The only thing I disagree with you on, Frank, is specifying it as a human instinct, when it runs universally through the animal kingdom. And I bet we don't really disagree on that...
But I'd stand by my observation that the best work, albeit in my eyes, comes from artist/model relationships that are established to where trust and tension aren't issues anymore. Such situations also allow for a larger body of work forming over a longer periods of time, with more involvement from those on both sides of the camera.
Sally Mann's recent work with her husband deserves special mention, I think. She had a nice quote about working with him...
"And so it was with fire and ice, the studio woodstove too far away from the light to do him any good on a cold winter afternoon, that Larry and I began this work of exploring what it means to grow older, to let the sunshine fall voluptuously on a still-beautiful form, and to spend quiet afternoons together again. No phone, no kids, two fingers of bourbon, the smell of the ether, the two of us—still in love, still at work.”
Me, I'm just trying to figure a way to talk Tinkerbell out of that little green mini-dress...
Bookmarks