Ying and Yang
In recent posts, Stephen Haynes asked deep questions about his recent photo shoot and the role the photographer plays in it. As I read it, I am getting depressed about my own photography.
Fire Dancer 2
Photo by SB
When I photograph something, I am separating myself from the subject. I am the first viewer. I am recording the moment, but am not necessarily part of it. The more intense the photo, more I am
separated by the chasm between subject and photographer. Think of it this way, if I am setting up each pose and all the props in a photo, I am very involved with the content and the photo (see Ying and Yang). If I am recording a moving moment of independent minds, whether it be a fighter jet (see Poetry), a fire dancer (see Fire Dancer2), or two lovers together (see A Taste), I am very detached from the content other than to try to capture it.
Poetry
Photo by SB
A Taste
Leila and Hana - Photo by SB
While reading Stephen's questions about the photographer's role, I felt nauseous. I do not blame him at all for this. He is forcing me to look at myself in a deep way that terrifies me of my own motivations. Am I truly creating art or am I intruding on something very private and so personal? Am I trying to satiate something deep in me that is not for the sake of photography, but to just get a thrill. This is throwing me into a creative war with my own intentions as both an artist and human with sexual, emotional, and physical needs.
PART 2 August 12th
The emotional hurt I felt on the 10th surprised me and made me look deep into why I photograph what I do. What was my motivation for capturing the images I did? Are they true to art, erotica, and honor the subject appropriately?
My fear and anguish was discovering that there is a part of me that did get an ethereal erotic pleasure from photographing Leila and Hana and every other model who I've worked with. Even though I felt little or no arousal during the photo sessions, I felt it while planning and printing/editing the images. Was I only creating my own masturbatory materials and needing to add a new experience notch to my life belt?
After some deep introspection on this and reading Stephen and Dr. L's posts on the subject and all the comments to their writings, I am finding some answers for myself. They are not easy to accept yet, but they are becoming clearer.
Is it acceptable for me, the photographer, to have self-serving interests at a prurient level? If "yes," can it still be art and are the motives debasing the value of the work or adding to it? These two questions summarize what I need to answer. I will return to these later.
Part of the reason I am struggling so deeply with these answers was due to my own lust at the moment. What is funny, it wasn't a sexual lust. It was a lust to photograph and to release my creativity.
I have not lifted my camera since my photo class ended a few weeks ago. I haven't edited any photos. I thought I needed a break before my next class started. When I saw Stephen's photos of Brooke and Erin, I felt the deep emotions of lust, artistic respect, artistic jealousy, disdain for my work, and a loss as I felt left behind as others moved on. I also felt some personal pain due to the subject of the photo that is my own personal issue and not a judgment on the content.
Variations on a Photo - The Garage Studio
Photo by SB
Yesterday I was mulling over these emotions and decided to work on my recent photos of Candace. Within a second of my first action on one image, an hour went by. I felt something had changed so I quickly went to Stephen's blog again and reread it and viewed the photos. My answers were clearer, his photos inspired me, and I knew I had discovered something about myself. I need to continually work on my art or I get pent up anxiety for the creative release. Abstaining from art is as difficult and damaging for me as abstaining from sex.
Variations on a Photo - Landscape from a Portrait
Photo by SB
So, what are the answers to those questions from above? They are not fully answered yet and they may change and evolve as I do, but here are my responses for now.
Is it acceptable for me, the photographer, to have self-serving interests at a prurient level? YES
If "yes," can it still be art and are the motives debasing the value of the work or adding to it? As I mentioned in a comment on Stephen’s blog…
The beauty of it (erotic sappho photos) is art, erotica, and all of the other characteristics you mentioned. It can also be pornographic, exploitative, and both objectifying and degrading to the subjects. For me, what determines the outcome is largely due to the intent of all of the participants; photographer, models, and the viewer.
If my motive is purely for my own sexual satisfaction, my product is probably not art. Dr. L. put it best in her blog yesterday when she quoted from Kenneth Clark's The Nude. The quote is his answer to whetherart can have an erotic message in it and still be art.
Clark definitively says: "...no nude, however abstract, should fail to arouse in the spectator some vestige of erotic feeling, even though it be only the faintest shadow - and if it does not do so, it is bad art and false morals. The desire to grasp and be united with another human body is so fundamental a part of our nature that our judgment of what is known as 'pure form' is inevitably influenced by it; and one of the difficulties of the nude as a subject for art is that these instincts cannot lie hidden... the amount of erotic content a work of art can hold in solution is very high.”
Variations on a Photo - Still Not There
Photo by SB
Artists must feel the emotions they are trying to communicate through their art. If I am going to make art showing the oppression of religious freedom, I need to feel anger and seek justice through my work for it to be genuine and powerful. To make art that has erotic content, I must feel the erotic emotions and feelings I want to convey in the piece. In this way, I am giving my art some authenticity in its message. If the photo did not make me feel and react, then what is the point? My job as an artist is to use my vision and the beautiful contributions of the models and/or subjects to make the photo rise to becoming art.
PHOTO NOTE: Ying and Yang - I know for this to be true to the title one of the models needs to be black or a man, or a black man. That was one of the first critiques I got on this photo when I posted it online at a photo forum. This is one of my favorite photos I have taken. I don't brag about my work often and will let it speak for itself. This photo is art to me. Whenever I post it online, this photo gets more comments than the more explicit photos of Hanna and Leila. Just curious, on the erotic scale of 1 (none) to 10 (get me a cigarette) how would you rate it? I give it a 3.
So, if you have a better name for it than Ying and Yang, I am open to it. I offered that at another site and someone suggested Ying and Yank... I don't think he got the artistic point.
Until reading this post I certainly had no inkling that my posts on the Brooke/Erin shoot would raise such angst. It's a little scary. Sounds like you are on the way to resolution, however.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I suppose my own posts were somewhat therapeutic, but on the other hand I don't think I at all experienced any level of trauma over motivations, results, display of the results, etc. More intellectual curiosity.
As to your question, I pretty much agree: "3" Similar to a photo I did four years ago. There is a world of difference between the content and impact of that photo and those that resulted from last week's shoot with Brooke and Erin.
Stephen, Thanks for the comment. As the week moved along and I thought about my artistic dilemma, I've gained much more from the pain. It is amazing what artistic angst, some good pinot noir and working on images can lead to.
ReplyDeleteI really like your photo that is similar to mine. I would rate yours as 5 though since it is closer and the viewer is more intimate with the women. My ladies are floating in space, yours are grounded. I really like your photo.
SB, I think your "Ying and Yang" is really a mirror image or twins or reflective. And that is just as good as Ying and Yang. We also do twin each other, reflect and mirror. It's fascinating! I love that image!
ReplyDeleteAnd I love the new one of Candace. It is erotic. Her expression, her open legs, her beautiful beautiful beautiful HAIR!!!!
It made me feel something very tangibly erotic.
Thank you UL. Candace, like all the truly gifted models I've worked with, knows how to bring her "A" game to the shoot. I am going to play with this same photo in color and post the series in the future.
ReplyDeleteI am neither a photographer nor a model, but I am a musician. As a performer, I have to give everything I've got--body, mind and spirit--to create a good performance, whether I'm playing something I wrote, improvising, or playing a "classical" piece without improvisation. This most definitely includes my sensual nature. If I were to try to eliminate all sensuality from my music-making, I would have only dry sounds left. There are performers, mostly in the classical field, who seem to do exactly that--but for the most part they're not the truly great musicians, all of whom are very comfortable with music's sensual attributes.
ReplyDeleteI don't feel that any artist can avoid responding sensually or even sexually to his work unless he deliberately chooses to eliminate all sensual elements--a futile exercise at best and harmful at worst.
Of the photos here in this entry, the only one that doesn't evoke any kind of sensual response for me is the one of the airplane. And every one including that one is very beautiful. :D
Jochanaan - I play trombone, baritone and tuba. When I play certain music, I most definitely feel a sensual connection to it. Some of the most sensual pieces I've player were Tchaikovsky's 4th finale, Bach's Prelude and Fugue, Various pieces by Leonard Bernstein, and Stravinsky's Firebird Suite.
ReplyDeleteI feel musicians must have a deeper connection to their mind, body, spirit, and soul since they are using a temporary moment of sound to transfer their message. My photos will be up to look at as long as you want, but once is played, it is part of history.
Thank you for your comment. It is eye opening.