NU_000044 (Please submit your comment if rating. Thank you. M.E.)

The skin tones are a distraction. I love the pose though with the hair flowing. But something doesn't make sense. Is it good or bad? James

Clever composition. Wierd shoulder. Great tones through the shot.

Hi Michael. Nudes are the most difficult thing to do. It looks like you have put a lot of effort into it, and in the process made a picture of an attempt at making an interesting nude. It seems to me you have strained yourself and the model. To me, the human form in itself is not interesting. The process of depicting it can be interesting... Rodin's sculptures is not a representation of the body, but a representation of an artists lifelong struggle with subject and matter... Painting and sculpture is much better at this, because the artists handling of the materials is more appearant. Photography is good at catching a moment, preserving an emotion. Photographic nudes depicting a 'girl in clever pose, lit to show the landscape of the body' are often terribly boring. Look at nudes by Sally Mann, Nan Goldin, or Jo Spences selfportraits. I know, very different styles, genres etc. But they have something in common, they all have something at heart. I am sure you do too, and I hope you keep working with the nudes...but you also need to decide what you want to do with it, why you do it. I hope you don't mind a little honest feedback, I like getting it myself, much more than people telling me what I do is 'nice'. Looking forward to seeing more nudes :-D Kind regards, Anders Hald

Degrading to women!

Reminds me of a G cleff. (or is it C cleff???)

 

Very nice imae. The quality in the lighting and the amount of detail you show is incredible. It almost looks as if she is hanging from the wall instead of on the floor but I think that effect would have been better if you would have gotten a little more on top of her. Also if the shadows were cast from her right to her feet it would have enhanced that feeling. Maybe not what you were going for but that's what I see. her pulling herself out of a wall.

Margaret, theres nothing degrading to women about men expressing their desires, as long as he's not harming anyone. (He can be degrading himself, but that's his problem.) Andrea Dworkin, a hardboiled feminist, has suggested* that any heterosexual intercourse is by definition a violation of women, simply by the shape of the genitals (i. e. the man always invade the women). Of course this is rediculous, because a lot of women actually enjoy that 'invasion'. Some women find it joyful to be desired, looked at, admired as a sexual object. A lot of women enjoy looking at men...why should this be degrading to either party??? (*Dworkin, A. 'Pornography - men possesing women', The Women's Press. 1979)

there is something truly mystical about this photo. Very good work. 8/8.

You do great work but this one seems a bit ... different. Very real though. Everyone will bring different emotional bagage to it and feel otherwise.

 

Margaret Ann Bruce, quit your bitching and start uploading YOUR photos. I've been reading through your past comments you've left on other images, an you offer nothing but negative personal projections. From flaming liberal/feminist comments to nit picking about vacation snap snots of amateurs. Just relax a bit and enjoy the aray of different photographic influence from all over the world. There are at least as many ways to make an image as there are photographers.

 

The shoulder is a bit weird... but I like the feeling that this could have been the model in mid air... except that has been captured horizontally. Much more interesting than the the truck loads of reclining passive nudes...

The arm looks so uncomfortable that it is too distracting.

The old Media Studies 101 debate. There is nothing inherently degrading about depicting that which is desirable of the opposite sex to you (or of the same sex for that matter) by either men or women.