A loosely connected series

There are planned series and accidential series. The following six pictures are an accidential series.
The connection is made through my way to see things and there is a story that can be imagined behind the series.

Here are the first three:


More to follow very soon...

Best regards,
Michael

Here is the second batch of three pictures, the last two were already shown elswhere here and spawned the idea for the series.




Now I am interested in your impressions on the series, but also in your views on the individual pictures. Subjective impressions are as important as formal critique for me.

Thanks for taking your time.

Best regards,
Michael

The last two pictures had already won my trust. Now I need to see how this can all work with the newest pictures you have added.

Immediately, Michael, I am taken aback by the dissimilar styles. The almost Japanese painting quality in the 2cd picture is a jolt to the senses after the first one asked my to tone down expectations for detail and beauty. I'm thinking, you set my brain to a simplified haphazard motif ,and then I get dropped into a magic place that's so different and for which I'm in no way prepared. So I'm challenged to feel the pictures are made of the same emotional and esthetic fabrics.

So, for me, at least, I am asking whether the picture style matters. I'm sure that someone must have built a series where the picture bear no immediate DNA in common, but have motif that is more intellectual in nature and not observable by most people without guidance.

At this point, without disclosure of the story to make sense of things, my knowledge of art is not sufficient to myself provide any examples of such a use of extremely varied presentations in a successful series.

Asher

Asher,

Thanks - the connection is see is probably owed to my imagined story (I have a vivid imagination!), but the dissimilar styles have a signification here.

Here is my imagined story:
It is the story of a man who:
- Has fun (1)
- Experiences moments of solitude (2)
- Becomes part of the society up to the point being indistinguishable from the crowd (3)
- Tries to go a different way with the help from a friend (4)
- Experiences hard times (5)
- Finds his way back matured (6)

I admit - this is constructed. Let's see if it can work or if it falls apart.

Best regards,
Michael

Michael,

I wrote a reply and then Max OS X.7, a.k.a, Lion, did the "active window freeze" but I took a screen shot and will retype it later.

Asher

Asher,

as long as you did not lose any data it is OK.

Another hint on the series:
There are two elements present in this series (at least one per picture):
- Hand rails or guard rails as delimiting element.
- Water as open element.

Best regards,
Michael

Michael Nagel said:

Asher,

as long as you did not lose any data it is OK.

Click to expand...

Well, Michael,

A screen capture:


..... so, after all, the one woman up front with her black umbrella was not out of place at all. So if you wish, you can indeed create a context which has new rules and folk will have to accept. However, you do not have an entire Zulu army to back up your idiosyncratic choices, LOL!

Michael Nagel said:

Another hint on the series:
There are two elements present in this series (at least one per picture):
- Hand rails or guard rails as delimiting element.
- Water as open element.

Click to expand...

I noticed those common elements but the painting of the images is so different and not as one expects. But that is no law in some book that you can't break! Still, do you really need to have a mixture of styles?

Asher

Asher Kelman said:

Still, do you really need to have a mixture of styles?

Click to expand...

I dare to ask the question the opposite way:
Do we have to stick to one style if there is a content-based relationship between the different pictures?

To expand the above question:
How could you better amplify an expression of a picture than by using the appropriate style to express a mood/feeling?

From my experience, a common style has more the tendency to lull the viewer. Different styles are opposite to the viewing habits of many people and tend more to raise thinking and criticism about the series presented. This is what I intend.
You can see this effect for all types of media - a well defined format and style tends to be accepted in general, often regardless of the content. We have to look more on the content and less on the representation in many things. This is a statement of this series.

Back to the series:
This series represents different moments in a (imagined) life.
Do we always see things the same way? I dare to say no. The immediate changes are gradual, large differences are only visible, when someone looks back in things written/produced a long time ago. Shall this be represented by the same style?

Best regards,
Michael

Michael,

I am so very careful not to exclude or depreciate any choice of an array of styles you might make. That choice is your prerogative and what anyone else thinks shouldn't bother if you are honest and don't have to feed a wife and kids on its acceptance! Still, it's you who has to pull it off for yourself! So, make sure that that's actually your real need is and it's not just that you didn't think out more straightforward and fresh unifying options for your own creative ideas. No one can do that for you. If you choose to use different styles then more power too you if it can be cohesive enough to carry the expressive freight your imagination demands of the pictures you present. So I'd start from defining, just for yourself, what you need to express and get engraved into your images and what work it has to do on the observer. Then use whatever technique you feel matches your chosen idiom.

To pull of a multi style series will take more than just the bridges and rails in common but I don't doubt it can be done. "Can" is different, however from "should". Which ever path you select, your project is a good one. Having framed the outline of your story, go for it!

Asher

Asher,

I am glad to see that you see my intention. As I do not earn money with photography, I enjoy the fact that I am the main customer of my ideas and do not have to rely on the acceptance from other viewers and I certainly enjoy this freedom. Still I like to see different views on what I do because, while developing my way to express things, I have to see if it is understood.

I will have to develop this idea...

Best regards,
Michael

Michael Nagel said:

Now I am interested in your impressions on the series, but also in your views on the individual pictures. Subjective impressions are as important as formal critique for me.

Click to expand...

Michael,

This is most unusual and worthy of our interest.

At this moment, I have not fully digested the individual pictures, so I can't fairly comment on the series. This picture, however, stands out for its clarity. It's simple but strong with one word, "The" and a man apparently descending the escalators in a metro station. If the man had a bowler hat, it would be a nice Magritte image. Without the hat, the man seems slightly undressed and informal.

The means what? We're not told but it allows us to bring out own ideas to the picture and just muse.

Asher