Hi Frank ... I felt, from the first look, that something was "askew" in the photo, something was not right, or perhaps being concealed. The fight/embrace thing came through pretty clearly, but again, it wasn't clear which was happening - one or the other. I figured embrace since I didn't think you'd be photographing if a fight was about to begin ... ;-))
I don't think the photo is "dishonest," nor do I think the title is particularly misleading. It could have been more neutral, but it's a minor point. Some vagueness about subject and intent in a photograph is a good thing. Everything need not be clear. shel frank theriault wrote: > > Hi, Shel, > > It sounds like, if nothing else, the photo touched a nerve, or provoked an > emotional response within you, which is what I like my photos to do. > > Okay, now that this has been up for a day or two, I'll come clean, and tell > you all what was going on here. > > This was taken at a party. I'd not be using a flash in a bar unless I knew > everyone (or at least most people) there - I figure that would be a good way > to get punched out quickly! <vbg> > > I know both subjects. They know each other. The one with his face to the > camera, Taryn, is transgendered. He's had the hormornal treatment, but not > the surgical, and currently lives his life as a male. > > I'd normally not think it necessary make such information public, but for > two reasons. First, Taryn has no problem with it. Second, it's kind of > relevent to the image. Ever since the sex change, Taryn (who I knew before > the procedure commenced) has gone out of his way to be macho. The cropped > hair, the cigarette dangling out of the mouth (or in this case, thrust > upward), and the general body language are all Taryn's way of proclaiming > his "new-found masculinity" to the world. > > This photo was an attempt to capture that. Taryn really does try to look > the part of the "Tough Boy", but still comes across as "a boy", I guess due > to the lack of facial hair and baby face. > > I sort of thought that the photo looked ambiguous, not just due to Taryn, > but due to the other fellow, Fraser's body language as well. Are they > getting ready to fight? Are they getting ready to embrace? (I think they > were, actually). What does that almost unreadable expression on Taryn's > face mean? > > So I quite purposely put the photo up without the foregoing info, just to > see how people reacted. For the most part, reactions were were what I would > have expected. > > Now, Shel, knowing what you now know, what's your reaction to the photo? > Has it changed? If so, how? Do you (or anyone else) think the photo is > dishonest? I'm not sure about that last one, quite frankly. If it is > dishonest, does the title contribute to (or even cause) the dishonesty?
