Frailty

The cave entrance is shaped like a right eye. The hole on the left is part of the left eye. It's like being inside of an earth/rock skull looking out at the woman.

 

However it's overexposed and perhaps a little out of focus. It's worth trying a few more times and comparing the shots.

Steve, you're right about the skull metaphor but you missed the significance of the exposure (the title is a clue)

You keep coming up with these totally different photos!

 

I suppose the girl represents "fragile humanity" living in what looks like a pretty dangerous world. She and the plants are pale because they're only temporary, right? (compared to the rocks).

 

So the viewer is some kind of earth-god looking at them through its own eye socket and thinking "I think they're rather nice, I'll let them stay" - hopefully!

 

Anyway, even if I'm hopelessly wrong, it's brilliant.

Jasmine, you're completely right. Have you ever considered a job as an art critic?

BTW Steve, it looks rather unsharp in the low res, compressed form you see it but the original was limited by the grain of the B&W film (uprated HP5) as you can see by the grass flowers in this zoomed-in image.

At first moment, it made me remember one of those films aobut the pre-history of the humanity, like "The war of fire" or so.

 

After a second look, I've found a great contrast between the hard rocks and the fragility of the nude flesh of the woman.

 

Great composition!

It really is a lovely, delicate image. The exposure gives a luminescent rim around the edge of the cave entrance as well. I like the whole idea so much that I do think it's worth more experimentation (and I do like this image).

Lovely image, Jonathan. All those sharp angles against her soft curves provide great contrast. I just wish the cave was darker, so that the cold darkness inside would contrast with the light outside even more.

Could do with the highlite trimmed off the left side, it's distracting.

she looks like a fairy; i like the change into color. your nude shots are really inspiring (way more interesting than your landscapes).

For some reason I keep thinking she should be a little more to the left (facing into the picture instead of out of the picture)... Does this make sense ?

Alan, what you suggest makes perfect sense in terms of classical composition but in many of my pictures I deliberately break the rules to get specific effects. In this case I wanted to give a transitory look to her presence (compared to the rocks) so her position, which suggests she is moving off-frame is part of this - also she is pale, almost transparent, in the diffused light.

 

Thank you all for your interesting comments. ... Jonathan

Sonya Rose who is a poet, artist and model has sent this wonderful piece which she says was inspired by this picture, and in many ways distills the concept of eve I have tried to present, as an internal force within us.

"Seeking Eve"

The Eve who works in a mine, also works in my unconscious, in my physical and mental activities.

Tonight, I'm digging within my experiences, memories, my deeper levels of consciousness, to bring up her treasures and valuable resources buried within.

I take one long breathe here in the City of Angels and I feel Eve's rivals are seeking her downfall, stirring up past mistakes.

Who are her enemies?; Who seek to ruin her life in all of us?

I'm digging deeper, extending myself again and going within, seeking out more inner treasures.

Productivity is something of Eve's; so I go underground where she is unclaimed ... something that is mine, something that is yours. Soul for the keeping...

Are you, too, seeking comfort? Are you, too, seeking Eve?

Published in JPG Magazine Issue 22 (Summer 2010)