amypowers

Carl,
Thanks for your comment...Its very interesting to me to see what different people see in my photos. For myself, I am a visual person and I see shapes, lines, combinations of light and shade, and thats what has been in my mind first and foremost when I have done the self portraits. I liked the way the angled lines of the bars matched the lines of my body, and I liked the contrast between its sharp edges and the rounded lines of my body.
But I think that my mood and my ideas shape the images subconciously...its usually after I take a picture and look at it for awhile that the meaning of it becomes clear to me. For example, I don't think of this one as being so much about isolation, as it is about nudity not always equaling availability or vulnerability.

I have a whole series of nudes "one step removed", as it were, with something in between the nude and the camera - a window, a screen, these bars...Its a way of softening the "ohmygod, its a naked person" effect, and (hopefully) focusing someone more on the overall image. Phil has a page here about nudes, and he speaks of the need for a little distance for the viewer. It is something of a convention in art nude photography. I have done a fair amount of art nude modeling, and I half-jokingly say that the difference between modeling for art nudes and erotica is that in art, you don't wear shoes, you don't look at the camera, and you don't smile...
So maybe that explains some of the compositional choices I make in my photos..

"I had a hard time in trying to understand where the light on your right comes which helps to stress the outline of the body. Is this the reflection from the body, or, there's another hidden source somewhere?"

 

Yang Fang,

 

I am glad you like this picture, its one of my favorites also. No, there is only one light for this image, the one you see through the door. Its just a happy circumstance that I knelt in exactly the right place to catch that light on my right side.

And yes, I have a folder full of not-quite-right images, not to mention the deleted ones where I am half in and half out of the frame...The joys of self portraits...

Great shot, Dennis! I'm thinking you could sell a big enlargement of this to a support group for people overcoming fear of heights. The POV feels real enough to make just looking at it a legitimate first step in that process!

Nice detail in the shot, although you could have used a wider angle, or laid down on the floor on your back, perhaps? Not bad though.

Good color in this, the sky is very rich and the flag pops nicely against it.

Hmmnn...interesting set of comments, Scott...What is true is that this shot, and the other one like it, are two of my least favorites. I think they are technically not-great, and while I like the concept in general, it isn't well developed in this photo.

I leave them up because the comments remind me that my perspective is only one point of view, that other people see different things.

If you look through my "Filtered Nudes" presentation you'll see that I am trying a lot of different approaches to nudes "one step removed" as it were. This window, which is a frame propped up in the middle of my studio, is simply another way of framing and yet distancing the subject. Yes, the "peeping" element is there, but this was not intended to be a social commentary on male masturbatory patterns.

As always, I appreciate people taking time to comment thoughtfully.

The photos in this folder aren't either technically or artistically outstanding, and I get no real feeling or understanding about the people involved. I realize this wasn't a studio setup, but lacking any artistic merit, they become mere shock-fodder. What are the ethics of this?

"The same pose, but no table and squared up with the fireplace perfect, should increase the impact! Plus a fraction lighter of the body's image."

No table? Well, Herman...I think more symetry is indeed a goal - but I am puzzled as to how you think a sitting pose is going to work without anything to sit on? I have fairly strong quads, but - whew!

But yes, a more evenly arranged pose, and more light. I just need to find a model who has both the long hair, and the right body type...Perfect symetry is really hard to do in a self portrait!

This is...weird. The weirdest thing is the anatomically correct " baby Jesus".

Nick,

Its is rather confusing. The two mirrors are set into a broad V-shape and my feet are almost touching the base of the V. I think whats happening is that there are reflections of reflections in each mirror, if that makes sense.
The most difficult thing about this shot was getting the tripod low enough. I wound up taking the center post-thing out and re-inserting it upside down - yay, Bogen! - so that I could have the camera just a few inches above the floor.
I did a whole series with these mirrors, but I neglected to acccount for the fact that the mirrors were going to bounce the flash around, and so a lot of them have weird hotspots. Back to the drawing board!

Hmmnnn.....gentlemen, your eyes decieve you - there is only me in this photo, no one else.

So - looks like we're having a resizing issue here, hence the "checked" effect on the image. Sigh. Maybe I will re-upload it...

"Are these shot at night? Why did you use infrared? "

 

No, they are not shot at night. One generally does not use IR film for night exposures, although I suppose that technically you could.

Infrared rays from the sun are mostly present during the day, so a really bright sunny day is usually considered the best time to shoot IR film, as it gives the most pronounced "infrared look". UV light is the spectrum of light thats available for night shots. You can capture UV light on any film, but infrared film is sensitive to a more extended spectrum of light than other films. In point of fact, it really only goes into the "near-infrared" spectrum, not the real infrared spectrum, but its called IR film just the same.

Monochrome infrared film is most common, but there is also color infrared film and I have some shots done with that in one of my other folders.

The reason for using IR film is simply: its interesting. I like the look of it, although I am still learning how to get the best from it. If you're interested in reading more about IR films, there is a fair amount of discussion about it in the Photo.net archives.

 

thanks for your comment...

Its warm - feeling, and I like the reflection.

Very different and subtle. I like it!

Gorgeous, James, really lovely. You get better and better all the time.

Thanks for the comment, Ozkan...I do appreciate the input, always. And you're quite right: its isn't my usual fare, and it is indeed a quick snapshot. Thats the nature of street photos, that they are unposed, and unplanned, and fleeting by their nature.
I am still a new enough photographer to want to play with all different kinds of moods, looks, methods and styles. Some I will be better at than others. But its part of my learning process...

Thanks, Larry...

Although looking at it here, I am puzzled by this weird pattern that I am seeing all over it. How did that happen? Its not that way on my HD...

Well. Hmmn...Its different. Nice clear colors. Wow, I just really don't know how to respond to this. I think the one-eye-closed, one-eye-opened is kinda putting me off.

Thanks for the constructive input, ya'll. I have actually gotten a large number of emails about this film, people seem very intrigued by it. So, without further ado: Polagraph... a 35mm b/w slide film, usually sold in any pro-type camera store. Or, you can order from places like B&H or Adorama. There is also another b/w slide film, PolaPan, and some color ones that I have not tried.
You process it yourself using a little hand-cranked machine, and a packet of chemicals that is boxed up with the roll of film. You can pick the auto processor units up on Ebay pretty cheaply, I think I paid about fifteen dollars for mine.

If you do searches on Photo.net with these keywords you'll pull up lots of other info.

My experience with Polagraph is that it sucks up light big time, so use it outside in full sun or with *very* strong studio lighting. With Polagraph you really don't get much grey at all, its pretty much all either black or white. So plan on blown-out highlights. Polapan has more middle tones, although still pretty contrasty in my experience.

Also check out this link, its very helpful...

http://photo-mark.com/polaroid/

have fun!

My first experiment with Polagraph film - its a 35mm instant film

made by Polaroid. I thought at first it was too dark, but its sort of

growing on me. I'd welcome comments on this image or the other one in

the folder.

Hmmnn...Well, first off, the border makes me feel like I am looking at one of those decks of cards with naked girls on them. I don't mean to sound nasty, I just think it sort detracts from the subject.
Who is indeed lovely, and I like the black backdrop, and the skin tones, and her hair over her face. There is a sort of "period" look to this thats appealing.
I would have liked more symmetry in the placement of her hands, and her breasts need to be adjusted a little. But overall, quite nice.

whoops....I should fix that...

Its a good idea, and I have done that in some of my other photos...
See these: "Nude on Wood Floor"http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=249655

And "HalfNude"http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=249657

Thanks for your input!

Ok, I'm a female: here is my comment. Its a technically well executed photo, and the brick wall doesn't bother me. She looks lovely and her facial expression is perfect, esp with the cigarette.

My only problem, and its a slight one, is that it looks very posed. Maybe thats why it doesn't appeal to the voyuer in me (And yes, there is one.) I mean, unless she is wearing crotchless pantyhose or something, she isn't really using the toilet, she's just sitting on it, which, of course, is mildly shocking and amusing - but this photo doesn't truly reveal anything, either skin, or anything intimate about the model.

That being said, its a very good picture for what it is, technically better than lots of stuff I've done.