A different kind of portrait

[MIke Sherck]

A short video from the On the Road series about New York photographer Richard Renaldi:

http://elitedaily.com/news/world/photographer-puts-two-strangers-together-for-intimate-photographs-and-the-results-are-surprising/

In summary, he gets two or three strangers to pose intimately and gets some interesting and unexpected results. Camera looks like a Wisner or Zone VI 8x10. Or maybe something else. Pretty cool, anyway.

Mike

[billie williams]

Very cool. Thanks for posting that!

[thomasfallon]

Guess the photographer had to find a gimmick. He does not have much else.

[dsphotog]

Cool that it's LF!

[lenser]

As gimmicks go, this is a very pleasant and positive one. In my portrait studio days, it was often hard enough to have loving families to get into the positive body language. I truly enjoy seeing how well Mr. Renaldi pulls this out of complete strangers. Very, very nice to see.

[Tin Can]

A city gimmick, but a damn good one!

Envy...

[photobymike]

i photographed people going into Taco Bell .... about 8 years ago. it was disaster... i had to break up a fight and a couple wanted more than the free meal i was offering to have sign a model release.. maybe if i was younger ....

[Tin Can]

Taco Hell. We have White Castle, a very dangerous place to enter, and not because of the food. They have a weird chrome and glass interior with terrible acoustics and lighting that drives everyone nutty. Bad juju.


i photographed people going into Taco Bell .... about 8 years ago. it was disaster... i had to break up a fight and a couple wanted more than the free meal i was offering to have sign a model release.. maybe if i was younger ....

[SergeiR]

A city gimmick, but a damn good one!

Envy...

there is wifey that been doing that for a while too, but in different city.. Someone showed me pics other week.. Wanna start original art project nowadays? Grab a hat from accessories market and ask people to be photographed with that hat. Add some press. Everyone would start thinking you are true artist.. Of course pics would be forgotten week after, but hey.. its an art, right?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6S-fAWBR2s

[Simon Liddiard]

Wow - someone please hand me a hammer and chisel to chip away some of this jade

[Tin Can]

Everything we do is is derivative, 'we stand on the shoulders of giants'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_on_the_shoulders_of_giants

[SergeiR]

Everything we do is is derivative, 'we stand on the shoulders of giants'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_on_the_shoulders_of_giants

Its not about derivation that bums me out.. There is absolutely nothing wrong with trying to carve your vision of someone's idea, in my opinion.. People arent thinking same so other path might in fact be more attractive - how many paintings of Helen of the Troy, or Danae and Rain we got that SURVIVED through years? Quite a number.

I am just not getting some form of stuff that is considered "art" nowadays.. More of a rant. Good on guy that it works for him.. I am just keep seeing torn coloured wool, bits of badly made wire sculptures and insanely bad paintings in galleries for sale and it bugs me... I know i dont get a lot of things, like dr Pepper, like liking shrimp, like having golden teeth or ..anyway.. .. but that passes around me.. Art - i have to force smile and tell people, whereas all i see is just tortured materials.. and it breaks out sometime. Back to me hole in ze ground.. .

[Tin Can]

I live in Hipster town and every BODY here is tattooed to death. Many of my friends make a living tattooing. They would do me for free, but no thanks. I don't get that as art, at all, and I am happy I didn't succumb 25 years ago. I wavered. Now I never would. As for art exhibitions, I try to stay away, as I never like anything I see. Gallery openings are the worst. Chit chat and crappy wine bore me.

Some photographs do grab me and that is why I attempt photography, but I am 100% certain what I accomplish will be nothing memorable.

In another thread here, commentators laughed at my idea, that I hope to pass down technical skills, as my art is NOT ART, and I am big on process as art.

In contrast to the cynicism rampant here, last week I did get 2 compliments, not on my art, but on my local artistic influence. Surprised me.

I learned in art school, you are ready to graduate when you literally throw all your expensive advisers out of your studio. I made it that far. Not easy concept for an old mechanic to grasp.

Now excuse me while I interview for a local photo blog. :)


Its not about derivation that bums me out.. There is absolutely nothing wrong with trying to carve your vision of someone's idea, in my opinion.. People arent thinking same so other path might in fact be more attractive - how many paintings of Helen of the Troy, or Danae and Rain we got that SURVIVED through years? Quite a number.

I am just not getting some form of stuff that is considered "art" nowadays.. More of a rant. Good on guy that it works for him.. I am just keep seeing torn coloured wool, bits of badly made wire sculptures and insanely bad paintings in galleries for sale and it bugs me... I know i dont get a lot of things, like dr Pepper, like liking shrimp, like having golden teeth or ..anyway.. .. but that passes around me.. Art - i have to force smile and tell people, whereas all i see is just tortured materials.. and it breaks out sometime. Back to me hole in ze ground.. .

[SergeiR]

I actually do think that tech skills are art by themselves. I cant do whole N+1, N-2 processing stuff even if you put gun to my head.. :)

Due way how my brains are wired are some things that happened to me as a kid - i have to relearn motor skills constantly, so i often do some weird movements , stand on one leg, relearn how to use both hands b/c i can literally forget things. E.g swimming - i officially drowned once b/c of that, when my brain just did shut off in middle of swim.

So for me technical skills, specially ones that required to manufacture things are always thing of great fascination..

[Simon Liddiard]

Everything we do is is derivative, 'we stand on the shoulders of giants'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_on_the_shoulders_of_giants

Worth remembering, as is the mantra 'play leads the way'

[Simon Liddiard]

I am just not getting some form of stuff that is considered "art" nowadays.. More of a rant. Good on guy that it works for him.. I am just keep seeing torn coloured wool, bits of badly made wire sculptures and insanely bad paintings in galleries for sale and it bugs me... I know i dont get a lot of things, like dr Pepper, like liking shrimp, like having golden teeth or ..anyway.. .. but that passes around me.. Art - i have to force smile and tell people, whereas all i see is just tortured materials.. and it breaks out sometime...

You have to draw one important distinction here, and I think the line is where you say 'for sale'. Is art made for consumption, or is it made 'for art's sake'?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_for_art%27s_sake

The annual Reith Lectures were delivered by the excellent and humorous Grayson Perry this year and are well worth a listen.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00729d9