Aging (from the Sunset Series)by
wheeleddComment: Thanks very much for ALL your comments, especially those of you who reacted negatively to the image. One of my goals was to provoke thought and reactions, and if there weren't negative comments and votes of 1, I would feel that I had not been successful. Of course, I'm also pleased that a lot of you understood and appreciated what I am doing.
My explanations in the Photographer's Comments should answer a lot of the questions you have raised in the comments made during the challenge. Yes, it is a self portrait. I really need continuous oxygen to stay alive. I am trying to express what it is like for me to be growing old. The details of the photo are a result of deliberate decisions on my part.
ThingFish asked "Did you consider having the subject wear something like a pair of underpants or perhaps draping a cloth of some kind over the more sensitive parts?" Yes, I took versions with a bathrobe and with jockey shorts. Neither version was as strong as the one I presented.
Nuzzer said "OMG, a Mangina!" I have a version with my legs spread apart just enough to show that I have a penis. I prefer that version but I was afraid I'd be DQed if I used it. There are certainly no restrictions on showing genitals in contemporary art.
violinist123 said "Cries out for b/w to negate the colorful distractions..." I'll think about that. I thought that leaving it in color made the skin tones say more about aging. As
bspurgeon said "the blue feet say a lot, enough to leave it in color rather than BW."
Ja-9 said "for me this borders on tasteless, I have grown up in an Elderly Care facility and it just screams exploiting." I share your concern when photographers take this kind of picture of other people. But since this is a self portrait, my question is whether I am exploiting you by taking advantage of my condition to present an image that you cannot fairly critique because it is me? It is for this reason that I did not use a title that revealed that it was a self portrait.
For those of you who were not sure this was fine art, I agree that there is a fine art tradition in photography that concentrates on images that would look good on your living room wall. This is not it. But the contemporary art world has lots of photographic works that show harsh realities. For instance, the current Whitney Biennial shows
Nina Berman's photos of a former Marine sergeant who was "severely disfigured in a suicide bomber̢۪s attack while stationed in Iraq {and} underwent fifty reconstructive operations. A plastic dome, with holes where his ears and nose used to be, replaced his shattered skull." I think these are powerful images but I would not want one of them on my living room wall.
tate said "Grant Wood meets Mapplethorpe. Everything is there, and nothing extra." I was a very serious photographer in the 1950s and 60s but I abandoned it for another career. Seeing a Mapplethorpe show was one of the things that got me interested in photography again.
Finally, I'd like to thank
patio127 for saying "The model actually looks quite good & not elderly." I appreciate that. I'm 67 and I'm looking forward to more years as a productive photographer. I do find it difficult be out and about with a DSLR while dragging my tank of oxygen around. So I bought a Canon S90 point-and-shoot. My friend Terri
heidott took this of me and my S90 on one of our photo expeditions:
~~DanW
On a not so serious note,
hihosilver said "Oh my...I'm going to have to buy you a Snuggie blanket!" I would be glad to have you keep me warm any time! ;-)
Photographer found comment helpful.
