For me the tattoo adds to the grunginess of the image and of a 21st century carmen. I love the way her tattoo balances with the poster on the wall - great symmetry imho.
Like it :-)
Well thank you Avril. I reproduce, below, an extract from my research notes (ROH character notes) that I discussed with Rachael (the model) specifically chosen because her tattoos are the artwork of choice for such a character:
'Carmen, an attractive, quick-tempered, thieving gypsy girl who seduces, torments, and eventually tries to drop Don José, as she had done with several other lovers before. As a gypsy woman, she is without rights, lives by her own code, and belongs nowhere. This exotic femme fatale leads men, through her fickleness and infidelities, not only to distraction but also to destruction.
When she slashes the face of another girl working in the cigarette factory during an argument, she persuades the corporal of the guard, Don José, to let her escape but allows him to pay the price. She does this shrewdly; having discovered his Basque origin, she addresses him in his own tongue to win his sympathies.
Carmen is also a free spirit who cannot be tamed, a girl with a strong sense of independence who cannot commit herself to any single relationship: To her, love, certainly within the bonds of marriage, represents servitude. She therefore refuses Don José’s offer to escape with him to America after he kills two men and becomes an outlaw, all on her account. She explains that no one will determine the course of her life. She does so even though she realizes that such refusal and her admission that she no longer loves Don José will lead inevitably to her own death.'
I feel for you Simon - The problem is that despite all your your careful thought, research and preparation before the shoot, the success of your photos in club competitions ultimately depends upon the depth of artistic knowledge, appreciation and understanding of the individual judge and their ability to apply it to photo under scrutiny in the short time available. Like a fine claret, an hour of breathing time, comtemplation and anticipation is required before the first sip is taken! Consequently, all of your work has to be viewed in print form only to give the judge a chance!! P.S. I know this was a print!!!
Thank you Eric.....my pictures really don't have any deep meaning but (and as you say) the real problem to me is the lack of time any judge has to look; digest and extract any meaning or atmosphere from our pictures. In other words why are there tattoos on this woman...does it add to the picture (character) atmospherics of the work as opposed to saying she "does not like /feels sorry for young ladies with tattoos" ....my aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh moment - the tattoos are an important characteristic trying to convey the personality of this strong minded woman.
However in the end she gave it a fair mark so i musn't moan, after all, Ian had a rat in his cage!
Should have scored more, I don't believe 18 was fair!! Thank you for edumacating me by the way (fully) about Carmen, You should make a book with your images and enter some prose, explanation beneath Simon, very interesting.
Comments
For me the tattoo adds to the grunginess of the image and of a 21st century carmen. I love the way her tattoo balances with the poster on the wall - great symmetry imho.
Like it :-)
Well thank you Avril. I reproduce, below, an extract from my research notes (ROH character notes) that I discussed with Rachael (the model) specifically chosen because her tattoos are the artwork of choice for such a character:
'Carmen, an attractive, quick-tempered, thieving gypsy girl who seduces, torments, and eventually tries to drop Don José, as she had done with several other lovers before. As a gypsy woman, she is without rights, lives by her own code, and belongs nowhere. This exotic femme fatale leads men, through her fickleness and infidelities, not only to distraction but also to destruction.
When she slashes the face of another girl working in the cigarette factory during an argument, she persuades the corporal of the guard, Don José, to let her escape but allows him to pay the price. She does this shrewdly; having discovered his Basque origin, she addresses him in his own tongue to win his sympathies.
Carmen is also a free spirit who cannot be tamed, a girl with a strong sense of independence who cannot commit herself to any single relationship: To her, love, certainly within the bonds of marriage, represents servitude. She therefore refuses Don José’s offer to escape with him to America after he kills two men and becomes an outlaw, all on her account. She explains that no one will determine the course of her life. She does so even though she realizes that such refusal and her admission that she no longer loves Don José will lead inevitably to her own death.'
I feel for you Simon - The problem is that despite all your your careful thought, research and preparation before the shoot, the success of your photos in club competitions ultimately depends upon the depth of artistic knowledge, appreciation and understanding of the individual judge and their ability to apply it to photo under scrutiny in the short time available. Like a fine claret, an hour of breathing time, comtemplation and anticipation is required before the first sip is taken! Consequently, all of your work has to be viewed in print form only to give the judge a chance!! P.S. I know this was a print!!!
Thank you Eric.....my pictures really don't have any deep meaning but (and as you say) the real problem to me is the lack of time any judge has to look; digest and extract any meaning or atmosphere from our pictures. In other words why are there tattoos on this woman...does it add to the picture (character) atmospherics of the work as opposed to saying she "does not like /feels sorry for young ladies with tattoos" ....my aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh moment - the tattoos are an important characteristic trying to convey the personality of this strong minded woman.
However in the end she gave it a fair mark so i musn't moan, after all, Ian had a rat in his cage!
Should have scored more, I don't believe 18 was fair!! Thank you for edumacating me by the way (fully) about Carmen, You should make a book with your images and enter some prose, explanation beneath Simon, very interesting.