Processing: ACR: Recovery to reduce blown out areas on oxygen cylinder, brightness, contrast, clarity, and vibrance. Photoshop: cloned out spots on wall and floor, curves, dodge and burn, resize, convert to sRGB, smart sharpen, and save for web.
This is one a series documenting the sunset years of my life. It began with an image taken at sunset on my sixtieth birthday:
It continues with images showing my life as an artist:
Camera Self Portrait Self Portrait with "Fire"
Now the sunset is getting darker. Last October I suffered a medical crisis. My body was no longer capable of obtaining enough oxygen from the air to keep me alive and I went into a coma. As my doctor so quaintly put it, "You almost bought the farm." I now need continuous supplemental oxygen to keep me alive. This is a long-term effect of having had bulbar polio as a child.
I plan to continue this series. It will be interesting to see where it leads. Unfortunately it is going to be difficult for me to take the last picture.
I like sunsets. I'm enjoying life and feeling good about myself. That is what makes it possible for me to do this series.
The challenge details say "Make a contribution to Modern or Contemporary Art with a relevant photograph." I think it is too late to make a contribution to Modern Art; that era is over and we are now in the post-modern period. "Contemporary art" is the term used to refer to art produced today.
We have reached the point where photographic images are fully accepted as contemporary art. At places like the Musueum of Contempory Art in Chicago, P.S.1 in New York, and the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, it is not unusual to see photographic images among the paintings and sculptures. Sotheby's and Christie's now include photographic images in their contemporary art auctions with works by Richard Prince, Cindy Sherman, Thomas Struth, and Andreas Gursky selling for over a million dollars. These are the photos that have clearly made a contribution to contemporary art.
To play in this realm, you have to have a shtick. Prince's shtick is appropriated advertising images; Sherman's is role-playing self portraits. My shtick is portraits of my aging self. I really don't think this is going to make it on either DPC or the contemporary art scene. It doesn't have the features to make it appeal to either audience.
This should have been a great challenge for me because one of my personal goals is to be successful in the contemporary art world. I have another shtick which I have been trying to use. I've made a series called Objects and Reflections which consists of life-size photographic replicas of objects plus inner images (reflections) which are related to each object. Here I am with "Fire" and the image that the viewers see when they look down inside the object:
Replica Object Inside
You can see more of these on my web site. They were photographed in front of a sloping mirror so you can see the image inside each object. These have been in gallery shows in both Cincinnati and Columbus, Ohio but so far no sign of influence on the contemporary art world (and no sales).
I'm honored that this image received the Blue from the jury:
Statistics
Place: 61 out of 193 Avg (all users): 5.6719 Avg (commenters): 7.4138 Avg (participants): 5.5306 Avg (non-participants): 5.8191 Views since voting: 7861 Views during voting: 744 Votes: 192 Comments: 57 Favorites: 8 (view)
I realize that this is from an old challenge but I have been scrolling thru images and came across this one. Before I even read your description I had tears in my eyes and rolling down my cheeks. This image , this peice of art, provoked serious emotion and no words needed to be spoken. This photo reminded me of my father, I commend your courage to share your story with us. So many people hide behind walls of fakeness and non reality. They hide their ailments and tribulations for fear that others will judge them. I praise you for wanting to show the world. I praise you for having the confidence, the courage, and the desire.
for me this borders on tasteless, I have grown up in an Elderly Care facility and it just screams exploiting....I am overly sensitive to this...sorry
I think this is an inaccurate reaction - it would scream 'exploitation' if it weren't so carefully composed, and indeed so carefully posed. Whilst there is no apparent attempt to 'airbrush' the image to produce a fake and sentimental kind of acceptability, there is likewise no attempt to show humiliation of the subject; it's a good honest photo - although of course very carefully organised and lit.
I'm surprised by the allegations of its being 'extreme' or the like, also: it worries me that in a world where you can't move for images of the flesh, the presentation of some that isn't tanned, made-up, styled, photoshopped and re-touched should be considered difficult. Surely the constant onslaught of the fake should be more worrying?
Hpw could you possibly exploit yourself!!!!! its like saying if i photograph myself nude for a tattoo i have got and i wish to share it then i am exploiting myself,,,pishh some people dont deserve an opinion,,right on man for doing this i find it really empowering to show ones vunerability and it definatly deserves the blue sploggy thingy
for me this borders on tasteless, I have grown up in an Elderly Care facility and it just screams exploiting....I am overly sensitive to this...sorry
I think this is an inaccurate reaction - it would scream 'exploitation' if it weren't so carefully composed, and indeed so carefully posed. Whilst there is no apparent attempt to 'airbrush' the image to produce a fake and sentimental kind of acceptability, there is likewise no attempt to show humiliation of the subject; it's a good honest photo - although of course very carefully organised and lit.
I'm surprised by the allegations of its being 'extreme' or the like, also: it worries me that in a world where you can't move for images of the flesh, the presentation of some that isn't tanned, made-up, styled, photoshopped and re-touched should be considered difficult. Surely the constant onslaught of the fake should be more worrying?
Congratulations on the first place with the jurors vote Dan. Now knowing the story behind this image makes me realize how brave a shot this is. I admire you for your stance in life. It certainly answers many of the questions I initially had. I look forward to seeing more of your work featured here on DPC and will be looking out for it.
My comment was rather flippant. I just didn't know what else to say. I admire your courage--any self portrait takes some amount but yours must have taken an extra helping.
So brave. I will admit that the story helped me to get past my initial reactions about this picture (I only give it a 5 in voting, for technical merit mostly). I feel it's deserving of the award both for the subject it portrays and the simple fact that you were able to portray it so honestly. Congratulations and all the best to you, both in photography and in health. I'll be looking forward to more of your sunsets.
Congrats for your blue! I will read your story later! I gave you a 7 by the way. I wish i could see that in B&W and maybe even a heavier pp.
Congratulations again! Keep the good work!
Well, I guess I'll have to order your Snuggie in Royal Blue!
On a serious note, this photo speaks volumes and bluntly communicates a rather universal message of the modern day process of approaching our golden years. If art is about eliciting an honest heartfelt response from your audience...you definitely earned this well-deserved blue from the jury.
I am glad I bumped up the score I originally gave this. After reading the story behind it and seeing all of the comments on this, I really think this should be the winner hands down. This is an image that has stuck with me and it is one I won't likely soon forget. Well done.
I actually reviewed this and was unable to post it on my iPhone so I saved it for later. I rewrote it when actually posting and wanted to give you more but sometimes words are not enough.
It was the one photo that I kept thinking about.
You are right about "contemporary art" being the "now" rather than "modern" which was decades ago … so I'm glad they included "contemporary" in the challenge description.
I love the story and I love that this is a shot that reflects the reality of your life. Thank you so much for posting all the information - truly moving and you are an artist that I would aspire to emulate.
I can't imaging how this wouldn't play well by the jury … and as you know I gave it the highest score possible - the only photo I gave a 10.
You are so brave, Dan, to take an SP like this. What a scary ordeal that must have been for you last fall. But seriously, you look way better than my MIL - so get up and run while you can (because she cannot and oh, she is only 61-ish).
Not to take away from the landscapey winners, but this should have won a ribbon, or at very least an honorable mention. My choice for "best in show." It occurred to me in passing that this might be a self-portrait. Interesting to find it is so! Keeping my fingers crossed on your behalf for the juried prizes, but whatever happens, this is powerful and now I may add brave. Good luck, Dan.
HUGE congrats. I viewed this more times than any other shot in the challenge because it certainly had a lot to say. I, too, would have added that the subject appears to be in pretty darn good shape. I suspect the subject (and now that I know it is you) has a pretty positive attitude as well, though that isn't necessarily conveyed here. Given what your series conveys, perhaps that didn't seem appropriate for this shot, though. Pleased to see the gamut of reactions you got with this - I think you more than achieved your objective!
What a crock. I entered a snapshot of part of a fishtank and it placed pages ahead of this.
You used photography to write a visual essay which touches on a number of contemporary topics while still appealing on an aesthetic level and I have to browse back 6 pages to find it.
If your goal is to be successful in this medium, you are a long way towards accomplishing it.
Disappearing back into the ether now. Really enjoyed this piece.
Thanks very much for ALL your comments, especially those of you who reacted negatively to the image. One of my goals was to provoke thought and reactions, and if there weren't negative comments and votes of 1, I would feel that I had not been successful. Of course, I'm also pleased that a lot of you understood and appreciated what I am doing.
My explanations in the Photographer's Comments should answer a lot of the questions you have raised in the comments made during the challenge. Yes, it is a self portrait. I really need continuous oxygen to stay alive. I am trying to express what it is like for me to be growing old. The details of the photo are a result of deliberate decisions on my part.
ThingFish asked "Did you consider having the subject wear something like a pair of underpants or perhaps draping a cloth of some kind over the more sensitive parts?" Yes, I took versions with a bathrobe and with jockey shorts. Neither version was as strong as the one I presented.
Nuzzer said "OMG, a Mangina!" I have a version with my legs spread apart just enough to show that I have a penis. I prefer that version but I was afraid I'd be DQed if I used it. There are certainly no restrictions on showing genitals in contemporary art.
violinist123 said "Cries out for b/w to negate the colorful distractions..." I'll think about that. I thought that leaving it in color made the skin tones say more about aging. As bspurgeon said "the blue feet say a lot, enough to leave it in color rather than BW."
Ja-9 said "for me this borders on tasteless, I have grown up in an Elderly Care facility and it just screams exploiting." I share your concern when photographers take this kind of picture of other people. But since this is a self portrait, my question is whether I am exploiting you by taking advantage of my condition to present an image that you cannot fairly critique because it is me? It is for this reason that I did not use a title that revealed that it was a self portrait.
For those of you who were not sure this was fine art, I agree that there is a fine art tradition in photography that concentrates on images that would look good on your living room wall. This is not it. But the contemporary art world has lots of photographic works that show harsh realities. For instance, the current Whitney Biennial shows Nina Berman's photos of a former Marine sergeant who was "severely disfigured in a suicide bomber’s attack while stationed in Iraq {and} underwent fifty reconstructive operations. A plastic dome, with holes where his ears and nose used to be, replaced his shattered skull." I think these are powerful images but I would not want one of them on my living room wall.
tate said "Grant Wood meets Mapplethorpe. Everything is there, and nothing extra." I was a very serious photographer in the 1950s and 60s but I abandoned it for another career. Seeing a Mapplethorpe show was one of the things that got me interested in photography again.
Finally, I'd like to thank patio127 for saying "The model actually looks quite good & not elderly." I appreciate that. I'm 67 and I'm looking forward to more years as a productive photographer. I do find it difficult be out and about with a DSLR while dragging my tank of oxygen around. So I bought a Canon S90 point-and-shoot. My friend Terri heidott took this of me and my S90 on one of our photo expeditions:
~~DanW
On a not so serious note, hihosilver said "Oh my...I'm going to have to buy you a Snuggie blanket!" I would be glad to have you keep me warm any time! ;-)
When I first saw this I wanted to score it very low. I didn't know how it fit into this challenge and I was just flat out disturbed by it. Then after a few days of having this image stick in my psyche, I realized that it accomplished one of the fundamental goals of Art: It made me think and took me out of my comfort zone. Art should always inspire thought, yours definitely did that for me. It still is unsettling to me, and I imagine that was partially the goal. For all that I am going to score this shot very highly. Good job.
I gave you a low score and want to let you know why. The shot seems well composed and lit and all that but for me it is all just preference and I do not like to look at this one. But now that I am writing this and have given it a bit more time, I still do not care for the subject matter but 1. You are brave to post something like this. 2. It is well done from a technical stand point and 3. I can see this being interpeted as a contemporary piece of art. So from a 1(just because I didn't like it) I move you up to a 7. Hope you do well but I'd rather not see this on the from page to look at for a week :) Good luck.
I voted this challenge for the only reason I could give a 10 to this image. Everything is perfect and it's a great example of how a fine art photograph should be.
6 - Looks weird enough to warrant 'art' but wonder about either more extreme processing and/or trying to minimize the 'self portrait'/home shot feel to this.
Cries out for b/w to negate the colorful distractions and let the mind's eye focus on be the many levels of emotional impact the scene delivers, but that's your call. Great shot, hope it wins.
What a brave shot (of both subject and photographer).
I've stared at this for about ten minutes and it makes me feel so protective of this man. The tank sits like furniture in the room. The man, so vulnerable, naked, barren and for all intents emasculated in a rocking chair, as if killing time. Yet the glimpse of defiance (?something?) in his eyes, holds this all together so perfectly for me. I hope others see what I see. Excellent job.
Confronting - makes me suddenly stand still at some points like health, age, life.
Realistic art *10* (and I do hope a lot of voters will agree with me)
Brave evocative work - presents humanity with complete honesty. I like how the lighting is so even, no hiding in the shadows, no added photographic drama - straight up. 9.
The model actually looks quite good & not elderly . The expression , lank hair & beard plus the oxygen, make me think "depression". Well executed image.
Remarkable. Grabs the challenge theme by the (thankfully not visible) balls. This would make a fantastic series. So powerful. OK, I'm probably going overboard, so I'll just vote.
It's difficult to comment on, because I don't know what I am supposed to think. Are you evoking pathos? I have none. Are you warning me? I am unmoved. Am I meant to be shocked? I am a part-time naturist and I am not shocked by anyone's naked body. No, I don't know what to think. I *do* think it's not fine art, for me, anyway. Yes, fine art should be provocative, emotive, disturbing, or deep, or all of that, but the only sense I get from this is that the photographer tried too hard. Technically acceptable, but I want to know what you were thinking. I wanted to *feel* your photo. I can only look at it though, and I can't experience it.
I am sure you must be getting lots of comments both positive and negative. It is quite confrontational and in your face. Probably more so to some then to others depending on your comfort zone. It does not make for a very pretty picture of course. It raises quite a few questions. I presume it's your spouse or otherwise a very close relative because of the intimacy and total nudity (albeit quite decent) Did you consider having the subject wear something like a pair of underpants or perhaps draping a cloth of some kind over the more sensitive parts? What was the subjects view on all this and his feelings about having this photo of him gazed at by two hundred or more viewers? I take it it is not posed or faked and the person has a real age related condition. What is that condition? Is he receiving oxygen for a lung related issue?
And finally...can it be considered as art? I am sure some will say yes but I must be honest with you and say that I don't really know. It's more like a documentary type photo to me. It is certainly not a conventional art form if it can be described as art at all. It is very thought provoking though and it's an image that sticks in the mind. I guess in a way it confronts most of us with our own frailty and mortality. I am uncertain as to what score I should give this and therefore have decided to play it save and give it a 6.
You might want to check this link which describes a story and photo series which is quite similar in a way to what you presented us with here.
//stateoftheart.popphoto.com/blog/2007/07/a-photo-contest.html And another rather bizarre form of art which asks the question "How do you critique a dying man’s art?"
//www.thedancecurrent.com/reviews.cfm?review_id=239
well...what can I say ? After the initial reaction I have tried to look "into" this image but being unaware of the sunset series probably puts me at a disadvantage. Art is all about testing the boundaries and I think you have achieved that here; therefore I must score this entry high. You have now required me to research the “ sunset series” I hope that is not a bad thing or I may be back to review my score…..just kidding
A gutsy image, maybe framed (or cropped) just a little too close for comfort, but with a very contemporary message presented with great honesty. I like it.
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