I very much appreciate and understand the use of loose technique to portray energy, edginess, and a degree of threat. But in my opinion you’ve let such a style seduce you and it has overwhelmed and obscured your story. There’s little evidence that you really have mastery of the craft.

Just my opinion.

I question the inclusion of the Eggleston/Parr-esque #4 image… seems out of place with the series… And including one B&W #21 is a bit odd although I like the image – because this series is so clearly about using color and seeing color…

Images #1, #7, and #15 are real standouts to me! I think the series needs a bit tighter edit… However, though the group perhaps lacks cohesiveness, the emotion behind the images is consistent and comes through beautifully. Thanks Elena and best of luck with your ongoing work.

Thank you for answering my question and yes your explanation has helped me. Of course it’s all down to emotions, sounds so simple but so very easy to miss.

The only two that don’t work for me are #19 (too obviously a performance shot) and 21 (only due to the abrupt lack of color). Congrats Elena and continue on….

Charles

I don`t know if I answered your question…

The pictures you’ve seen in the series above have been realized with a Leica M6. I love the surprise effect that analogical photography allows you to keep. I am not a technical photographer: constantly aware of what is going on in terms of aperture and shutter speed. I prefer to deal with emotions. So it happens many times that you are there to observe a detail that got your attention, or a change of expression on somebody’s face… and all in a sudden you know that you have to press the camera button. Because something that was not obvious at first happened in front of you. It won’t last for more than a few seconds and you need to have it.

In the editing process, when you actually look at the pictures and decide what is going to stay and what is going to leave, you can see if the things you saw are still there or not. Sometimes the miracle happens, sometimes it doesn’t.

Maybe you took four-five shots of the same image and at the end you realize the strongest one is the blurred one. Not because is blurred, but because is the most powerful, considering what you wanted to say. It’s not something planned in advance.

It’s been great to hear what are thoughts behind some of these images. It really has helped me out with getting to grips with your essay.
BTW this way or style of taking pictures is it easy for you or is it a considered approach? Something you have to be very aware of?

And I love it.

I can’t comment on the rest, but #1 is great and gives me a feeling of optimism about what will follow, maybe not until I return to Alaska in three weeks. I will look at the Nigeria work then, too.

Thanks again for answering and being so engaged! I really appreciate it.
What you have disclosed about that shot to me puts it in a whole different ball park! GREAT!
It does not need an explanation but knowing the story behind it gives it even more dimension.
Not so much who she/he is but what made you take the shot.

We don’t need to, like, or get, everything. This is probably a good thing.

How would I tell good jazz from bad jazz? As I’ve noted before, as an amateur musician, I love music, all kinds of music, but jazz…I just don’t get. I can wrap my head around some of it, but I’d rather have a root canal done than be subjected to Coltrane for any extended period. I’m reminded of the famous Fats Waller quote “If you got to ask, you ain’t got it”.

Sometimes maybe we try too hard.

the picture n.8 doesn`t belong to the Nigerian project. Even if it’s strictly connected, because related to it in the subject matter: the prostitution theme. In a way it anticipated the research I realized about Nigerian trafficking.

Here I was supposed to spend some time with Noemi,a Brazilian transvestite working in Turin, that I had the chance to meet during my lonely excursions through the city. He was ready to fly to London to become a woman passing through a surgery operation.

Here the surreal element got my attention: we have a female, in a sexy dress, coming from a sunny and warm paradise, in the middle of the foggy Turin, during an anonymous autumn day, waiting for a client. The contrast between his been female and male together, between his light dress and the cold environment, the perspective of a reality that is never like it appears, seduced me again.

1. Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt.

2. Give him enough direct quotation—at least one extended passage—of the book’s prose so the review’s reader can form his own impression, can get his own taste.

3. Confirm your description of the book with quotation from the book, if only phrase-long, rather than proceeding by fuzzy précis.

4. Go easy on plot summary, and do not give away the ending.

5. If the book is judged deficient, cite a successful example along the same lines, from the author’s ouevre or elsewhere. Try to understand the failure. Sure it’s his and not yours?

To these concrete five might be added a vaguer sixth, having to do with maintaining a chemical purity in the reaction between product and appraiser. Do not accept for review a book you are predisposed to dislike, or committed by friendship to like. Do not imagine yourself a caretaker of any tradition, an enforcer of any party standards, a warrior in an idealogical battle, a corrections officer of any kind. Never, never (John Aldridge, Norman Podhoretz) try to put the author “in his place,” making him a pawn in a contest with other reviewers. Review the book, not the reputation. Submit to whatever spell, weak or strong, is being cast. Better to praise and share than blame and ban. The communion between reviewer and his public is based upon the presumption of certain possible joys in reading, and all our discriminations should curve toward that end.

In my own work I’m quite conservative when it comes to strong saturated colors, so it’s inspiring to see someone who challenges my view on that.

Favourite: #15

Good luck with more mystical journeys.

// Bjarte

I don’t have a problem with your work per se…..is just that the intellect is getting in the way of the essence.
I like #11 very much. I like the essay overall and I’m liking it even more with you giving insights into some of the shots.