Thursday 13 December 2007

Photographing Old Folk

I was reading Diane Clancy' s ArtBlog yesterday and was quite saddened to hear that she doesn't get many commissions about pictures of old people. I love her dreamlike pictures of people's dogs in carpets of magical flowers, so may well save up the pennies (and learn to work out the e-mail) to get a commission of our old dog Tessa, who is sixteen in April.

I have been taking lots of pictures of Tessa recently and here is a picture of her (courtesy of Dumpr.net) which they have put up in the British Museum.

My previous posting was to do with how a sprinkling of white makes things look better, and she has a touch of the white stuff herself about the muzzle, bless her. A marking of her venerable old age.

12 comments:

Artists With Artitude said...

Very moving..Literally :)

Irene said...

Now Bev, what are you up to now. Are you having me on or what? You are always so full of trickery. You pretend that you don't know what you're doing, but in the meantime...

Lucky Dip Lisa said...

Wow, 16? That is impressive! I had a cat who lived that long and I was HEARTBROKEN when she passed on. Tessa is obviously a well looked after and cherished member of the family.

Bev said...

Sweet Irene, I don't think you're so daft yourself lol

Bobbie said...

I love this photo of Tessa and she shows very well at the British Museum. I have noticed too that since I am older that I have become invisible. People just see right through me. Strange. I am still the same old me as the person I was 5 years ago.

Bev said...

Sweet Irene, I have tried to give the credit to Dumpr and show that my photo is not actually in the British Museum. However, thinking about it today I wish I had thought of another museum like the Victoria and Albert as putting the British makes Tessa sound like a poor old relic. But this is actually the museum that Dumpr suggested. I am quite neurotic and sensitive about things like sometimes, even though Tess doesn't actually read the blog.

dianeclancy said...

Hi Beverly,

Tessa is beautiful!!! What is Dumpr? She is lucky to have you!

You know, I am always very flexible about payment plans once I know someone.

~ Diane Clancy
www.dianeclancy.com/blog

Bev said...

Hey, Diane, thanks for that!

Bev said...

Dumpr is a very simple digital art site which Frances found which is the only one I am capable of doing. I can do these photos in museums and also some spheres, but a might go onto the mosaics and the rubik cubes.

Debi said...

Awww, Bev. I guess I hadn't enough coffee because it took me a little while to understand the trickery here. I like it. I like how the viewers are giving Tess' beauty its contemplative due.

And you never know...for absolute certain...what Tess might do or what blogs she might read when you are out shopping. She looks pretty smart to me.

She's a beautiful girl.

laurie said...

do you know the book "after 90" by imogene cunningham? wonderful wonderful photos of older people.

my brother gave it to me for christmas about 25 years ago. i still love it.

(you are very good at manipulating photos. you've fooled me more than once.)

Bev said...

Thank you very much for the reference Laurie. The photos of very old faces are very moving, all the character and life experiences seem to appear. Young faces seem quite bland in comparison. I also like the way some of the old men have very elaborate (still quite a lot of hair, some of them!) moustaches and beards. That's not a fashion you see a lot of nowadays!