Emotion and Photography

Yesterday I saw the dark film “Black Swan”.  It is an intense film, a study of beauty and darkness in the human soul.  The film is quite powerful, but it is also truly terrifying, as a young ballerina psychically unravels in her quest of perfection.  For those who have not seen the film, the chief choreographer of the New York City Ballet decides to produce  “Swan Lake” but with a novel twist: the ballerina must dance with the elegance and beauty of the pure white swan yet also embrace her darker, sensual and seductive side -- as the black swan.  In the end, the young ballerina dances the performance of a lifetime...but also commits suicide while doing so.   Only for the strongest of heart!

One of the key scenes in the film occurs when the choreographer, exasperated that his protege seems incapable of dancing with anything but her frigid,if perfect, technique says to her:

“Perfection is not just about control. It's also about letting go.” 

Photographers have to wrestle with conveying emotion in their photos.  There is a tendency to merely record whatever subject is at hand.  The photographer, who is also an artist, is aware of the emotions experienced and is willing to express those feelings in her art.

A good, and honest, friend of mine, recently chided me about a defensive remark I had made, described it as “prickly”.   The remark got under my skin < LOL>  but worked its way through this photo.  Thus this week’s offering?

   

PRICKLY

Postscript -- The friend with whom I saw this film reminded me of the scene in which the ballerina develops a prickly skin just before she grows black feathers.  No doubt, this had an effect on my decision to work with this photo!