05-FEB-2008
a dancing winter woman
On Monday I was fortunate to have another photo shoot for my Winter Nudes project. The woman who modeled loves to dance, so I put on a CD and let her do what comes naturally. Such grace and beauty! I could tell she forgot I was even there; that's why her photos are a dance in themselves. I'm still preparing her photos--I took 152--so this is the only one I'll post right now. But tomorrow you'll see the completed series. I'm going to create a subgallery for her in my
Winter Nudes gallery and hope to select the best dozen shots for it.
Have I told you lately how much I LOVE working on this series? Yes, I guess I have. But what touches me most deeply is my friends' trust that I will present their beautiful bodies in a respectful way. Can you imagine how it would feel to have your bare body on the internet for all the world to see? This, my friends, takes courage. I salute the winter women who dare to walk this path with me. They are my sheroes.
If you want to see evidence of the uniquely creative gifts of our PBase community, I encourage you to check out Crina's "Clown Triste Contest/Challenge."
CLICK HERE to see it. I was one of 48 PBasers who chose to participate, and it was lots of fun. Thanks to Crina for her inspired idea and hard work creating the original photo, organizing the contest/challenge, and posting the submissions on her gallery pages. I have a feeling a new PBase tradition has been born...
04-FEB-2008
reflections on the nude
It's hard to imagine that I was complaining about being on "inspiration overload" just two days ago. Last night (Saturday) and this morning I was crazed with creativity! Pulled an all-nighter, in fact. Before I fell into bed at 6 a.m. on Sunday morning, I'd posted three new images in my Winter Nudes gallery (
CLICK HERE) to see them). After only two and a half hours sleep, I was up and at it again. And the fact that I got out my tripod means I'm really getting serious about this project. Today I put up two more new images, one of which you see here.
Working with the nude body is bringing back memories of art school. I spent years in life drawing and life sculpture classes. As every artist knows, there's no better way to learn about form, contour, light, values, scale and composition than to draw and sculpt from nude models. I remember being put off at first, especially when the model was male, but those feelings quickly passed. They had to. There was no time for discomfort when you were trying to express in two or three dimensional forms what was standing, sitting or lying in front of you. The task needed every bit of your attention.
I'm finding the same is true with photography. Working with nudes sets up artistic and even ethical choices that other subjects don't. What makes one photo fine art and another pornography? I believe a lot has to do with intent. If you as photographer are wanting to titillate your viewers, you will make certain choices in the poses you ask your models to take, the vantage point from which you shoot, even what props you give your models to hold. In fine art photography, you are most interested in capturing the essence of your model's humanness. You might want to isolate certain parts of his or her body. Or the play of light and shadow might be what interests you most. Maybe you're intrigued by the way one shape or form contrasts with another. Whatever your intent as photographer, that is what the viewer will intuitively see and respond to. One knows instinctively whether an image is fine art or pornography by the physiological response it triggers in you. There's a big difference between awe and sexual stimulation.
Nude self portraiture, whatever the medium, can be challenging because of the inner and outer voices that try to tell you it is "bad" to show your body to anyone but your spouse or doctor. And yet there is a time-honored artistic tradition of painting, drawing and sculpting the nude body. Just think of all the medieval paintings of Adam and Eve in the Garden. Or Michelangelo's Creator with outstretched hand painted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Don't you imagine some of these were based on self portraits? I'm sure it was as hard to get willing models then as it is now. If you stay focused on your purpose in taking these photos, the images themselves will reflect that purpose.
That's why I try to hold in my mind why I am taking these nude portraits and self portraits for my Winter Nudes gallery. I want my intent to be clear so the images will tell the story I want the viewers to hear. These are not nude bodies just to show nude bodies. No, I am committed to bringing about a change in attitudes about our culture's definitions of beauty. That's what this series is all about.
03-FEB-2008
Amy, framer extraordinaire of Sensual Seniors #1 & 2
Today I picked up my photos from Amy at the framing store. Not only was the job completed in one day, but it was done superbly well! The Rainy Day Company--a locally owned business--will definitely get my business again. I drove right from there to the Lawrence Street Gallery to submit my photos in the juried Body Eclectic show. I'll let you know as soon as I hear if my works were accepted. I then drove across town to join my women's community at their monthly song gathering. I was hours late but it didn't matter; just being with these women fills me with life.
During our breaks and afterwards at dinner, I talked with several of the women about my latest project, the Winter Nudes. My hope was that I might interest one or two in posing for me. Well, these wonderful women responded with enthusiasm, and I've now got four definite models and three or four possibles! So much for yesterday's "inspiration overload." I am SO excited to continue working on this series!
This Winter Nudes project feels so important to me, and the responses from the women validated my feelings. This is about so much more than art; it is an act of resistance to our culture's skewed definitions of beauty. The saddest thing about the obsession with thin, youthful bodies is that it's hard not to internalize the message that anything else is ugly. I am determined to fight that stereotype, to show that ALL kinds of women's bodies are beautiful. Not only do I want to photograph older women, but also women of size. One of the women who has agreed to model is a breast cancer survivor who is scarred from surgery to remove part of one breast. I want to celebrate her beauty. I told her about some of the wonderful comments you PBasers have left on my
Winter Nudes gallery. I specifically shared what Denise and Phil had said about how scars, stretch marks and other "flaws" are actually badges of honor.
As I shared a couple of days ago, I am already seeing real changes in my own attitudes about my body. The most surprising came earlier tonight (Saturday) when I'd posted a nude self portrait that I then deleted less than five minutes later. My reason? It was too sexual. Sexual??? At 65??? Now that is a REAL change in attitude!!!
02-FEB-2008
inspiration overload
I'm on inspiration overload. If you're a regular visitor to my galleries, you'll understand why.
First it was
"Facing Up To My Face at 65" in August. Then
"Seeing the City Through Edward Hopper's Eyes" in September. That was followed in October and November by
"Edward Hopper Visits My Home." Next came the all-consuming
"Dualities" in December, a series that I suspect I'll be working on till I die. And finally the
"Winter Nudes," which I just started last Saturday. In the middle of all this, I spent time and energy deciding which of my photos to enter in the
2007 Black and White Spider Awards competition. On Thursday I worked for hours preparing and printing two of my Winter Nudes photos for submission to a juried exhibit called the
"Body Eclectic" that will be opening next week at a Detroit-area art gallery, and so far I've printed out 31 of my Dualities to submit to a national photography magazine. I still need to fine-tune my photo files and write a bio and introduction to the portfolio before that project is completed. And every day since January 1, 2007 I've been a faithful
Photo-a-Day poster here on PBase.
When I see it all laid out like that, it makes perfect sense why I'm on inspiration overload! Maybe it's time to slow down a bit. I wonder if I can?
01-FEB-2008
It all starts here
Today's photo is simply a record of where I spent every minute from 10 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. And that shiny Epson Stylus R2400 printer is at the center of it all. Well, that and my trusty iBook sitting on the desk beside it. About 10 a.m. I opened an email from one of my "Winter Nudes" friends. She'd seen a flyer for an art exhibit that she thought had my name on it. Called
"The Body Eclectic," this all-media juried show celebrating the human body would be opening in a Detroit area art gallery on February 6. Submissions could be made from now until Saturday, February 2, at 5 p.m. Interestingly enough, the juror would be a fellow with whom I'd gone to art college back in the late 1970s. In the email my friend said she thought any of my
Winter Nudes photos would be perfect.
Well, yes, it DID appeal to me, but how the heck could I mat and frame two photos (the number of entries allowed) by Saturday? Back in my art exhibiting/selling days I used to cut my own mats and put together my own frames for my watercolor paintings. But now? My hands are as affected by my diagnosis of MS as my legs. There's no way I could do such fine work. And I couldn't imagine finding any framer who would accept a job on such short notice. So I pretty much gave up any thoughts of entering the show. But it wouldn't let go. After stewing about it for awhile, I called my friend and we brainstormed ideas. She suggested I call a framing shop and just ask. All they could do is say no. Well, I called the art store where I used to buy my painting supplies and talked with Ed in the framing department. He said yes!!! And his price quote for two photos was quite reasonable.
I don't need to go into details about the things that didn't go right. How the printer wouldn't give me the option to select glossy paper--which I was using to print my 14 x 10 inch B&W photos--and I had to call the Epson techies twice to fix it. But I do want to say a public thank you to Eric who must have spent 45 minutes with me as he diagnosed my problem and helped me download and install the printer's driver again. Then there were all the smaller "tryout" prints I made in my search to get the exact values I wanted for the final prints. Long and short is that I drove over to the framing store with my two precious prints just as they were closing at 7 p.m. Luckily I'd called and talked to Amy (the other framer ) before leaving home and she was waiting for me outside the back door. I didn't even have to get out of my car!
To me, this whole experience is yet another example of the Truth that if you're meant to do something, all you have to do is agree to try and the Universe will open whatever doors are needed. I really am grateful to every person I encountered today. Each one had a particular part to play, and play it they did, with grace, humor and genuine kindness. And I have no anxiety about the juror's decisions. If my photos are meant to be in the show, they will. If not, they won't. It's as simple as that.
