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Kim,

This is a painfully beautiful, tragic, scarey image. The child's face is so chubbily innocent, but something seems to be eating away at it. The skin looks like it's being peeled away...by fire, or chemicals. The face looks like it's being oxidized before our very eyes, rusting away. The child's skin and lips, so filled with water and life and newness (the lips so full of life and blood they almost look bruised), are helpless against the drying and shriveling and flaking that overtakes it. The child looks so tragically vulnerable...as we all are. The face looks perhaps like someone is shovelling earth over it...only another shovel-full and it will be entirely covered. However, although we normally think of earth as inert, lifeless...what you've done in this photo somehow makes the earth seem rich and alive and filled with the promise of new life...redemption. Such an interesting image to think about!

Thanks, Ben and J Doyle. I like having a concept first and working backwards - I don't normally do that.

I keep looking at it do'nt know what to say (Its a sad image ) It hit you hard right where it hurt the most (your heart sink) .You did a good job Kim . Well Done ..!

My thought: the Druids (among others) believed that trees were inhabited by spirits that could be awakened to aid them (the custom of touching or knocking wood to ward off bad luck is a remnant of this). And so I saw this image as the slumbering spirit of such a tree. Clearly, there's power here.

Very interesting and originaly image.

Don, interesting way to view this, too. Thanks for visiting and to you, too, CHiPS and Allan.

I thought of illness when I saw this. The texture looks like oxidation to me and that is like what an illness does to your body and when a child is sick you check on them and if you see them sleeping with a sweet face like this as a parent it gives me hope that the rest will rebuild their strength to get better. Great tones.

With so many children lost in that tragedy, I can't help but seeing this as something that actually happened to many of them, founded, or yet to be discovered. I'm rather sadden by this image. For the fact that it has this effect, you succeeded in allowing viewers to make their own conclusions and therefore, their individual state of mind.

 

May they rest in peace.

Sorry this is turning out to be a bit depressing for many. So many things we take for granted, including health and happiness, and so many people don't have a chance at either.

Kim, apology absolutely NOT needed, IMO. Viewers had interpreted based on each person's state of mind. You had no idea how each person translates an image. Very fascinating posting for not only of photographic value, but of psychological one as well. Have you ever been a psychologist before?! ^_^

Not in this lifetime, Wilson, although I AM an HR Manager, so maybe part-time psychologist!

Kim, you're not Dilbert's "evil human resources director," are you?

 

This photo is brilliantly done, and seems to represent a new trend for you (at least in terms of work that I have seen).

 

I don't have an interpretation of it right away, but some kind of death theme would seem to be implied by the sense of decay.

Wow I could spend a while looking at this Kim. This is captivating work. Congrats.

Lannie, if you ask some of the employees, I would fall into the evil HR director category! Of course, these are the people who aren't following the rules. I try to be firm but fair, like I am on PN. :)

 

Thanks, Amar, glad you got something out of this.

Excellent work... very well done and original! Congrats.

Dramatic, with a lot of information, well done!

This is one of the most hauntingly beautiful images I have seen.Everything about it is perfect to me..the beauty of the child's face in repose with the color and texture of blood surrounding it will stay in my mind's eye for a long time.This is truly a unique, original photograph.

Thanks, JF, Sven and Vicki. I'm truly surprised at the response to this - I came very close to not posting it. I thought maybe it was a little too "out there".

Kim, hard for me to associate this with your regular bird/animal shots but OMG, you are a great artist deep inside. I shall not comment on this because it's out of my league but let me say that I really admire your creativity. 7/7.

Jerry - funny, I think this is more "me" than my nature shots. I fell into nature photography because I'm lucky to have these animals literally in my front yard, but I have a creative side that wants more out of photography than what the camera sees.

This image is bound to raise all sorts of thoughts especially for parents. And if art these days is designed to get people thinking and talking then you succeeded!

My first impression was a tragedy, a fading image of somebody beloved, which child is a great symbol for this. Original idea, creative work with textures, Kim, rusty colors leave strong and dramatic impression.

Thanks for visiting, Colin and Galina.

Funny I couldn't comment till now as I had the same reaction as Wilson. Extremely creative Kim. Cheers Nova :)

Thanks, Nova - like I said, sorry if it's depressing to some people. There are so many ways to look at an image like this.