Cotty wrote: > >> Henry > >> AnnSan > >> Lovely composition, good use of black and white film. Nice shot!
annsan replied > >>> >Thanks, Cotty - especially since you are not a fan of animal > portraiture. > >(in this case, more precisely, bird portraiture - is that your lack of > >interest in > animals or just the use of the term for these portraits? ) Cotty then replied > Hmm. I have thought long and hard on this, but it still troubles me....On > the contrary I have a great interest in animals. We have two cats that > are as much a part of the family as they possibly can be...(snip snip) > ..Yet, when I see a picture of a dog or a cat or a bird or an elephant, I > have a real hard time calling it a portrait. It's not that I disagree > with the dictionary definition. It's just that I wonder where the line is > drawn? > We had a charming picture of a ladybug (or ladybird as we call > them here - don't ask) and so what if we had had a picture of a tadpole? Well firrst of all I did a bird because I don't take portraits, except under extreme duress - that is, for cash on the barrel head (careful with the jokes, guys) . Not that I don't take pictures of people. It seemed established that birds and beasts could be in the portrait gallery. ANd secondly, I have seen people who look like Henry. Henry has a lot of expression, thought what I'm most fond of in the picture is the detail in his feathers. He also appeared stuffed to me. He is full of expression, to my eye. > > Or perhaps some frog spawn? Or an amoeba? > Ah, but you could not see their expression. > > If we define a 'portrait' as a likeness of a person or animal, then > where's the limit? No, I wouldnt say a "likeness" at all. that's just any picture. A portrait, to me, whether human or other animal , tells us something about the subject that goes a bit beyond what a glimpse in real life would do. I did have one portrait of a person I wanted to use which I feel would have been very specific and revealing but I couldnt find it. I thought the rest of my stash of portraits were not good enough to show. > I am not a religious chap. In fact although I was once a committed > Christian for a few years when I was 18, I am now an atheist. You appear to have been 18 for a long time :) starting at 18? or finishing at 18? With me it was the latter :) > Yet, I recognise that there are basically two types of life form on planet > Earth: human beings, and the rest. We could get into a scrap on this one, Cotty. > Without getting too deep into this little can of worms, and trying > desperately to stay on-topic, I trouble with referring to images of any > member of the animal kingdom as a portrait. When I look into the eyes of > a picture of a person, I have some idea of how that person lives, or has > lived. Some 'bonding' for want of a better word. All humans feel a > collective 'consciousness'. If I see a pic of a child with tears in its > eyes, I know only too well, as does anyone, what that child might be > feeling. What pain, anguish, or indeed elation and ecstasy, anything. > Being a fellow human means that we at least have some sympathetic > reference point, some ability to perceive a similarity. (I'm finding this > difficult.) ann: I let this whole paragraph repeat on purpose. I recommend a book called "The Parrot's Lament" to straighten you out :) > Cotty: > When I look into the eyes of a chimpanzee I don't get these feelings *at > all*. Nor a bird, nor my cats. Ann: I think I'm more apt to feel that with an animal than a human sometimes. cotty: > And certainly not a ladybird. Ann: Well I kinda draw the line there too - as I can barely make them out, let alone see their eyes :) > cotty: > I'm afraid > if I were to be able to redefine the word 'portrait', it would not > include the reference to animals, much as I do enjoy their company. > No offence to anyone (or any animal) intended! > I hope I haven't tread on any toes Ann: Well you hurt Henry's feelings but he doesnt have toes, soo.... Cotty > it's late here. Gotta get some zees. ann: It is late here too. No offense taken - rather interesting stuff,actually. But I do think that we have long underestimated the minds of animals and are just recently beginning to give them a bit more respect. night night annsan - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
