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Discussion
9 Years Ago
***Caution***
If images of death are a bother, please refrain from going any further. I guarantee there is nothing grotesque about the images, they simply look like they are sleeping. I feel they are very beautifully and respectfully presented.
Powerful Portraits of Individuals Before and After Their Death
Reply Order
9 Years Ago
Very compelling. Brings strongly to mind the four last ends. The first being death. Thank you for the link
9 Years Ago
Life is so precious and beautiful, and yes death is part of life but seldom the beautiful part of life,and usually associated with much pain and grief, at least that is how I see it. Having seem my share of real life dead people it would never pass my mind to take images of the dead for any artistic purpose, some things are better left to rest. I would much rather cherish a memory of a loved one as I last saw them living, not in death. Of course this is just my opinion. I viewed the photo's and it could just have excluded the post mortem ones and I would agreed with your statement "I find the images strikingly beautiful" The post mortem one's, I find the act of taking such photo's strikingly disturbing.
9 Years Ago
I have seen a lot of death for a guy my age, that being said, I would prefer that we would use the term "Living Impaired," as it seems more sensitive to the issue.
I have been there for friends who succumbed to wounds and illness, no matter how sad it was to be there with them when they passed, I knew that one of their last thoughts was being thankful that they did not go alone.
Death is hard to deal with, but it is something that we all have to deal with in our own way.
Photography has given me a way to deal with what I have seen in the past, I call it "Image Replacement Therapy." I take new images and use those to drown out the horrible images that I will carry for the rest of my life. Instead of allowing those terrifying images and memories haunt me, I have found a way to crowd them out. Not sure if that makes sense to anyone else, but it certainly helps me.
9 Years Ago
I was fine with it, the participants were obviously quite open and wanted to participate, that makes it fine. It would be different if they hadn't been.
From that page was a link to these portraits which I really found fascinating! http://www.featureshoot.com/2014/09/john-malkovich-recreates-historys-iconic-photographs/
9 Years Ago
Years ago the only photo was of a deceased loved ones due to the cost and not many have access to having their photos taken.
9 Years Ago
Yup, used to be common place to have portraits or family portraits done with the deceased. Especially with children, since often it would be the only photograph of them.
Oddly enough, the first time I got to use a digital camera (complete with floppy disk) was to photograph dead people - had to make a record of identifying marks that could help identify an otherwise John or Jane Doe that came into the medical examiners office.
9 Years Ago
Interesting collection of shots. Some say it's dignified..! Is this another business opportunity for photographer's going a begging?
What's FAA's policy re: prints of death?? this could be big money...
9 Years Ago
The eyes, wide open with life, then closed with death.
We are artists. Our eyes in reality mean more than our hands.
Dave
9 Years Ago
I agree with Lisa. I remember being really, really young 3 or 4 and acknowledging for the first time that we all die. No one in my family wanted to talk about it with me, and that is what made it really scary. How do you, or why should you, shield children from something completely inevitable? (better left as rhetorical, probably.)
9 Years Ago
@Dave, think about all the things you can do with your hands that you can't do with your eyes. I understand you may have meant it in a poetic way, it reminded me of this favorite song of mine. Enjoy!
9 Years Ago
An if I ever lose my hands..we e e ehh eh, e e ell..... love it Mario! and I love you as much as I love my dog too!(cos you will always be true)
I saw an interesting before and after shot of OBL the other day.. weird thing was.. the after was created from the before..lol
All of the death shots featured in this article have one thing in common.. they are all sans trauma...anyhow, I'm left wondering what is faa policy on selling death shots??
Call me cynical.. but this seems like part of the push to get us monkeys working ;) Faa's wet dream.... a crystal clear, artistically captured shot of a dead Yeti.
Death can be sexy though... or at least the makers of C.S.I and such drivel seem to think so! Here's some sexy death. csi style...lighten the mood a bit.
9 Years Ago
Sorry, I find this nothing more than morbid sensationalism. I make it a point to remember my loved ones as I saw them in life. As well, as to those that I have never known, I would prefer to see a photograph showing the vibrant, full of life image of such persons.
I submit that the only reason one photographs a person in 'eternal repose' is for the reason that no photographs of that person exist.
I will grant that this thread will prove to be one full of interesting opinions.
Especially since the photographer seems---in my opinion---to present the images as some kind of “fine art”. I say it is shock value in it's lowest form, and in extremely poor taste.
9 Years Ago
I found the portraits strikingly beautiful as well, and they had a reassuring, calming effect on me. I have a confession to make: I've never seen a dead person. I've never been to a funeral or a memorial. So I must admit to a little curiosity about what dead people look like.
I thought the "fine art presentation" added a level of grace to the photographers' work. They didn't come across as sensationalistic to me at all.
9 Years Ago
I've been to funerals and seen dead people - I no longer go to funerals and I'm not interested in looking/seeing dead people - I'm not having a funeral - ashes to ashes - as quick as may be.
" I would much rather cherish a memory of a loved one as I last saw them living," Mario said - and that is my total philosophy about the matter.
9 Years Ago
I asked to at attend my grandfather's funeral when I was age 9. Funerals do not bother me.
9 Years Ago
I submit there is a vast difference between attending a funeral and producing, marketing, viewing, and buying images of the deceased.
9 Years Ago
Count me in with those who enjoyed seeing these photos. I thought they were tastefully done and found the deceased peaceful.
Edit to add - When I was very young and a relative passed, my parents held me up to see the deceased in the casket. They let me kiss their hands or cheek, because that is what I saw them doing. We Italians are like that. I have very fond memories of being 3 and seeing my Nonna in her beautiful bed...
9 Years Ago
Yes Jeffrey - and the stories too. The stories brought the deceased to life.
@ Roy - I understand your thinking. My husband and I will not have a service or funeral... at least that is what we request from our loved ones. If THEY want to have a small service to honor us, that's their choice and I respect that but, I do not want them to feel obliged to do so, or to visit a cemetery once I am gone. Even though I still visit cemeteries/visit my loved ones graves . . . I don't want to be in one, which should relieve the next generation from doing that "chore" since it is an obligation of sorts. An obligation I am happy to fulfill, but I want my loved ones to know that when I am gone... I am gone.
9 Years Ago
" We Italians are like that."
Not all Italians are like that, certainly not the ones in my family. Seeing the dead even as a child is one thing, taking pictures is some thing totally different and not an Italian custom. I just wanted to clarify.
9 Years Ago
I don't think I said anything about "We Italians are like that" in reference to taking pictures, Mario. I'll stand by my comment since I come from 4 Italian families who all had their "customs" before me.
Let me rephrase that - I didn't say anything about it.
9 Years Ago
I've only seen one deceased relative and she looked nothing like my vibrant mother did in life...just an empty shell.
9 Years Ago
Well that's why I was clarifying it Donna, being from an Italian family also I would hate to be grouped with this sort of activity, with regard to taking photo's of the dead. Italians are very respectful of the dead, long after the funeral as they mourn. But yes, open casket and kissing the dead is practiced by some.
9 Years Ago
@ Marlene - I've seen too many to count, but when it came to seeing my mother, I was aghast ... your description resonates with me.
9 Years Ago
Very glad it is NOT my tradition to dress up, make up or show off that empty shell.
It takes long enough to be able to remember them as they were in life.
9 Years Ago
What is faa's policy re: selling shots of dead people.. Jeff... do you know? Does anyone know? Or will the question just be ignored like so many others..? Is this a line of business we should all be considering ??
9 Years Ago
People agree to do things all the time that are in poor taste. Permission doesn't signify good taste.
Lots of people have a lot of money too..and very poor taste. If they are smart, they hire knowledgeable people to help guide them into good taste choices ;)
9 Years Ago
I'm only talking poor taste.
I'm not a fan of shock effect being considered art.
You are correct, poor taste is subjective, however, since each of us is judging for ourselves, what we consider poor taste, there will be a collective opinion forming.
9 Years Ago
Philip.. did the wee baby agree to this...?
I agree with Walter..
I'm still wondering what faa's policy is. I can only assume that because a moderator is promoting this so-called art then they must be fine with it... so.. update your business cards to include this type of work folks.. It's all money!
9 Years Ago
like I've already said, the deceased are empty shells....hence, photographs of empty shells....very neutral.
I'm not shocked or offended...they simply are what they are.
9 Years Ago
I think that's an entirely different thread Philip.. :-) In the UK parents are allowed to have their child's ears pierced at a very young age.... This is mutilation.. Mutilation in the name of fashion..but that's ok because the parents say so?... lol ..anyhow...
Could you, and would you perform this type of work Philip?