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A Non-Self Portrait of Charlotte Thompson (edit)

W

William Blackford

New member
The idea was to capture impending erotic intimacy. Sepia seemed natural as a rosy aphrodisiac. The shadows are a promise and they enclose as a warm darkness might between two. I intentionally cropped off the left side to crowd the frame to further enhance a feeling of closeness. And lastly what some might consider underexposing here, I consider a form of enticement.










Agoldenmomentwow.jpg
 
J

James Newman

Member
OK please explain to me what is going on? I like the image but where did it come from? Is William a friend? Did you send him an image to work on? Is this really you? I am quite confused about this post. As I said, I like the image but if it was a hair smaller so I didn't have to scroll to see it all I would like it even more.
James
 
Charlotte Thompson

Charlotte Thompson

Well-known member
James

meet William Blackford-this is his shot of me-
he is the photographer absolutely
the picture was taken some months ago in my home-

Charlotte
 
Charlotte Thompson

Charlotte Thompson

Well-known member
Blackford this picture inspired me to write this poem for it-I think it is appropriate exatly so-



Forever


I didn't come here marked for death
I came here to undurden myself
to understand I am an angel as we all are
creatures of the awful light
the light that follows underneath
where we bring ourselves to undie
I
I am in love-


Charlotte Thompson-
 
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Charlotte Thompson

Charlotte Thompson

Well-known member
Bart

I am not understanding what you mean- could you explain*
creatures of the awful light are human beings born in light-the spirit-the God light if you will-
has nothing to do with photography-
but a cool idea none-the-less-

Charlotte
 
M

Michael_Stones

Member
I think Bart was having fun with the irony of light - as coinage of the photographic realm - described as 'awful' (forgive me if I'm wrong Bart).

I like the image but perceive a mismatch with the poem, which I also like. William refers to the underexposure in the photo as a means to convey closeness and enticement. The poem refers to the power of light to create angels and transcend death. So for the sake of consistency with the poem, shouldn't the photo be overexposed to represent light's power? Or the poem modified to suggest transcendatal properties of a relative absence of light? Or have I missed the point of the poem completely?
 
Charlotte Thompson

Charlotte Thompson

Well-known member
Jacob
I didnt or couldnt make out the smiley thing but I did say his irony on light was a cool idea

Bart

ok look at what I wrote to Rachel'-Jacob
oh and Bart you are right
art should be free- whatever free really is-

Michael-
I also write in the poem which is some darkness as well-

I didn't come here marked for death*

if you will then with a balance of light in the line-
creatures of the awful light-*
a contrast of light and dark- a picture of representation of this shot-
I hope this may be a clearer thought now for you*
and thank you for the chit-chat both of you I enjoy it and hope you do as well*

Charlotte
 
W

William Blackford

New member
Greetings Ms. Foster,


Thank you for the proclamation. I must say the model deserves quite a bit of credit as she was very responsive to the camera without being too overt . She kept a flow going in trusting my instincts and I gave no vocal cues of any kind. This kind of symbiosis is rare in adults. I have looked over your work and your use of shadows, particularly with Still Life Florals and the penlight is interesting and some, especially the wispy seeds piece entilted 'Weed' are quite beautiful. It's refreshing to look at work that does not adhere to so called exposure correctness. There are other shots in your portfolio I wish to respectfully comment on and will do so throughout my stay. Thank you, as well, for taking the time to comment.
 
W

William Blackford

New member
Mr. Newman,


Sorry about the confusion. I trust Ms. Thompson has cleared away any inconsistencies or left you sufficiently with only more of them. As far as the size of the photo is concerned, I didn't have the heart to make it smaller as I do enjoy its present size. Please feel free to resize it for your viewing comfort. Glad you enjoyed with the potential of enjoying it even more.
 
W

William Blackford

New member
Mr. Wolf,


Your quip made me think of how 'awful light' could be used perfectly. But would it be awful light then is the question? I mean, a serpentine goth female, Courtney Cox complexion with Anna Nicole curves. She is in sickly green light looking back at herself in a vanity mirror with pouting lips of black lipstick and black eyes coiled quietly like a bear trap. Take that same lighting and use a Shirley Temple look-a-like and you've got something not quite so appetizing. Give Shirley Temple a kitchen knife and a Christina Ricci Addams Family leer and you've got something more interesting. Put Hellraiser's Pin Head in front of her with a compassionate look in his obsidian eyes and things look even further up. One thing's for sure, such thinking does make one rethink 'awful light'. Thanks for the spur...I wonder if they still make the magazine Fangora?
 
W

William Blackford

New member
Mr. Stones,




I am going to wager you have missed the point of the poem. But I am often privy to the meaning of Ms. Thompson's poetry when others are not, partly due to my years of association with her. Here is my take: The awful light she refers to is the God source that encases us within flesh, thus removing us from our perfect angelhood, and thus into a partial divinty (human love). She would probably name the photograph: A Partial Divinity. The light is awful because it is both a Rebirth and a lessening. She sees this idea as one of the summations. But the question remains: Is there a mismatch with her poem? Well, if you base the answer on my descriptions behind the technical aspects then you have the idea that she underwhelmed its' eroticism. But what is sexual is many things to many people. To say that Charlotte sees eroticism as a partial divinity is not a stretch for me. Thank you, Mr. Stones, for commenting and glad you liked it. (Also I would like to claim this post as my understanding of another's ideals and not my personal philosphy of the afterlife)
 
Charlotte Thompson

Charlotte Thompson

Well-known member
the erotic as PARTIAL Divinity
is such an amazing thought Blackford
Partial Divinity is half of divine-I believe we are the whole of the divine as is the shot-
interesting that humanity in part would not understand divine is whole as are they-
but you always make me ponder a thing or 2- thank you for that*** the shot is Divine as we are in Divinity-my thoughts alone for sure-

Charlotte
 
W

William Blackford

New member
Mr. Hardesty,



I observed your commentary before you deleted it and understand the complications of giving one's candid ideas at the risk of being offensive. I applaud you for your honesty
and courage for posting those words. So what if some feathers were ruffled, the important thing is that we understand what is being percieved and why. I call it geniune interaction. But I also respect your intentions and would like to discuss your interpretation, in private if you wish, without any hubris. Oh and honestly, I don't think your intention was to be insulting to the model. It took some adjusting of my perception but I was able to see your angle rather completely. Hell, the image just got upgraded to evocative.
 
Charlotte Thompson

Charlotte Thompson

Well-known member
How interesting to be seen as Magdaline- and I as the model took no offense,not all see the same - and really liked the open honest ideas of Joe*

Charlotte
 
J

Joe Hardesty

New member
Mr. Blackford & Ms. Thompson,

I am glad you saw my comments, but could not leave that post in place. While it was truthful and honest as an opinion, my conscience kept saying delete, delete, delete.

Part of my angst, about my original post and this thread in general, stems from my natural aversion to discussing art. And since my comments were opinion and not a critique of any technical merit, they served no purpose.

I think it is an incredible image, but only if taken outside of the context of this thread. It must stand alone, where the observer is allowed his/her own emotional connection.

Kindest regards.
 
Charlotte Thompson

Charlotte Thompson

Well-known member
Joe

but my friend you did connect to the picture and in such a large and wonderful way*
you gave to it your emotional connection- it is all one could hope for is such a connection
thank you for that*

Charlotte
 
J

Joe Hardesty

New member
charlotte thompson said:
Joe

but my friend you did connect to the picture and in such a large and wonderful way*
Click to expand...

To me that is the ultimate goal of photography; a one-to-one emotional connection. I never know who that one will be or when it will happen, but if it does, the photo is a huge success. And that one emotional connection is vastly more important than a hundred "great shot" comments.

The great irony--as demonstrated in your image--is that we don't have a clue why that connection occurs. In this case, the connection is extremely intense but it's the polar opposite of what the photographer, and perhaps you, intended. That begs the question, is it a success or a failure?

Perhaps "making a statement" is too confining for this medium. If we try to explain it, there is always the chance we will screw it up.
 
J

Joe Hardesty

New member
Charlotte,

If you would be so kind, I have a few personal questions;

What were your emotions and feelings when that image was captured? Were you emotionally comfortable when that shot was taken? What message were YOU trying to convey? What mood were you in?

Then, what was your reaction when you first saw the image?

I see this as a very rare opportunity to get a glimpse--past the camera--into the subject herself.

Thanks.
 
Charlotte Thompson

Charlotte Thompson

Well-known member
Joe

thank you for asking

I was the most relaxed-one of the most beautiful times of my life- he took many more and captured a gorgeous series- I felt extremely female and myself- which for me is noty easy to do-
be;lieve it or not I am very shy nonetheless I take pictures of myself and recolor them into the art I so enjoy-
Blackford puts me at ease with his camera with his soft and strong personality-
I swear I have never felt so beautiful in my life the night he did all those shots-
when I saw the picture I couldnt believe that was me-he assured me it was- I guess the message was being woman- feeling sexy-happy-delighted in my female self-confidence-strong and real*

Charlotte
 
R

Rachel Foster

New member
William, forgive my presumption of using first names when you prefer (charmingly, I add!) old-world formality, but the intimacy you've shared with me in this portrait of Charlotte demands recognition. That we've been on intimate terms (via this photo) makes continued formality a bit awkward.

Thank you for taking the time to look at my photos. Your input is highly valued. "Gibson by Penlight" is what actually sparked my obsession wiith this form of expression (photography) but that is for another time. This is Charlotte's thread.
 
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