Waiting for the Fruits

Nice photo, good to see this kind of image being made again. But what a silly title. Those look like flowers to me, not fruits, in which case she'll have a very long wait!

Initialy the picture is good but if you take a carefully look on it you can see the blur effect in the corners of the tree... in my opinion this fact destroys all the magic. I'm not against the use of digital methods to improve the photograps but they must always be sutile and invisible to the spectator or their effect is opposite as desired...

This tree looks like a giant Brugmansia... it's psychedelicly poisonous...

Beautiful Dariusz...

 

From concept to execution and everything in-between.

 

For me this is the kind of work that transcends any arguments about digital manipulation etc. It is a wonderful image created by a talented person.

I think the numerous synthetic and unrealistic elements cause this image to fall outside the large grey area between photograph and illustration. Since this is a photographic forum, it doesn't seem to fit in. Compared to other illustrations that target similar moods, I've seen more effective and creative examples.

It's hard for me to tell without bothering to enlarge the picture, but it kind of looks like the woman might be pregnant (my sincerest apologies to the lady if she is not!). If so, it adds an additional interesting dimension to the image and the title.

Ramon is objecting to the blur effect in the corners of the tree, but in fact the entire periphery of the photo is blurred, as is true of all the others in this series. It reminds me of old daguerreotypes.

Dariusz, thank you for sharing this fascinating series with us.

I must say, almost all images in this series look so familiar. Especially this one, I feel like I've seen/known them for a very long time.

 

Is it possible for people to have the same dreams?

 

I guess not.

 

I have the same familiar feeling when I read a good poem. You know the ones that tell you who you are or what you feel, better than you can ever do.

 

Very well done!

So...SOOOOO scary! :/

 

I don't think that I am going to sleep tonight.

 

Very nice. Evoking emotions in me :)

 

I think it is so sinister because of the lack of whites. The "grayness" of the horizon (the lack of horizon, actually).

 

Congrats.

Maybe, if we could get some information from Dariusz on the techniques employed for producing the photo it might help provoking a debate that can make many us learn methods that few of us master.

Beautiful balance shown in the image. I liked the way the composition is asymmetric but only slightly from the figure being on the image. The other element I would also like to comment on, is the strong atmosphere in the photograph - well deserving for 'Photo of the week'.

 

nic :-)

First, I would like to tkank You all, for discussion. I'm proud and satisfied cause "Waiting for the Fruits" was chosen as "Photo of the week".

Of course, this image is manipulated. There are layers, blur, dodge and sponge tools, textures. Some elements I paint, because I'm not photographer, but... painter ;-) But, for me, most important is effect, not methods. Maybe this fact infleunce for my vision of photography.

I like mood, dreamy mood, and classic composition - it's visible in a lot of my works. I'm serching for an universal symbols, archetypes, who are understand all over the world.

Once again: most important is effect, not methods.

Thank You.

Dariusz

DK

 

It is a piece of art. All of that work paid off.

"The photographer's problem is to see clearly the limitation and at the same time the potential qualities of his medium, for it is precisely here that the honesty no less than intensity of vision is the prerequisite of a living expression. This means respect for the thing in front of him expressed in terms of chiaroscuro. . .The fullest realization of this is accomplished without tricks of process or manipulation through the use of straight photographic methods." Paul Strand 1917

This image is a throwback to the Pictorialists and the days before straight photography and exists in denial or opposition to the major aesthetic direction of photography in the 20th Century. Early in this century critics, Stieglitz a leader among them, began to praise "photographs that look like photographs", those devoid of manipulation so prevalent in the work of pictorialists who strove to force photography to emulate the surface textures of pictures made by other media.

It is hard for me to see the photographer's "respect for the thing in front of him" when his preoccupation seems to be to muddy that reality until it matches some inner fantasy which is held in higher esteem than what actually is.

From a review of Stieglitz' startlingly direct photographs in an exhibition in 1921: ". . .One might venture the comparison that in the average exhibition print we have beauty, design, or tonal scheme deliberately set forth, with the subject as motive or material merely, the subject as the photographer saw it or felt it, an interpretation, a phase; whereas in the Stieglitz prints, you have the subject itself in its own substance or personality, as revealed by the natural play of light and shade about it, without disguise or attempt at interpretation, simply set forth with perfect technique."

My criticism of this photograph is that it misses the entire point of the 20th Century photographic aesthetic. It's equivalent to someone writing and singing a song in the style of Rudy Valley in the year 2006. People may pay attention to the novelty of it but would they take it seriously? From the comments I read above, some of you would probably buy that CD.

Very good points, above. However I would certainly "buy that CD" which Dariusz presents to us, because I?m convinced that things have move on since Stiglitz took up the fight against the pictorialists.

 

Photonet is an obvious proof of the novelty and wealth of diversity of modern photographic work which clearly goes far beyond what the fathers of straight photography preached.

 

I personally believe that it is extremely important for the photographical artistic expression that it fights any attempt to prison it inside some strict doctrine on what photography is and is not. This is why the mix of means employed by Dariusz in his photographical works does not threaten photography but develops it even further.

Impressive photograph. Better seen on black background. Invokes in me some strange, mysterious feeling. It feels as if from some point in the past but I would not qualify it as dated.

Great work anyways.

 

Regards,

It is far more difficult to offer criticism of art than to simply say you like a particular piece.

 

Who says that a photographer (or any artist) must show respect for his or her subject matter. If we are "writing with light", why can we not depict the full range of subjects in a full range of styles and emotions? This might include despair, disgust, and disdain as much as hope, reverence, and admiration.

 

If someone is writing and playing songs in the style of a jazz master or a classical composer, their work would be respected in their musical realm. That is to say that among jazz and classical music fans, some things never go out of style.

 

It seems a bit unfair to draw an analogy between what many obviously see as photographic art and "Pop" music. In the case of pop music, and much of pop culture generally, much of it is barely tolerable at the time of its release, much less is it timeless and classic.

 

Regards,

 

Charles Conner.

A powerful and evocative depiction presenting mother nature and her ability to bare fruit, maybe a follow this up with mans obsession with control and self destruction would work as a balance.

 

Regards

 

Great use of technical skills and quite rightly within a B+W format,

as for the aged process it looks quite convincing.

I love how the enormous tree dwarfs the woman. It appears haunting and ominous, and yet seems to offer her some sort of comfort. When I look at the image I imagine a relationship wherein she cares for the tree and the tree cares for her, though neither get along on the surface. Very nice image... Regards,

I believe there should come a time when every photographer realizes that while the master photographers of old had brilliant minds, with wonderful insights, lasting ideas and philosophies... at some point those ideas and views need to die away or else further evolve into new ones.

Following the ways and ideas of our "forefathers" religiously - even using them as ammunition to denounce the current works of our present time... seems utterly misguided to me.

"Oh, well Ansel said this once! And he says to shoot it this way, so you should too because Ansel's always right and his ideas will last for eternity" Is there not something wrong with that entire train of thought? It seems childish or ignorant, does it not?

IMHO an artist or work of art should not be judged by the politics of history, the nonsense of "right vs. wrong" or the bias of any photographer dead or living.

I admire Dariusz's way of thinking, and thank him for his response. At least someone is on the right track... :)

This is an excellent POW discussion, very interesting.

As a new member it is good to see that discussions can extend beyond the 'wow' and 'great' comments that dominate most photo responses.

 

For my two cents I feel that with the beginning of the 'coming of age' of digital capture and manipulation we are at a point where the 'art' of photography will begin to diversify even more and the lines between photography and other mediums will become even more blurred.

 

I think this is a very good thing as it gives picture makers greater scope to technically and aesthetically achieve their vision. Of course the down side of this is the greater scope for poorly thought out and poorly executed pictures, but that's life I suppose.

 

A good analogy is motion pictures. Over the last decade in particular the technology available to movie makers has become incredibly powerful and sophisticated enabling the most amazing visual experiences to be made. However, visual splendour alone does not a good movie make and there are many examples of this. Story, character and execution are still paramount, the technology just makes it possible for the vision to be achieved quicker, easier and more accurately.

 

Finally to come back to the POW image in question and it's relevance to photography in relation to the history of the medium as an art form it reminds me very much in style and context to the work of Joel Peter-Witkin minus the exterme subject matter. He was taking pictures in the late 1970's and 80's and probably 90's exploring themes such as mortality, religion, sex and death etc. with at times very confronting imagery.

 

Apart from the visual similarities in terms of image manipulation and format is the similarity in the sense of atmosphere, mystery and foreboding created by the photographer. I do envy people (in a positive way), like Dariusz, who have the ability to so beautifully bring to visual life a concept or idea or theme.

I love the image, and I love the mood. I do think that Dariusz actually presented an archetype, here. I think the title is very appropriate for this image. Simply because to me, this picture shows us how a human being lives facing hopes of things so much bigger than himself. To me, that's what why the tree is disproportionately large compared to the woman - which is just fine, imo. At the same time, we can't ignore the fact that we are looking at a woman here, and not a man. Especially considering that the tree is in general commonly seen as the symbol of Life. So, another way to interprete the meaning of what we see here would be: women dream (and then create) dreams of greater lives by giving life (fruits) to their dreams: meaning, when they are pregnant and give birth to children.

 

If we try to associate the two meanings we could probably say, that this image is in fact about the very specifically human ability and will to imagine or conceive, then to create and to give life to what was first born in human imagination. Then the techniques (blurring, undefined horizon, undefined textures) used here to create a "dreamy" atmosphere starts to make sense, since this picture is actually picturing, precisely, human dreams.

 

Finally, this POW image may also be understood as a depiction of how Life itself can bear the fruits of human imagination, and how nature has provided Man with all he needs to accomplish his dreams.

 

I like all these meanings, and I like the concept that Dariusz carried through very well in his execution.

 

On the negative side, I too feel the blurry edges of the tree are a bit of a problem. I don't mind the partial blurring of the tree, but it feels a little too systematic and a little too rough in terms of execution - imo. I think the blur (at the edges of the tree) should fade away more gradually towards the center of the tree, so it wouldn't feel too "photoshoppy", and it would feel softer as well.

 

Another thing I would suggest to touch up it the sharpness of the woman. Does it really make sense that the woman is sharper that the edges of the tree? Either there are random blurry and sharp areas all over the image - as in a dream -, or the image's blurry areas should be somehow consistent with the laws of Depth-of-Field. In short, I suggest to Dariusz to take a clear stand about the blur he's using - here, and in other of his works as well. Either the blur is the blur of a dream - randow and illogical -, OR it's the blur of a movement or the DOF blur as if recorded by a camera. All other choices would imo be inferior, because they would obey to no specific logic, and would therefore just feel as an artificial-looking photoshop blurring. Best regards, and thanks for this lovely dream.

I am not sure if it is any weeknesses in this image, it might be, but I am not sure if I want to look for them. A co photographer ones told me that sometimes it is the imperfections that can make one image better. perfect is boring, and as a painter, I guess you agree.

I was actually thinking that you really are a painter in teh way you compose your images and in the way you use layer on layer to create a type of mood. Another painter that joined in in the photography world is Loretta Lux, who does claim that she would not be able to create her images if she was not originally a painter. I think the same thin about your images. They have a painter quality.

As I work on moods in an image, I do think that you have captured a very romantic mood, almost a mood of lonlyness or that the woman is waiting for someone or something..(therefor the name...)

 

Good work!

 

Jeanette

Great picture! Fantastic atmosphere. Love the title as well. Cheers,

Agnes Klimczak

This cartoon-like branch of photgraphy, is not my kind of thing. I

usually don't find it that intersting, because the moods of these images seem so adolescent

to me. With the harshness out of the way, I must say, you have skill, and I encourage you to

keep doing what you are doing. This image has a certain magnetism to it. The more

understated and subtle, the better. With your ability to create a effect, I suggest a gentle

touch. Like make-up. It's the most beautiful when you don't know it's there.