'Lend me your eyes, I can change what you see. But your soul you must keep totally free.'
I have had a sort of odd relationship with tumblr. In some ways, tumblr reminds me of how I felt when everything started coming out only in DVD format. I had invested seven years in collecting VHS tapes and as much I could see the advantages of disc, I dug my heals in. Blogger is in many ways very retro, in reality it began behind the times. Although it still has yet to reach MySpace status, I fear it will in time.
I have started dipping my toes into tumblr though. My initial nose snubbing at the ease in which you can 'right click, save and the post the work of others went against all the values and rules I set up for my own site. Obtaining consent from copy write holders is almost laughable on tumblr, is outright discouraged with ease in which they allow you to post is mass.
It is that mass that most alarmed me. With pages and pages with dozens upon dozens of images, how is a really great photo ever to really able to be seen, felt and appreciated. The answer of course is tumblrs created and run by the artists themselves. Several of my favorite photographers now use tumblr as a way of displaying their work. Run by the artist, the content can be displayed how they choose, images after image quickly posted, or slowly unveiled at their own pace.
There is friend of FH who has written me often, with suggestions about content, ideas for artists and models I may want to feature on the blog. They often include images, based usually on my writing, of subjects they think I may connect with. A few weeks ago, an image came to me, the last one posted at the bottom of this piece. It was sent on based on all my stories and writing of my passion for images which include windows. I won't repeat why I connect so much with images featuring windows, it is all well documented on many previous features and stories. I will say however, the image at the bottom has become one of my all time favorites and I think if you spent a few minutes with it, it will become one of yours.
'Pretending I’m on a nude beach today. Sun-dried, sandy, and salty.'
The image, a self portrait is luminescent, almost spiritual. The artist and model, Reese, manages to create such beauty through pose and light. The orange coming through the blinds, the specs of sun dancing on his body and sculpted backside are breathtaking. Reese uses shape and silhouette to create tranquil, sometime sad, but always incredible moments in time.
The degree of emotion Reese is able to capture, even when his soulful eyes and beautiful face are covered or obscured, is remarkable. Resse's images confirm for me that a camera is just a toy unless the person behind and in front of it, have a true vision of what they want to capture. The artist's tumblr is a beautiful place to visit and I am so glad I was sent an invitation.
My favorite images from Reese are of course the ones under, beside or near a window, even when it is just a peak. The window confirms, that although the artist may be alone in the room, there is something on the other side which powerfully affects what happens on the flip side of that glass. Whether it be the heat from the sun shining through, the light or even possibilities of what is, and what will be. Windows may reflect and illuminate, but they don't allow one to hide.
