A man - story of...4

Reminds me of emil schildt and his use of scratched negatives. I believe he calls it kill your darlings (or something like that!). I like the huge vein sticking out on his forehead. I get a sense of the strain he's in. Although nothing hints at why. Makes me wonder where he is. What situation. Why doesn't he have a shirt on.

I found it interesting that this image has got "many faces", some think that it`s scary, others can see smile in his eyes, isn`t ironic ? no, this man is trully telling us a story, different for each one of us. When I look at this photo I hear song by Tom Waits - black wings in a background:) and I can see a piece of exellent job.

I have commented before on Piotr's work and find his images are indeed unique and very, very well done. This one however is certainly not the one that I would have chosen at all. Many are much more dramatic and even more believable than this. I would pick another and do this mans work real justice!! Try any of these for instance! No disrespect Piotr...you know I do enjoy all of your work. But so much is even better than this. Just my opinion.

 

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=1721725

 

or

 

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=1325372

 

or even

 

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=1765576

Man's enduring need for dietary balance?

I think this is truly an amazing photo. The creative use of space and placement of the figure help create an amazing sense of rage and isolation. It brings to mind the treatment of the insane and imprisoned, i.e. solitary confinement and rejection from society. Beyond that it also speaks to internal feelings of that the viewer may experience.

I did however have one major critique, which I'd be interested in hearing the artist address. After reviewing his folder I noticed a very gendered allocation of emotion expression and aesthetic. Women and girls are innocent or seductresses. The most expressive depictions of women, Dora and Portrait (in my opinion), show a helpless desperation. Men on the other hand can be enraged, deep in thought, or seducers. While all these pictures are amazing, looked at as a whole they seem to limit the roles for woman. Where's the female equivalent of the man above.

Just a thought? Any comments.

He's no more scary than a little kid poking his tongue out at the camera. I'm baffled why anyone should feel anything, besides possibly amusement, at the sight of this man pulling a silly face. There is no tension in this image because we know perfectly well that after holding this pose for a few seconds our demented friend will have had a good chuckle with the photographer before later heading down the nearest pub together. I think a portrait has very little value unless it captures something genuine in the subject's personality. Are we really going to care about the story of this man if we know it's fictional?

 

In England we have a noble tradition called 'gurning', which involves a competition for people pulling ugly faces. The lucky owner of the ugliest mug wins a turnip or something. Now with deference to Piotr's artistic treatment, I reckon this image is just a fancy, gurning mug shot. Anyone who looks at it and feels their bones being scraped by raw emotion should probably be on medication. Sorry.

Sorry to double post but just have to respond to Trevor. By his count, why should we care when a character in a movie dies, we all know the actress is just going to go back to her trailer after the scene and call her agent. Why should we care when Romeo and Juliet fall in love on stage, the characters where written by an Englishman hundreds of years ago, and played by Shakespearean actors and actresses that may wait your table the next night. Why care when a character in a book feels anything, it is just the construction of an author. Your comment is not a deconstruction of this photograph; it is a deconstruction of fiction. Can't you tell the differences in the pictures you posted and the one posted for POW. Can you really compare them and say they elicit the same response in the viewer. Wherase the pictures you posted show just the faces of people trying to look humorous (with no space around them) the photo above uses many techinques (placement in the frame, open space, grainyness, harsh tones) to create an atmosphere of tension. Perhaps we don't need medication, you just need imagination.

A very good fictional movie (even when the hired actor dies and is ultimately resurrected for his next movie) can make one think about life, reality etc. It CAN have an impact regardless of the ficticious elements. The same concept can certainly apply with a photograph. Yes, it is true we may think about this unhealthy world, it unfairness, the beatings this guy took from his wife leaving for another woman, or his business that went under, too many drugs, alcohol or whatever else that (at least in my mind) ultimately leads one to this state of mind.... All from an image captured like this one and the many others in Piotr'r folders. It is not just the portrait, but the background as well as the mood created by Piotr that can make this one work.

 

However, at the same time Trevor's comments do have merit....and in my mind plenty of it. I cannot help but think exactly as he said above. A good laugh and a brew with dinner after this shoot together. Truth is if you need to use your immagination to get the point here, then there is certainly more room for improvement...wouldn't you say?? Piotr has captured some really amazing emotions... just look at his work. This one just does not seem to get it done in my mind. That's why as I mentioned above, there are so many others that truly are more convincing than this! Aloha.

Doug Burgess really has it nailed when he says"you are a master at making(not capturing,but creating)images of unusual grit and emotion.IMHO this image resembles a pencil drawing more than it ever does a photograph,this is good digital imagry,but is it photography???it does kind of blur the definition,if there is one anymore!!!!

Poitr: I like your work. It is intense and well produced. Does anybody buy it from you? I'm not being a wise guy. You have great talent and a very controversial eye. You have put up a slew of images on this site and I would love to know if and how you market your work.

I like your quotation :) ..I guess it would more fit into the other series ..but still works here ..As for your question regarding the pow choice ..Iam not too sure what to say . I have no idea what was the criteria / theme this time ...however is I was to do my own choice I would agree with you ..but this is not a point here. We all like different type of photography and there never have been a perfect image all would like at the same time .

As for your love story :) I find it great that you can see something else ..and that is in general my message .. I find photography amazing as it can leave so much space for interpretation .

Love ? Unfortunately it was not what I wanted to display ..but ..as long as you can find something you believe is there ..why not :)

Thanks Michael , having mentioned the autumn leaves ...Iwish it was the one :)

Iam glad you have noticed it. Generally that what exactly was to be seen ..

Hint of smile ..well spoted..I actually like this expression , something what mixes pain , smile and despair ...weight of his live on his shoulder suddenly droped on him .."The steamy image " - I have decide to create the background effect the way it is now , I thought it would be a perfect way to show even more about the guy , his emotions and current mental state . Some may say that was not needed , as his expression was strong enought . My point was to create an antispace , which at the same time would display his MIND , and balance the bottom part and then main problem was to get the proportions right ...too much space would not give enpoght detail and hide the expression , not enought space would make the model feel more powerfull then actually he was to be ..Anyway .. I think you have got it right - the scraches and steamy image is the represantation of his state of mind ..however if anyone else sees this only as the scrached background ..he/she is right too :)

Thank you for the link - could notget it to work but I ddi find some of your friend work on line ....absolutelly stuning..wish I could do that one day :)

Iam not selling my work ...not even sure if this kind of work would sell at all (?) so Please feel free to be a "wise guy ". Many thanks ,PK .

I like your choices :)..

I was going to make a more general statment about photography and posing and other stuff ( which does not mean that I disagree with you ) , but it was already said . One more thing which I would like to add from myslef is this what I always feel when taking shots . - IT IS NOT ABOUT WHAT BUT HOW ...

Piotr! It's very difficult to tell, which work from your portfolio I like more. Congratulations with the POW and thanks for sharing.

I would just recommend this poor guy to eat plenty of fresh fruits (dry one such as raisin or figs are also good), raw green leafy vegetables, and brown rice every day. He should also avoid white flour and no sugar. It is important for him to drink extra amounts of water when adding fiber to his diet and should not forget that exercise is important...

... joke apart, Piotr, you have posted a tremendous and very ecclectic collection of pictures at PNet. Among them are some portraits which shows unusual expresson like this one. May be it is the BW, may be the grain, may be the abundance of light grey... but something here soften the expression which appears less angry and agressive than the other pictures in this serie. This guy inspires me some pity, he incarnates the suffering of mankind.

In fact, I would correct myself and say that those strange portraits are not that unusual, most of this expressions you have captured are more or less deeply hidden behind the civil mask we show to the outside world...

The position of the man in the picture, in the lower part of the picture squeezed against the frame contributes to strees the feeling of downside and emotional pressure.

Congrats for the POW, Piotr you deserved it since long time IMO.

Respect, Peter!

It`s very emotional... and as usual exceptional...

.. that was exactly the same thought that I had when I saw this photo.. Tom Wait's song..

well they stopped trying to hold him

with mortar stone and chain

he broke out of every prison

 

when the boots mount the staircase

the doors flung back open

he's not there for he has risen

 

some say he once killed a man with a guitar string

he's been seen at the table with kings

well he once saved a baby from drowning

some say beneath his coat there are wings

Congratulations. I hope this will introduce many others to your

superb portfolio.

 

This would not be my choice of image as I feel there are so

many others which whilst not trying so hard to convey an emotion

succeed beyond this image. Those where we are still just an

observer as opposed to the focus of attention of the model as

here.

 

I look forward to your future images which is something I can say

only of a very few others on this site.

 

All the very best

Louis

It is interesting to see how we can use the light to draw viewers to the darkness and for what purpose? I must inquiry as to the artistic intent. I prefer photography that uses light to draw people to the light. There is a danger where we relish the darkness for its own sake, but those who are genuinely there, as in the darkness of despair, find nothing to relish about that moment. So to merely celebrate darkness, which this genre of image appears to do, seems to be contradictory at best. It is interesting to see the progression of Piotr's images as they become darker and darker spurred on by the praise of others. Where is that taking him? I have always questioned art that uses great creative insight, which Piotr obviously has, to focus on the destructive element. Again, I must inquiry as to what purpose?

 

On the other hand the image raises the issue of artistic intent. If the image had been an attempt to embody Shakespeare's quote, 'life is but a poor player that struts and frets his hours upon the stage and is heard no more. A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

 

If that had been the intent, than I would say that shot is brilliant for it embodies that sentiment of Shakespeare very well, at least to this viewer. And so do we give the artist credit for something that was not intended?