I don’t expect this image to generate much interest but I like it. It’s a burl at the base of a redwood. I spied this while resting after working on some ferns and it aroused my curiosity. My imagination took over and I saw the figure of a corpulent being with large breasts. And that took me further to a prehistoric carving I had come across in books:
Igor, there’s something about the light and the subject in this photograph that makes it intriguing. I’m not sure I can put my finger on it, but I can’t help but keep staring at it. The way the browns and greens frame the sides and then intermix in the subject. Nice work!
I quite like this Igor - I think the composition, tones and texture work nicely together and I find the the image quite fun to explore.
I definitely spy a corpulent being in this photo and I think I see the fertility goddess too. To me the creature has a certain Star Wars-y vibe to it. Quite cool, thanks for sharing!
I see Jabba The Hut but I also see the fertility goddess you are referring to. I think this works because the lighting is so soft and muted with mostly mid-tones which allows you to explore the image without being pulled away because of distractions from highlights or blacks. The colors work well together. I rather like the green and rusty orange/reds. I think the title for an image like this helps to pull the viewer in and explore. Had I not been told that you see a fertility goddess, I may have very well scanned this one quickly and moved on but having read about the description, and seeing the title, made me curious and it now has me roaming for quite some time and I do find the burl rather interesting. This is framed nicely with an appropriate amount of foreground at the bottom to ground the image and including no more than is necessary everywhere else.
As for your question, does this image have any merit beyond being a curiosity piece, I’d say that a lot of art are simply curiosity pieces where we think to ourselves, what is the artist trying to say with this piece. Any art that makes you stop and linger or ponder for whatever reason, has merit. Thanks for the explanation of “Venus of Willendorf.”
Yes, I had, in fact, walked past this burl the previous day thinking it was sort of interesting and then moved on without any further interest. The same reaction took place again the following day but it was only when I saw it at a certain angle and perspective that I realized that it was significant to me. When I framed it there was that ‘aha’ moment without really understanding why it was an ‘aha’ moment. The recognition of the association came later. I always trust such impulses in photography.
It’s always good to trust those impulses. I actually hiked Del Norte’s Damnation trail 3 consecutive days on my last trip and I know what you mean by walking right past something and not seeing it only to find that on the return trip back out or the following day you see things you walked right by. I think that’s why I did this trail 3 consecutive days. I kept seeing things that I had missed the day before. It’s always been my favorite Redwood hike. This image is really growing on me. I now see a hippo head head.
Igor. I just will say how I like this work of you again. I see no points to critique about. With this image you show again the world like most people including me don’t see it. Great photography style.
Before reading any of the comments - and your description Igor, my thought was more towards a vision of a large clump or pile of clay - sitting on that spinning wheel before that clay artists started in on their work creating something from clay. But then your descriptions and reference to the “fertility goddess” seems a bit more fitting or accurate.
And actually, I think the anthropomorphic references are what make this image most interesting. Without the imaginitive component, this image could more easily be seen as something that belonged in a biology book describing tree burls or other anolomies found with trees and redwoods.
Great find and I have no nits or suggestions to improve.
Venus of Willendorf, indeed. As the others said, the colors are quite pleasing. Their subtlety and overall generally low contrast add to the organic feel of this. I think it would be wonderful as part of a series, rather than as a stand-alone image.
