Michel Legendre ~ No content - substance as opposed to form

Death is present in all landscape photographs, although we seldom see it. Our eyes and minds filter out the fact that at a cellular level, life is a constant, cataclysmic cycle of death and rebirth and seize on the medium's ability to extend the life of the depicted moment's light, time place and people. Ferdinand Protman in - LANDSCAPE - photography of time and place -

FEATURED COMMENT: Michel Legendre wrote: "I love the "new" term deathscape...That idea of "death" and "cataclysmic cycle" that gives birth to forms that I can capture and use to create photography, is in fact in my mind since more than a year...I think IT IS the """substance""" in everything that I look at, in every form I create...You reactions help me to think it' s about time I put an end to that constant inner dialogue about "form" and "content" that made me stop shooting for a while recently."

Comments

[paulraphael]

My favorite deathscapes have always been Weston's late point lobos work (the mostly horizonless pictures) and Stieglitz's poplar trees at Lake George. Those trees give me the shivers.

[aaron]

deathscapes? never heard of but am intrigued and want to see more...couldn't find anything via google. Does anyone know of any particular sites? How is a deathscape defined?

[Michelle Parent]

Michel,
J'aime beaucoup la lumière du crépuscule dans cette photo! On peut être tromper par les formes. J'ai pensé qu'elle étais une Macro jusqu'à ce que J'ai vue les feulles et les fleurs. Une belle photo pour la découverte et les regards longs.

I really love the light of the twilight in this photo. One can be deceived by the shapes. I thought this was a macro until I saw the leaves and flowers. A nice photo for discovery and long looks.

[paulraphael]

If 'deathscape' doesn't show up on google, then i might be the proud daddy of a new term.

examples of what i was talking about:

http://www.pku.edu.cn/life/xuehui/yasp/pic-sheyingdashi/edward%20weston/Point%20Lobos.jpg

http://www.eastman.org/fm/stieglitz/htmlsrc/m196701200017_ful.html#topofimage

[mary dennis]

Michel,

This is a magnificently dark, complex and very moving photograph. I love how it takes some time to get my bearings while peering into this. I feel like I could be flying over this place in a dream.

[Anonymous]

Hi everyone and thanks for the pleasing comments.
I love the "new" term deathscape...
That idea of "death" and "cataclysmic cycle" that gives birth to forms that I can capture and use to create photography, is in fact in my mind since more than a year...I think IT IS the """substance""" in everything that I look at, in every form I create...You reactions help me to think it' s about time I put an end to that constant inner dialogue about "form" and "content" that made me stop shooting for a while recently.

Thanks again

Salut

a bientot

mleg