Mandy Slides Away
October 19th, 2006
I’m not a big fan of anonymous on-line critiques of images. I’ve rarely posted photos on the many different places where people rip each others’ work apart. I don’t see the point of that kind of critique. I always look to see who is making the comment and check out their own work before I pay any attention to a comment. This photo is a good example. I posted it on Deviant Art and got a comment complaining that the poster didn’t like it because it looked like Mandy was about to slide off the rock…Well, dude, that sort of was the point of the photo…oh well.
I’m also not big on writing a lot of words to try to explain what a photo is about. I like that popular quote from Robert Frost when someone asked him to explain a poem, “You want me to say it worse?” If I could communicate what I want to say with words I would. I’m better at using a camera. And I like that you can each find what you find in a photo and it doesn’t really matter what I meant. I guess that comment came from someone with issues of stability or something. But, for me, writing about photography is like dancing about architecture. And, yes, I know, it’s possible to dance about architecture. Many years ago I had the privilege to see John Cage and Merce Cunningham perform together. It was an unforgettable experience that is with me today very strongly and still influences what I do with my art. And I’m sure Merce could have done a fantastic job dancing about architecture. And it is quite possible to write about photography. Possible, but very difficult. Very few who try succeed in doing it well.
Mandy is a fine model with an incredible, sculpted body…to me the perfect form to place on that rock in what appears to be a precarious position. And maybe it has something to say about the position of human beings relative to rocks in the scheme of time…or it can say whatever you find it saying…that’s fine with me…
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