This was hard! Difficult critique because 1) Jan Banning was here looking at our images again and 2) because we had to stand in the back of the room and not say a word! We had to just keep silent and listen, which is extremely easy for me. Not! I actually had to keep my hands over my mouth so I wouldn't talk, haaaa!! The images I showed were COMPLETELY different from the ones I presented in the first critique. I took photos of my friend Alyse and we did a boudoir-type session with hints of playfulness, laughter, a bit of sexy and sensuality. Not sure I got any "romantic" comments but the photos raised eyebrows I think! Many of the comments were that they liked liked the photos, well done BUT they didn't represent a mother... haa! I wanted to yell out, 'oh is that so? So mothers can't be sexy?!!'
I am still trying remember some of the comments wondering if many of the students were uncomfortable with the nudity presented in this way. As a funny aside all to this, I showed my mom friends the images and explained what the comments were and a) they all wanted me to take some of them and b) they all said they "got it," i.e., they got my idea and what I was going for and were shocked that people thought that a "mother" had to look a certain way and sexy was not it. For some reason today, my mind is drawing a complete blank on what Jan had said, probably because no one ever let him talk it seemed! Oh I think he said something about my lighting and I talked to him after class about him showing me how to use lighting more effectively.
So I did have the opportunity to go to 701 and Jan was able to give a lighting tutorial, explained how light reflects or bends at the same angle that it goes in, onto and off the subject (ugh I hope I summarized that correctly!). Showed how he sets up the lighting for his portraits of the homeless and what he does while he's behind the camera. very cool!
