5.09.2020

A palette cleanser from "Matilda." I must say that I love Paul Sanchez's silver suit almost as much as I love to say, "Silver Suit."

A production shot from the Zach Theatre Play, Matilda.

These are unusual times and the U.S. administration has worked hard to muddy the waters and disrupt any objective truth about the pandemic virus. We are in the position that the late, great Richard Avedon described as the dilemma for portrait photographers ---

--- we can only see and photograph the surface. We can't know what's under the skin and we can't know it anymore than we can truly know what's in the mind of the portrait sitter. Right now our understanding of the pandemic is incomplete. We know that people are dying. That's not up for debate. We know that there differences of opinion about who is culpable for the spread. But we have no knowledge of how quickly or surely a vaccine will arrive, or how it will be parceled out. No idea if a curative will really reduce deaths and how that cure will be rationed, if there's not enough to go around. 

I can't change what has happened. But I can compartmentalize the burden of knowledge about this and keep it from overwhelming all the other things in my life. 

This blog administrator tries to be open to divergent points of view but with something this raw, and now divisive, I'm stepping in to ask that we try to keep as much unsubstantiated political opinion off the blog. If you can show with video that a politician has lied directly to us all then that's fair game. 

Rumor, conjecture and unproven assumptions, political points of view, only serve to make everyone more unsure and uncomfortable. I'm not banning all political opinions on VSL but let us all do our best to stay positive. To discuss photographic issues. Talk about how we're adapting and how we're coping with a bad situation. 

Don't make me get on a plane with my boys from the photo above and take a metaphorical bat to you.

No winners or losers. Just people. Let's help each other stay positive...

Comments closed on this post.

2 comments:

rlh1138 said...

OK I totally agree with that, but.... U.S. administration has worked hard to muddy the waters and disrupt any objective truth about the pandemic virus.

Isn't that just what you said not to do?? I mean they have done that, but I'm stuck here at home and feeling crabby, so... bugging you. Comments closed???? WTF

Kirk, Photographer/Writer said...

No. That's demonstrably true. Thanks!