Modern Plagues: Infertility

First image in the Modern Plagues series.

 

Infertility is set to double in Europe over the next decade.

One in seven couples now has trouble conceiving naturally, but

Professor Bill Ledger from Sheffield University warned this could rise

to one in three.

"Young people of today will become tomorrow's patients in infertility

clinics," said Ledger (quoted by BBC News).

 

According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine,

infertility affects about 6.1 million people in the U.S., equivalent

to ten percent of the reproductive age population. (Wikipedia)

Very impressive shot I love it.

You have raised a very important and complex issue and you have you have demonsrated it very artistically. Lots of imagination here. Going back to the issue of infertility, what do you think the reason is? Everything happens for a reason. Best wishes.

looks like the model was somewhat less than cooperative

Very good image that is beautiful, creative and thought provoking. Excellent work!

 

Regards,

Gary

Impressive creative work!...I love your photographs...My best regards,

Thank you everyone for the appreciation and comments!

 

Dimitris: there are multiple reasons for the expansion of infertility... women postponing having children because of their career (and, when they finally want to, their body doesn't respond the same as when they were in their 20s), the sexual transmitted diseases contracted by teenagers at younger ages, obesity, and even the fact that couples that can't conceive naturally will pass their problem to their children (when infertility is caused by DNA defects).

An artistic, highly original and very imaginative work !!!!!!

Excellent, artistic rendering of this important theme.

Well done !

Very impressive creation I love it.♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥,

Khawar

Perfect shot and very impressive and nice view.. Very well done.. Regards.. 7/7

Beautiful image Madalina! I do hope there will be a male counterpart. Fertility still tends to be perceived as a predominantly female attribute and hence infertility is stereotyped as a problem that mostly affects women. However, the majority of couples experiencing inability to conceive are actually afflicted by male fertility problems.

Your model's face and the visible hand look a bit tense, and her discomfiture takes a little away from the symbolism you wish to convey here, as do the pearls and ear studs in a naturalistic setting, the little lump in the water beyond your model's head, the combination of water and drought-stricken branches, and the crisp shadows on cheek and back in a misty environment. The branches also sprout from your model's back, a body part which has nothing to do with childbearing, and you put your mother-image in a fetus posture.
That infertility is a plague is questionable in view of the teeming billions on this globe, the resources we deplete, and the waste we generate; and the numerous species doomed to extinction because we displace them are certainly entitled to see it as a blessing. You are obviously entitled to consider it as such, and your message will be more persuasive and less dialectical if you think through the image you present. Avoid the Humpty Dumpty sort of iconography in which your symbols mean nothing more nor less than what you want them to mean, and create a compelling image that reads well without a caption.

Have to agree with Charles to a point. Without the title I would have guessed this image dealt with Mother Earth or something of that nature. She is in a fetal position or possibly shaped as a seed or pod? Growing something in fairly clear water? And why is she looking directly at the camera as opposed to having here eyes closed with a different expression? Was that intended to mean something? Technically, you executed what you wanted, but for me the photo raises more questions about your message than are answered...at any rate, take my comments with a grain of salt b/c I am not a big fan of this type of photo. I would prefer to see her standing/sitting next to real trees that are barren; The juxtaposition of human and non-human infertility. Probably a cliched approach which is why I don't do these type of photos. I give you credit for pushing the threshold and the courage to post the image for critique.