civilized ku # 582 ~ people picturing
Friday, July 16, 2010 at 09:30AM 
After a swim ~ Bog River / Low's Lake - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggenPeople - know and unkown - have been slowly appearing in my "serious" pictures. That said, there has been no conscious or concerted effort to make that happen in my picturing - it's just kinda happening.
In fact, it's happening in much the same manner as my gradual shift from "pure" landscape pictures (ku) to my signs-of-humankind in the landscape (civilized ku) did - slowly but surely, over an extended period of time. However, to my way of thinking and acting, there is one primary difference between making pure and/or civilized landscape pictures and the making of peopled pictures - that of how the pictured people are represented.
In the current state of pictures-as-art (as opposed to family and friends snapshots and the like), it is quite fashionable - and I don't mean that in a disparaging sense - to represent people as a rather self-affected lot - people posing with a very-much-aware-of and staring-at-the-camera (occasionally not) "vacant"/ deadpan expression. Perhaps that is in fashion because it does, in fact, illustrate the rather detached, self-centered, and emotionally cool attitude that is representative of much of the populous, especially that of the younger generation.
A good example of such pictures can be found in Michael Frahm's work, The Excerise Of Look And Fail To See.
When viewing these pictures, I don't detect much human "warmth". In most cases, after working my way through a handful of such pictures - pictures in a single body of work - I tend to lose interest or, perhaps more accurately stated, I just don't want to see any more pictures that are, to my sense and sensibilities, rather "lifeless" and somewhat depressing.
That said, I am aware of a few picture makers (I'm reasonably certain that there are many more that I am not aware of) who manage to circumvent the fashionable thing and picture people with at least a modicum of human warmth. One such picture maker, David Strohl, is making some very inviting / interesting pictures that include a people presence in his Drift Savanna project.
What I like most about Strohl's people pictures is the often subtle and, therefore, interestingly human expressions that he captures in his picturing. The people just simply appear to be being themselves in a rather "honest" and straightforward expression of themselves. Consequently, to my eye and sensibilities, I want to see more, not less, of these pictures. For the most part, his pictures make me want want to meet the people portrayed in them or at least not want to avoid them in a chance encounter.
I can't say that about the people in Frahm's pictures. They may, in fact, be very nice and interesting people, but they don't look that way in Frahm's pictures. At least, that's how I see them - both the pictures and the people portrayed therein.
All of that said, it could be opined that today's people picture and few recent others seem to be drifting more toward Frahm's way of seeing rather than that of Strohl.
To be honest, I'm not certain that is way I want to go and I think that the only way of avoiding that is to approach my subjects and let them know that I am making a picture of them. Hopefully, I can coax an "honest" expression or two out of them although the question then becomes, is it really honest?
Reader Comments (5)
Mark this is a great post.
Frahms work is to posed for me and Strohls look to much like snapshots, just my opinion.
Your images, like Hugo in his canoe, or standing on the beach or even the image of the girl in ku #552 look more relaxed, natural, not posed.
Frahm's pictures don't seem real. There fake. I think: why am I looking at them there's nothing here. Strohl's, on the other hand, seem real, like I'm actually examining the world. That's what I find most interesting about photos is that examining the world.
I think Strohl refers to snapshots, but the richness and subtlety of his compositions elevate these pictures far above mere snapshots. These are no accidental point and shoot pictures.
Bill I did not mean "snapshot" in a derogatory way, Mr. Strohls work is very good and his different projects show that, I just thought that the one mentioned above gave that look to me.
The Hugo picture is eye-catching: there's a dynamic / uncertainty when I look at the image because I can't resolve if it's caught mid-action or is posed. The back lighting adds to the intrigue.
Frahm: I can appreciate his visual style but the dead looks are a turnoff.
Strohl: slightly more engaging than Frahm, but they have a "distance" to them as well. Is this something that photographers put into their images? Does it mean the photographer is detached from the real world?
This makes we wonder if people (friends / acquaintances) find my images detached / distant / engaging or plain incomprehensible. Hmmm, I might create an experiment of sorts... ;-)
Thank you for this post, it raises some interesting questions.
Something worth considering in this case, is the intention behind these works. Frahm, for instance, speaks openly about the question of "truth and uniqueness" and his search for "identity and individuality."
It is not often that in amongst a crowd of people, one sees the warm and inviting nature of individuals. Which is less posed then? The work of Strohl who manages to make everyone look interesting and inviting?
Perhaps, Frahms intention is to portray the truth or emptiness behind masks such as clothing and fake expression. I think it's more difficult to depict the so called lifelessness achieved in Frahms work.
A painter, after all, who harps on the melancholic, is no less celebrated.