a look in arnhem

the image

not so many months ago adrienne and i were in arnhem, and after the business for the day, she brought me around sliding through the slush and snow of the second uncommon winter in a row. as i have previously mention, she is the person i most enjoy as my subject in photos, as well as the woman i love. the reason that photographs generally work between the two of us has to do with a relationship of trust: the operator (photographer) and the referent (the subject) must have a close relationship in order for the camera to disappear between the two. having the camera in front of you could be compared to being naked in front of someone for the first time, with all of your insecurities exposed at once. when two people have nothing to hide, and are not trying to portray what could be considered the desired eternal self, then the most beautiful photographs come out.

in this case, of course it does not hurt the adrienne is amazingly beautiful and in turn perfectly photogenic. this photo, as best i can remember, is the result of a request. we were sitting with the window to my right and her left, with the movie theater just blocking the view of the plaza and the ice skating rink. i do not even remember the exact request, not does it really matter since the end result is that of adrienne looking towards the outside with her eyes, but returning to the inside without having seen those things that pretend to block her gaze. instead her look is inside, and that helps reveal, for me, both sides of her beauty: the inside and the outside. a beauty about this kind of photograph (and about any photograph that touches you) is that your gaze to the photograph is initially outward, but when it touches you your gaze is returned toward your inner self; memories, a daydream of desired memories or just simply a new thought inspired by something you see in the image.

as opposed to the eidelon barthes barthes sees in photographs, here there are many things i see, in three words: past, present, future.