Shrouded figure

[katemann]

I particularly like this latest photograph of Michael's. It is a wonderful example of poetic imagery.

a shroud (whether it was one or not) a door (of whatever sort) ... evocative. Much more  subtle then Uelsmann.

Digital photography, I am beginning to think, is a different art form altogether than traditional photography. It doesn't matter if the plastic bag was there or not - it was not part of what the artist saw and wished to use in his composition. The final result is not so different than what the photographer did perceive - we often see much less than what is before our eyes, and we interpret everything according to our own mental peculiarities.

There is no such thing as "photo verité" - any photographic representation is an interpretation of reality.

Thank you Michael, for provoking my litte reverie. Now I don't feel so badly obliterating the ugly little bits in the landscape. Branch begone!

[Mark D Segal]

"Lifting the Shroud" is an excellent essay. It analyzes the issue of selectivity very well. There isn't an art form that does not depend heavily on selectivity - beginning with the choice of subject matter, and moving on from there - how it is presented to portray what the artist wants to express about it. In this respect digital photography is no different from pre-digital photography, in it essence - only that the ways and means of being selective have multiplied the potential for self-expression and made it a whole lot easier to achieve. The debate about how much is too much I find a bit fruitless because there are no objective standards by which to resolve it. The answer is really relative, depending on whether the interventions are both necessary and effective for achieving the artist's objectives.

[Gellman]

Michael,

I particularly like the subtle sepia tone you use with some of your monochrome images. What method do you use to accomplish the toning?

John

[RichDesmond]

Agreed, a very good photo, and an even better essay, IMO.
Brought to mind one of my favorite quotes, from Antoine Saint-Exupery:

"In anything at all, perfection is finally attained not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is no longer anything to take away."