthetic choice, even if it came about through happenstance). Thanks again to you and to Scott for getting this ball rolling... David

Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 11/01/2026

David Hume, Thank you for your astute and thoughtful responses to both the photos and the ensuing conversation on 35mmc. I would be delighted to send you some scans and see what you are able to recover in post. I did spend some time fiddling with the scans in Lightroom when they came back from the lab, and didn't have much luck finding a happy place that pulled back the blown highlight, but someone more skilled in that part of the workflow might be able to get more out of those frames than I could. I am out of pocket the next day or so, but I'll forward the scans as soon as I have time to pull it together. Very excited to see how this works! Best, s

Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 11/01/2026

Thanks David Pauley, I think these photos fall somewhere on the misstep side of the sliding scale from mistake to valid aesthetic choice. Some of them are better and more interesting than the motion blur image I used for the featured image that I think has an interesting almost abstract quality that captures the energy of performance, the guitarist in the triangle of light and the first shot of Nadya at the microphone with motion blur on her right hand, but better exposure on her face than many of the rest. I think it was going out on a bit of a limb to show some of the other more blown out photos on a photography website rather than a xerox'ed punk fanzine, but I've actually gotten a good bit out of the ensuing conversation, and feel like it's better to take a risk and learn than not try to stretch and stay in the safety zone. That's probably why I would go to a Pussy Riot concert in the first place! Cheers, s

Walter Reumkens replied:

Comment posted: 11/01/2026

David, I've read it. Everything's fine!

David Hume replied:

Comment posted: 11/01/2026

Cheers Scott… since I've already gone on too long… Why stop now? (I wish I'd been careful enough to check that I had some paragraph breaks in that last comment.) A couple more things. I have not used a Contax T2 and of course the exposure is always automatic, and so what I think you need to do is use manual focus set on infinity do a half press to in essence fix it to manual exposure which you've made off what you think is a good area, that's possible. And then be very patient until you take the shot. Anyway, it's your camera and I'm sure you would know this, but I didn't want to be sloppy and just say "use manual exposure". I don't know if you can keep exposure between shots with a continuing half press or whether you need to repeat the whole thing each time. But anyway when I used to shoot people on stages at night for events the metering was really simple because I would just get a reading, set and forget about it and then I could concentrate entirely on waiting for the right moment. Not so easy with the Contax. And onto the scans… I read that you were going to take it back to the dev/scanning place to see if they can tell you where the marks came from, and if you're doing that I'd say why not get your favourite frames rescanned, this time saying "could you make sure that you don't lose anything that's there in the highlights, even if it means losing the shadows?" From memory you get tiffs done so this shouldn't really be an issue but you never know. So much of scanning seems to be up to the operator. In my opinion a good scan should come back with no 100% whites or blacks, and it should be left up to the photographer to set those to taste.. However, I think a lot can be done with a sympathetic scanner operator. This reminds me of a post I did here ages ago (I think it was about expired film) where I shot some 20 year-old expired PanF in 120 and when I saw the negs as I was picking them up they just looked like absolute lumps of charcoal on the acetate. I assumed they were completely unusable and was just about to say thanks and walk off, and the scanner operator said "hey wait - don't you want to see what I got off them?" And to my amazement he had managed to really pull some beautiful detail out of these black lumps and I ended up using them in an exhibition. I only just thought of that so it could be worth a try. Anyway, I think the whole process is really interesting and because and you like these photos I reckon you should give it a go. It could make a good follow-up here too. I'd certainly be interested in it. Cheers.

Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 11/01/2026

That's an interesting thought on trying to 'freeze' the exposure using the manual setting. I am game to give that a shot, but one of my challenges in this particular case was how different the lighting conditions were from one part of the stage to another with a constantly moving subject. But it might have been good to settle on a setting and then lay in wait, as you suggest. I think I may have been a little more confident in the camera's auto settings from a pretty succcessful outing on Halloween, but this was a much more challenging situation, and I was really thrown by that naked lightbulb that I knew was throwing the internal meter off and would have made all of the shots of the band heavily underexposed, and I think I overcompensated by a stop or two. I might have had better results on a more familiar film. I think your idea of revisited the lab is a great one and I plan to give it a go when I have a minute. Thanks again for your thoughts, wisdom and encouragement!

Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 11/01/2026

Thanks Leon, It's certainly been lively! And yes, photography is part of free speech and long may we photographers be able to shoot what we want to and write about it how we want to. If we touch a nerve with out photos, I hope we're doing something right, even for an imperfect photo by an imperfect photographer. Best, s

Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 12/01/2026

Hey Geoff, Well I'd say we've really gotten somewhere if we are talking about Plato on 35mmc, although I did bring up the Analogy of the Cave on a post about a Camera Obscura a month or so ago. I wish I had a deeper knowledge of Plato and feel like I should read The Republic. From my 'history enthusiast's' understanding of Plato I have mixed feelings about his political views. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think he was living in tumultuous times, probably even more difficult than ours are now, but maybe not completely dissimilar -- Athens was reeling from losing the Peloponnesian and the victorious Spartans replaced Athenian Democracy with an oligarchy, and Plato and his circle more or less sided with the oligarchy. He suggests an elitist rule by philosopher kings which seems hopelessly unlikely and was strongly against democracy. In my view, he is a brilliant thinker but I disagree with his political views. We have been through many cycles of the struggle to make democracy serve either the wealthy elite or the people who create the value in the economy through their labor, including the Civil War, the Robber Baron era when the Industrial Age Robber Barons were having literal shooting wars with their labor force, like in my hometown of Pittsburgh, and the near collapse that led to the New Deal in the US and fascism in Europe. The pendulum swings back and forth and we will need many reforms if we are successful in checking the current regime. I remain hopeful, and actually think they are already on the downward slope after peaking in 2025, but I fear they're gonna make a really big mess on their way out the door. Anyway, despite some controversy, I've enjoyed the dialogue that has come in this little photography forum and the community that has a nice set of internal checks and balances that keep us a strong and vibrant group. Cheers, s

Scott Ferguson replied:

Comment posted: 19/01/2026

Eagle! Wow, I'm so chuffed by your high praise of these photos! It means so much to me. As you may have gathered from my caveats and qualifications in the post, I was not feeling totally confident and secure about the technical quality of the photos, but still feel they have qualities of energy, expressiveness and meaning to me, which is why I shared them here. I love that I've found my true audience for this post and this photo set! There has been a really interesting range of reactions from dismissal to appreciation mixed with generous tips on how to do better technically, all accepted with gratitude and humility. I love how rich an art photography is that the same photos can inspire such a wide range of reactions. Yours has really made my day and gives me more confidence to keep going! Thanks, s