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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Loving Baby Images Like You've Never Seen Before, 30 Jul 2004
This brief portfolio of 20 photographs of babies and young children expands the metaphors for thinking about babies, building on the inherent contrasts of black-and-white. Although there are few images in the portfolio, their mind-expanding capability is far beyond that of more extensive collections. As a result, you will gain an expanded view of humanity that you did not have before. Each photograph has a brief description of the relationship of the models and background on how it was shot. There is no essay with the portfolio.Seldom is black-and-white photography used primarily to accentuate the imagery of black and white together. This portfolio goes as far in that direction as any work I have seen. The stage is set with the first image which is the top of a baby's head supported by an isolated hand, amid the blackness of the void. This image eloquently shows the connection from one generation to another, and from one person to another. It is a beautiful and inspiring photograph. Three other photographs explore this imagery in other ways, each emphasizing the fragility of human life. Other images challenge your assumptions. People with black and white skins are put in contact with one another in ways suggesting love, support, and intimacy. To me, these images echo the oneness of humanity. To test yourself on that, Ms. Geddes gives one mirror images for you to see if you react differently to the adult being black with a white angel baby, from a photograph of the adult being white and a black angel baby. The one that is perhaps the best from this perspective is a black and a white child kissing, in an image that could be two cupids celebrating love. Two of the images also look at the connection between mother and child. One is a marvelous conceptual piece with the baby lying on a woman's abdomen upside down, simulating the in utero position. Age as a context is wonderfully displayed in an image of two babies with hats on that make them look like little old men. I won't explore all of the metaphors, but they are very uplifting humanistic ones. Here are my favorites: Joshua Full Term Linda & Ben Alexandra & Myls Boys & Dover Zac & Georgina While I liked this work very much, I felt that it needed more examples to fully stretch the viewer. I graded it down one star for being a bit too brief. But it's better to have too few, but almost all wonderful images, than to have many images, but few good ones. After you review the portfolio and think about its metaphors, I suggest you imagine the other feelings you have about babies. Which such feelings are important to you that are not represented here? What metaphors about those feelings would be the most challenging for you? In this way, you can extend the experience to expand your thinking even more. Let looking at babies bring us back to the elemental truths of existence!
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