Torso 10

Dear Dana,

This is a striking image! The pose and shadows give it a cubist feel...very impressive result!

Tim

You always manage to surprise us with the infinite shapes and  forms of the human "landscape". The idea of cutting off the head works perfectly here as we focus on the harsh lines and shadows of the well trained body. You finaly make me wonder if its human after all. Brilliant work, bravo ! ! !.

This is a fantastic shot Dana! The magnificent use of light and shadows, the extraordinary posing and POV and the skillful and very effective cropping, all-together result in an engaging abstracted nude, a hymn to shape and form. A big 7 from me!

I love the way the light, and shadows, sculpt her body. The composition and point of view do, as others have mentioned, give this a quite surreal feeling. It is a wonderful photograph, Dana!

A wonderful play of lights and shadows!

Super Cool! Great tonality and very well lit. You keep on getting better and better my friend!

-r-

Dana:   I find it doesn't portray the human form aesthetically.  It actually deforms her body.  I don't see the point in ugliness.  Sorry.  Alan.

Great light & shadow for a wonderful sculptured look!  Nice bodyscape!

Timothy.  Thanks. I like the nod to cubism, although I did not really see it that way initially. 

Michail. I am always pleased to surprise someone and glad you liked the shot. It was my intention to focus on the form more than the literal subject. I have to give credit to the model who is an amazing human and makes the work easier for sure. 

Yannis. Thanks for seeing it and for the huge compliment. I am glad that the abstraction and form worked for you. 

Mark. Thanks my friend for the look and comment. Glad you liked it And saw what I was trying to accomplish. 

Maurizio. Thank you so much. As you know, light and shadow are essential. 

Raymond. Wow!  A super cool from you makes my day. Thanks. 

Alan. No need to apologize. However, I think aesthetics are in the eye of the beholder and I disagree with your assessment. I think she is quite beautiful, strong, and definitive and the photo accentuates this by focusing on the form.  Essentially, the abstraction strips away context and notions of how something is "supposed" to look. It is OK if you think the work is ugly; however, I think it is quite presumptuous of you to assume that I intended to create something "ugly" when in fact the "ugliness" comes from your own interpretation of the photograph. 

Michael C. Thanks for the look and glad you liked it. 

Thanks again again to everyone (you too Alan) for looking and taking the time to comment

Dana...

Dana:  I wasn't being presumptuous.  It was what I saw.  I have no idea what your intention was.  The picture stands on its own.  You can see something different as does everyone else. I accept that.   As you said, aesthetics are in the eye of the beholder.   However, if you don't want to hear negative opinions, don't ask for critiques.      Alan.

Alan. I welcome all comments, which is evident if you look over my responses to others on other photos I have posted. But I also feel it is my prerogative to disagree. Your comment was, "I don't see the point in ugliness."  This comment implies that my intention was to create and display ugliness.  My response was made to clarify my intention and to disagree with your assessment.  I am sorry if I misinterpreted the comment. 

I don't expect everyone to like what I shoot and am relatively new to the nude genre. Therefore, I welcome any attention that serious photographers give to my work. Based on your portfolio, I consider you a serious and committed photographer and am delighted that you took the time to look and comment. I am am not a belligerent person and believe in honest open debate.  Although we disagree on this shot, I hope you will look at some of my other work and see what you think. 

At the very least, I hope this dialog results in a constructive PN relationship for the future. 

All the best. Dana...

Dana:  I did look.  And I did comment there.  I do like your other work.  Thanks for the conversation.  It seems to have ended on a higher note.  That makes me feel better.   Alan.

Thanks Alan.  I feel better as well and look forward to hearing from you in the future.  Dana...