072: Playing for my baby!

Playing for my baby!, originally uploaded by gingerpig2000.

Music and Sugar

This shot is more important for me than my other, more humorous or naughty ones, the doing of something that makes Ania happy, the continual reaffirming of our love.

I have noticed that many people producing series of what they call self-portraits are really producing self-images. What do I mean? Well, a self image uses only that person as the image, supported by a series of props - objects found or purchased with the intent on producing an image of how that person imagines him or herself.

A self portrait, on the other hand, attempts to show how that person really is, and because the emphasis is less on using props to support this vision of self, the use real objects, real dreams and real people.

Meet up with a bunch of self-imagers and you may make the mistake of believing you have joined a group of single people. meet a group of self-portraiters and you can see who is single and who is in a relationship. Reality, of course is much more complex than this, and there is nothing wrong with either form of production - but it is something worth bearing in mind when you interact with people producing what they call self-portraits.

I can see that my preference is mainly for self-portraiture, and as a consequence I aim to show my life and dreams in my images, even if any one particular image shows a situation I have never directly expereienced.

When I view work by self-imagers I am left wandering what is it that they are leaving out, what is not being shown. These images are often high-craft and popular, but they are also empty of real emotion, perhaps because they are only ghost images of a real person and their life?

068: My Procrastination

My Procrastination, originally uploaded by gingerpig2000.

Procrastination Station

When I procrastinate, I distract myself with my own thoughts, but that is a little less than interesting to watch. I thought about this shot all day, but then eventually I could not put it off any longer and got my camera out...

Did you know that studying can seriously affect your ability to produce art? And this includes discussing your work with other people from the same field. This seems to be partly an effect of distraction by the influence other others work,and the absorption in gaining craft skills at the expense of cutting out your own niche.

It can be beneficial instead to concentrate on the acquisition of raw data and the post-creation analysis of your own work and others. understanding through teaching is often achieved through a process of comparison with 'great' works or traditional methods. The final result is that your view of the world can become restricted, you lack the vision of an empty horizon that the originator of the great work or tradition had.

It seems to be better if you talk about what you see and feel, and limit your examination of the world to what people are doing in other fields. You have to get out of the cage that is peopled by those competitive to you, and talk to people who are not but who have a different view of the world.

067: First Light of Life

First Light of Life, originally uploaded by gingerpig2000.

Flying Feet

Growing is like flying, a long, slow movement towards the sun. This shot is straight out of the camera, taken at dawn with still a lot of blue in the light. It took quite a few attempts to get it right, especially as we were using the timer and had little time to get into position.

Most of my effort went into the planning of the shot, it was Ania's decision to shoot in the morning, and she did almost all the work in making it a reality - all I had to do was lie back on the bed while she repeatedly jumped on me to get in position before the camera timer triggered the shot. There was no flash, the white light is from a halogen room light and the blue is city light reflected off the sky at dawn. Notice how Ania's hands seem to grow over the solid reliability of my feet.

065: Monday Moaners Are Mad!

Monday Moaners Are Mad!, originally uploaded by gingerpig2000.

Monday Mugshots

How do you think other people enjoy listening to us moan about the fact that it is Monday? Are we not just being a teensy bit selfish by imposing our lack of thought on our our family, friends and co-workers? Being miserable is often a tool in the hands of those who wish to make headway in business, being miserable in the office to gain sympathy and, as it happens, free information from people around trying to make that person feel better. Don't believe me? You need to observe office dynamics a little closer.

Today, my bunny ears are my two fingers up to those who seek to abuse others in order to aid their own climb of the slippery pole of company success. one day they will have more money, bigger cars, larger houses and more expensive houses - but as much ability to talk seriously about things outside of work as a low-IQ bum.

063: The Essential Guide

The Essential Guide, originally uploaded by gingerpig2000.

The People's Group of Professional Amateurs.

Life is full of problem, often because various elements of society would rather you did not communicate. Husbands and wives are often badly unprepared for married life simply because even talking about how to help your wife fasten her bra is an unmentionable subject. You can often spot the worst culprits in society, they are the ones who talk about 'family values'.

Women often exchange bras several times a day, it is an awkward job that certainly does not become easier as one becomes older. What better daily activity could a couple share than the fastening and unfastening of the bra? You are, of course, only one small move away from a cuddle.

This is another story told through a set of images, although here there are two stories - that in the coloured images and that as the 'guide'.

062: Master Cad

Master Cad, originally uploaded by gingerpig2000.

Priceless Parodies

Every day more people get into trouble with credit, and I bet not many of them think that credit card adverts are funny then. This group was about imitating the humour used in a credit card advert, but I am more concerned about the ease in which many people end up in financial difficulties through too free access to credit. The strain financial problems can place on any relationship is huge, and finding help can be extremely difficult.

Ho ho ho, new, new, new!
Must, must, must, buy, buy, buy!

We have had little in the way of financial problems, largely because we do not value goods over thoughts and are hence quite prepared to do without. It makes a great story, though, and being able to split that story into four images in one whole has great potential for expressing art!

061: Art for your sake

Art for your sake, originally uploaded by gingerpig2000.

Jump for Mikey etc.

Jump? After fifteen years of arthritis the chance of leaving the ground all together is a feat in itself, a real jump is about impossible. But, hey, who said that you have to jump with your legs, that's just plain limbist! However, the truth is that the few practice jumps I did make scared my cat.

The image required a quote, but rather than follow the Craft route and find someone else's, I decided to use the Art approach and devise my own. After all, that is supposed to be the purpose of this exercise! I had an idea about what I wanted to say, but it took some effort to get the same form to fit both - such as using the same verb - in order that both are treated equally, at least from the language point of view.