What is too far and or too soon? Part 1

Learn Me

Photo by Igor Amelkovich

I recently saw a series of photos showing erotic, sensual romantic love, passionate erotic sex, aggressive controlling sex, and violent domestic abuse with possible rape. Many agreed the content in the last photo illustrated the horrors of domestic violence.

In another venue, I saw someone joking about Michael Jackson's death. That person was chastised by the audience members shouting, "Too soon!"

At what point does culture decide that something is appropriate or has stepped over the line? In the same way, how does culture decide that enough time has passed that we can look at an event more objectively and maybe even with humor?

In a recent photography class, we had an assignment to photograph veterans. During the critique, we all gushed over how stoic, anguished, powerful, heroic, and great each photo was. Some of the subjects were in current service, others older and retired. There were men and women of different races and ages. We all gushed.

At one point the instructor, a Vietnam War veteran, asked, "Is it because of the subject matter that we can not criticize the photos?" He had a point. Were we afraid to criticize the quality of the image, the subject, the composition, and other aspects because we may fear it would reflect our inner beliefs about veterans? Are veterans so revered that we must soften our attitudes out of deference to their sacrifice and service?

Their was an episode of Seinfeld where Jerry and his girlfriend could never find time alone. The only time they could was while at a movie. They made out during Schindler's List. The girlfriend's family found out and were disgusted by the lack of respect for the movie. For a show about nothing, they brought up an interesting point about freedom of thought and speech. Can the holocaust, September 11th, or any other tragedy be joked about? If yes, when, how, why, and by whom?

Now, let us talk about sex. What is too far? We know the old statement about porn, "I know it when I see it." Some see erotica and art, others see porn. I may be a freak, but I've seen erotica that was not art and porn that was.

Her Favorite
Photo by Igor Amelkovich

In a relationship, what is defined as right for the couple may be defined as "too much" or "too far" by culture. Which is right? At what point is bondage abusive? What if I put a blindfold on my lover and then kissed, massaged, tickled, and pleasured her with my mouth? What if I did that same thing but she was blind folded and softly tied up with silk bows? What if I pinned her arms under my hands? What if they were leather straps? What if I was pinching? What if she wanted and desired this? At what point does the transfer of power in a relationship, sexual or not, constitute abuse? Let us ask the same questions if the roles were reversed and I was the submissive one? Is it OK if the submissive is male?

Kinbaku
Photo by L0chai

This then brings up the question, why does the submissive partner want to be treated like this? What is his/her history? If their was prior abuse, does that make it absolutely wrong to act on it? If there was no abuse, just curiosity and desire, does that make it right?

Let us look at the roles of the stripper and the client. Men going to a strip club are seen as "dogs" at the worst and "shallow" at the least. Bachelor parties with strippers are looked down upon, but are understood as a "traditional objectification of women" right of passage. Married guys going once, or continually to strip clubs are leches and unfaithful.

How about the reverse? What are the perceptions of women seeing male strippers? How about the bachelorette party? Married women going to see the Chippendale dancers? Some say it is wrong and disgusting. Others celebrate that women can finally celebrate their sexuality and desires. It brings equality to the misogynistic history of the men going to see strippers. At that point though, isn't it misanthropic?

Restrained
Photo by D Photos

I am a libertarian on most of these issues. What floats your equally accepted and desired boats is your business. That is true for most things, but I have to take issue when we delve into the reasons we desire such things. At that point, when is it OK to go too far or when is it too soon or soon enough to go into taboo areas?

Up Time
Photo by Dee Selaris

I've posted a gamut of photos here, one mine, most not. Some may seem tame and some may be defined as violent or abusive. At which point did they cross the line? I know I have my own definitions for that line, but how do we as a society decide where to put that line?

That Time
Photo by Karl

Ode to the Contact Sheet

Katie Contact3
Photos by Karl

Busy day ahead for me. I've got a ton of job-type work to do, which is not fun on a day off. It needs to get done though.

If you have not viewed it yet, go to this link at SLATE to see an ode to the old contact sheets.

I always thought of contact sheets as a useful tool, not art in themselves. I have played with making small pictures though and using them in a collage. I may need to play with these ideas some more.

PHOTO NOTE - Above is a contact sheet from my session with Katie.

"That is the Worst it Will Get. I am Free"

Power Projection
Photo by Karl

I stayed after photography class to help put gear away. While chatting, I asked my photography instructor about his Vietnam experience. I learned an important lesson.

He was drafted at 19 and served over there in the late 60's. He served in the infantry for a year, but after they discovered some of his cartographic and design skills (Part of his artistic background., who says a liberal education is a waste?), he served his remaining time in Saigon helping lay out maps.

He was in his early twenties when he was honorably discharged. He had an epiphany. He told me he realized, "That is the worst it will get. I am free."

He realized that after living through the hell of war, nothing in his life could be that bad. He knew that he could be successful in the arts because no matter how poor or big of a challenge of being an artist is, he had been through worse.

Now he is in his sixties. He doesn't regret it a bit. He is not rich, but he is successful. He teaches other photographers and helps them grow into their own vision. He has been divorved three times and has been through therapy. He is kind and gentle when needed and gives a good kick in the ass also when needed. He also can laugh at himself. I would say he is a success in ways that few rich people can achieve.

A Satisfied Mind
Johnny Cash

How many times have
You heard someone say
If I had his money
I could do things my way

But little they know
That it's so hard to find
One rich man in ten
With a satisfied mind

Once I was waitin'
In fortune and fame
Everything that I dreamed for
To get a start in life's game

Then suddenly it happened
I lost every dime
But I'm richer by far
With a satisfied mind

Money can't buy back
Your youth when you're old
Or a friend when you're lonely
Or a love that's grown cold

The wealthiest person
Is a pauper at times
Compared to the man
With a satisfied mind

When my life has ended
And my time has run out
My friends and my loved ones
I'll leave there's no doubt

But one thing's for certain
When it comes my time
I'll leave this old world
With a satisfied mind

How many times have
You heard someone say
If I had his money
I could do things my way

But little they know
That it's so hard to find
One rich man in ten
With a satisfied mind

,

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I never get tired of finding new gems from my time with models of years past.

Out of Expediency

Just Seconds Before Lines
Photo by Karl

It is funny how work is careening forward into the end-of-the-year wall to get stuff done that we should have been doing all year long. I am putting in long weeks to get stuff done before 2010 graces our calendars.

So today, out of expediency, it is another blog version of the clip show. All of these images should be new, but repeats may occur.

I miss writing good (in my mind) stuff. Here are some flowers for the ladies.

I Never Remember the Name of a Flower
Photo by Karl

2
Phot by Karl

Front Passenger Side
Photo by Karl
Berkeley "Exhibitionist" and Voyeurs
Photo by Karl

Avedon Bonus Post

Here is a good documentary titled, American Masters - Richard Avedon: Darkness and Light divided into 9 parts on YouTube.

Here you go.

Here is a link with all nine videos.

http://www.youtube.com/user/mikebridge#p/u

Goodbye Mr. Avedon

Richard Avedon - Self Portrait

Photo of photo by Karl

Last night I went to the SF MOMA to see the Avedon exhibit one more time. The exhibit ends November 29th. Since it opened early last summer, I've been to it five times. The first time I saw it was my favorite since the Robert Frank - The Americans exhibit was up at the same time.

It has been a good year at the SF MOMA for photography. They started with an Ansel Adams/Georgia O'Keefe exhibit, then the Frank and Avedon exhibits as well. They also have a great exhibit of post WW2 transgressive Japanese photography that is amazing. This is on top of all the other exhibits, including their permanent collection.

Los Angeles
Photo by Robert Frank

A few more words about the Avedon exhibit. His photos are amazing, but it is his story that adds so much more. One thing I learned about portrait photography from watching a documentary about him is, don't piss off your portrait photographer.

Duke and Duchess of Windsor
Photo by Richard Avedon

In this famous image of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, you can see he did not capture their elegant royalty. He felt they were anti-semitic, and elitist. Earlier in the session, he took traditional photos of them and their dogs. He learned they were very close to their dogs.

When he was focusing on them and about to take a shot, he told them he apologized for being sad because on the way to that shoot, his taxi ran over a dog (a lie). He then took that photo a few seconds later showing their reaction.

In the same documentary, he talks about the role of the subject and the photographer.

I am in control. You are there. I can't do it myself, but it is my view.

If you look at his portraits and watched him work, you could tell that was his philosophy. Don't piss off your photographer, if he was Avedon.

Another Avedon quote:

Photographers are the new writer.

Are we capturing the new literature through our lens? Interesting idea. For me, photography can document something, but the room for individual interpretation is too great. Written communication is far more precise.

Zampa Bridge
Photo by Karl

How Do You Take Suggestions About Your Art?

Dali and Nirvana - 111909

Photo by Karl

One of the blessings and challenges of being in a photography class is the critique session. Every Wednesday, we put up our photo assignments on a big cork board under gallery lights. They are divided into the various assigned genres. We take a few minutes to get close and look at them and then sit down. We then begin the critique.

Last night, I presented photos of a veteran, painting with light, and experimental ideas. My photo that I was most excited was the experimental image of Candace Nirvana with a Salvador Dali painting projected onto her (see below). Due to reasons I can only guess about, that photo was the first chosen for critique.

Dali and Nirvana 1
Photo by Karl

My instructor pushes us to seriously critique photos. He discourages us from giving useless comments like, "I like it." or "It's fine." We need to discuss what works and doesn't work in the photo. He doesn't want the photographer to share any back story, we just judge the image by what is in front of us.

I've found three common areas of criticism, the quality of composition and exposure, the quality of the message and intent, the mixture of all of these for creating a finished or refined photo.

As you can imagine with a class of twenty-eight students, some are silent, some never shut up, and most are in between on sharing their impressions. You also get tons of praise and suggestions. One of my challenges is filtering the suggestions for my growth.

All of us have preferences on content, technique, and other elements. I appreciate hearing how others would have accentuated or minimized elements, cropped differently, and other changes. I also appreciate how others interpret my image, or tell me how it is doing nothing for them. Some have suggestions on tangent ideas based on my images. These are tough for me to absorb.

The words I cringe hearing are , "You know what you should do, you should... " Sometimes they have a really good suggestion. Most of the time, they are sharing their own photographic desires and visions that are neither areas that I want to do, or I even understand. One suggestion was "You should try projecting the same image onto nude men and women of various ages, shapes, and colors to celebrate their beauty. " I just nodded and listened. In my mind I thought about it and quickly realized, "That is not why I picked that image to project on this certain model. I wanted Candace in these photos because of her shape, skin color, poses, attitude, and many other intangible qualities.

When I hear these suggestions, I become offended because I wonder if they even appreciated what I created. It seems they instantly find ways to improve them. Did they even look at them beyond the first impression?

As I heard that suggestion and thought about it last night, I had a small realization. My photo may have been a spring board for them. I often see some photo and instantly have a big idea of where I want to go with that concept. The difference though is that I realize it is my inspiration, not necessarily a suggestion of where they should go with their art. My inspiration stemming from their art is a springboard into a new avenue of exploration.

Painting With Light - Mollee
Photo by Karl

After we critiqued all the work, I put my photos into the "turn-in" bin and gathered my stuff. The photographer who made the suggestion approached me and asked about the technique of using an LCD projector to do this type of photography. I told him about my experience and I hope he goes with his ideas. Maybe my photo may be a springboard for him to create some great art.

So, I guess I need to accept criticism and ideas for my art while recognizing when the shared information is more about their art. If my art is inspiration for somebody else, that is pretty good as well.