Dieter

[David Cantor]

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[stuny]

Lovely.  The tilted head adds both a softness and an edge, somehow.

[fotografr]

This portrait calls to mind one by Diane Arbus.

https://loeildairain.wordpress.com/2011/10/29/lautre-monde-de-diane-arbus/

As viewers, I think we sometimes have difficulty judging the merits of an image separate from our impressions of the subject. I know I do and it's something I fight in myself. Photographically, I think this whole series is very strong, but the subjects force me to confront my own biases and admit to myself that these are people I would not engage or try to socialize with in my daily life. This was also the reaction most people had to the carnival people, strippers and social outcasts that Arbus photographed. 

Edited July 6, 2023 by fotografr

[David Cantor]

3 hours ago, fotografr said:

This portrait calls to mind one by Diane Arbus.

https://loeildairain.wordpress.com/2011/10/29/lautre-monde-de-diane-arbus/

As viewers, I think we sometimes have difficulty judging the merits of an image separate from our impressions of the subject. I know I do and it's something I fight in myself. Photographically, I think this whole series is very strong, but the subjects force me to confront my own biases and admit to myself that these are people I would not engage or try to socialize with in my daily life. This was also the reaction most people had to the carnival people, strippers and social outcasts that Arbus photographed. 

Hi Brent, it took me a while to confront and overcome my prejudices about Arbus however, that changed because for me, her writing said more about her than her images. While you may not wish to socialise and engage with people like Dieter, I believe that it is incumbent upon us all to understand and to know about them and their lives. Polarisation in society is getting worse and it seems nowhere more evident today than in the USA - no prejudice intended. In my talks, I encourage people to step outside their comfort and compliance zones in photography and sometimes leave their relatively prosperous and safe existences inhabited by the same types as themselves and learn about those whose lifestyle is completely different.  The result for the adventurous can be rewarding and exciting.  A couple of years ago I came across the Oxford scholar Theodore Zeldin, you can find out more through his talks on YouTube.  Here is one, you don't have to watch it all, may I suggest that you start at 9.40.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdnnZ0Y4HEo

I'm not one much for quotes in photography but I came across this by Zeldin who says it far more eloquently than I ever could.

“Conversation is a meeting of minds with different memories and habits.  When minds meet, they don’t just exchange facts, they transform them.  Conversation doesn’t just reshuffle the cards:  it creates new cards and it involves being willing to emerge a slightly different person”.

Interesting discussion - by the way, Dieter described himself to me as an influencer and actor.  When I look at this image, my orthodox mindset asks itself 'how could this lad ever present himself at a job interview?'

[fotografr]

5 hours ago, David Cantor said:

Interesting discussion - by the way, Dieter described himself to me as an influencer and actor.  When I look at this image, my orthodox mindset asks itself 'how could this lad ever present himself at a job interview?'

That's a very good question. My wife and I do much of our weekly grocery shopping at a large Co-op near us. A couple of years ago they hired a guy to work at the check-out counter whose face was completely tattooed like Dieter. He only lasted about a week. I have a feeling there were complaints from customers who were grossed out. Having a self-inflicted appearance like this would most definitely affect one's career choices. Any idea what Dieter does by way of employment?

[David Cantor]

10 hours ago, fotografr said:

That's a very good question. My wife and I do much of our weekly grocery shopping at a large Co-op near us. A couple of years ago they hired a guy to work at the check-out counter whose face was completely tattooed like Dieter. He only lasted about a week. I have a feeling there were complaints from customers who were grossed out. Having a self-inflicted appearance like this would most definitely affect one's career choices. Any idea what Dieter does by way of employment?

Not really Brent, we only spoke for a couple of minutes and stupidly I didn’t ask for details of his influencing, it would have been interesting to find out.