silly little things Marsh Family Portrait (Extended)

I'd love to hear your comments.

Brought in all the aunts uncles and cousins for this one. Luckily nobody

blinked! :-)

 

Truth is, the house I grew up in was on the edge of a salt marsh. I spent

countless hours playing in there as a child (and adult :-)) and I have tons

of fond memories. This shot is obviously less orderly than the first but I

wanted to convey the sense of fullness of a real marsh, but in a studio

shot.

 

My volunteers for this shot came from an area where some minor construction

was taking place. Something to do with drainage I believe. So their fate was

sealed, and I thought I'd give them a more dignified ending.

I can see that no one's blinking, but it looks hellish tickly for those tall volunteers on the back row!

 

I've never critiqued your polaroid shots before but I've looked at plenty and the overriding thing I wanted to say was how I admire them as a series. I always get off on a designer being able to cunjure up with his (or her) imagination a net of work upon a theme. Like half a dozen postage stamps to celebrate something or other (I think British stamp designers very good in that field). I can imagine (whilst recognising the thought is probably cliche) half a dozen of yours printed on first rate card wrapped in celophane with a posh envelope and little sticker saying "left blank for your message". And beside the theme being naturally found still life, the theme confines the colouring to deep umbers and ochres with the occasional appearance of red from berries. Rarely if ever blue, yellow or green. And with a finger smudged pastel darkness in the background.

 

Looking at this one I like how the Marsh family, young and old have such large hat plumes capping such spindly legs and bodies and how the brown and the blonde haired seem to have arranged themselves in a random way yet with balance. Probably boy - girl - boy - girl. I think it would have been nice if tall blonde haired Mrs Marsh senior might have nipped in on the top right or better still, her twin sister had stood down from the top left.

 

All of these pictures are highly polished.

I think you're doing this series a dis-service to force this anthropomorphic cliche'. These images have a sublime quality that is quite meditative and celebratory of natural beauty. That's what this party pooper thinks... t

Well I just took the time to read your comments (ahem) and I see you have that greater appreciation, as well. I really like these images, and think they have excellent public potential... t

Nice to see a post of yours on this series. I personally found the title was humorous for the previous version, but it no longer works here for me either, simply because this is MORE than a family - or a VERY LARGE FAMILY...:-)

How about "Domestic forest" instead...?

As for the image itself, Bob, it's still nice, but the polaroid border disturbs me here for the first time, because it comes to close to the "left wing family members"...:-)

I also feel this would need some space by the sides - it's a bit congested to me. Regards.

P.S: I didn't really understand your latest post on the boat... are you saying you miss the line at the top...? Cheers.

Nice

Anthropomorphic? Oh crap, where's the dictionary?...................................................................OH! :-)

 

Yes I guess that was an anthropomorphism. hehe!

 

What do you want? I had a lonely childhood :-))

Beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

looks like wood.....norbert

Lovely.

very nice

I can see you now, out picking fluff sticks in your golf knickers - coming home and mixing up a batch of warm water. You are a trip, man.

 

This gorgeous image reminds of a forest - and it's lovely how the light gives us little clue as to where it's coming from, yet allows a dark forest floor and shaded but lighter sky background.

 

Still wondering if you'd ever consider doing something like this with some backlighting? Might be cool...

 

Keep up the good work. (Now you've got a collection of ticklers for the next time things get boring in the garden... eh? he, he, he... ; )

I like it!

I personally like what Marc termed 'congestion.' I think it looks like a dense forest and that opening the sides would instead make it look like a copse, which would be fine in itself, but here I prefer the numerical abundance and want to think that there are more on either side. Having less than a dozen is more symbolic in terms of composition, but here, with so many, it is like saying there are thousands.

:) great.