Response to Big mums...

i think the damn thing is terrific. sure, i know that the creativity factor is about the same level as the ralph nader's position in the presidential polls, but the truth is that this image is wonderfully representative of something that casual photography can supply to a viewer *or to a participant* at an unmatched level of accomplishment: the documentation of the beauty of the human form. if the capture of an instant of reality in a pleasing fashion is "a good thing", then nothing can match representative photography. certainly an effort to make photographs closer to interpretive forms can result in brilliant, beautiful images; and the serious photographic artists of the last several decades have left us unforgettable works that are far beyond the talent of any here to produce. but my point is that this well composed and perfectly exposed image is a joy to the eye, and millions of us can match that accomplishment. that is the miracle of this medium. of course, it would be fascinating to see the results if t. meyer, or spirer, or christel, etc., etc., were set free to approach these two girls in the same environment and simply burn a few rolls with them. it is very likely that the resulting images would be of greater value, artistically, than what we see here. but neither those mentioned worthies, or stieglitz, or kertez, nor any other legends of the lens could do a better job of simply "taking a picture" of two beautiful girls. and that just tickles the hell out of me, as they say in rowan county, north carolina.

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