Generational Portraits, Billy Bison and Kitchen Creativity!

Earlier this week, we received a call out about providing generational portraits in a single frame. And that particular conversation can be pretty damn intimidating — “a single frame”… Just think about capturing a whole generation of people, in an unwed photographic piece of evidence; that's huge!

The nearest I've been capable of achieving something of such scope, just recently happened. The images below, are part of a still on-going research project I'm participating in. Mainly, we're focussing on understanding how certain cultural dynamics work around a particular social activity; the production of artistry and handicraft in La Palma, El Salvador.

Among our academic interests, the inter-generational transmission of values plays a heavy role. And with no surprise, since we are talking about a craftsmanship tradition with a half-century legacy. Despite the myriad of social conditions affecting this way of living, some artisan families were able to be found. One, in particular, allowed us to visually document beyond the interviews.

Regardless of their differences in style, father and son share a common passion for painting in a humane way. We interviewed the grandson, but as a minor, we couldn't consent to visual material for our work. The whole set of images was showcased in an in-site exhibition which I also documented but haven't finished selecting the keepers yet. So in a nutshell, I haven't been able to meet the “single frame” requirement yet!

Back to our generational assignment, we could take that “humane” expression and use it in our favour. Curiously, in Spanish I can't recall if there's a phonetic difference between “human” and “humane“; it all falls under «humana» or «humano». Basically, the same context-driven token gets indistinctly used as a noun or adjective.

That got me thinking, and I quickly realized we should also be clear about the scope of the word “human”. These five characters refer to the individual, which by itself is part of “humanity“. Nice, now what about “humane”?

Humane refers to the goodwill of human nature. It refers to kindness, compassion, and sympathy. It's all about behavior and actions that show the well-being of others. So, being empathetic towards living beings. Now that's something more clear about what our generational depictions could strive to portray!

Some challenges get crowded pretty quickly, and some others are definitely more challenging and are left behind. Let's treat this one in a humane way, and keep providing it with more content as time goes by!

Photo of the Week

Despite nature's resonant presence manifesting through tight ridges and lines, one single element yells for attention. That's a very clear illustration of how the twisted concept of punctum could be understood. That tiny area in the frame capable of bringing down your gaze in the blink of an eye, that's what we've been discussing down this rabbit hole.

And even when nature gives the best lines in the visual realm, composition is crucial as well. By pulling this vertical landscape, Daniel shows both mastery and confidence in himself. Congrats mate, thanks for sharing such a high-quality photograph with us!

Weekly Photography Challenge Digest

Thanks, Tersha and Dahlia for pushing our creative boundaries one step forward every week!

I’m not in the picture, but my brother is Santa. My sister, her children and grandchildren are in the picture as well as my sister’s brother-in-law.

The quilt in the background was made by the eldest of the 3 generations of dear friends.

that’s my extended crew 🙂

For more visual examples of decay and resilience, check out the 698th original challenge post!

A Highlight on the Latest Activity at our Community

I still haven't figured out how Patrick did these oil-and-water shots in the kitchen but they are amazing!

Marty taught us about the grey hairstreak butterfly:

Shaking its red and black “false head” showing the whites of two eyes on its tail is warning off a green lacewing. The 1-inch hairstreak survives by tricking its predators into attacking the wrong end. Better to lose a chunk of a wing and still be able to fly than lose its head!

Daniel shared this American bison from the Teddy Roosevelt Collection (which sounds like an ongoing project of his I hope).

And our June contest (“Nature's Clock”) is now open for entries!

Last but not least, if you want to make out the most of your LightStalking user account, make sure to check the latest posts. Also, don't forget to join the Mobile Monday Challenge!

We'd Love To Hear Your Thoughts

Our Feedback Forum is a fine place for all those people wanting to grow fast as photographers. Here, you'll get your work reviewed by friendly photographers, but you'll also have the chance to comment on the work of others. We believe in the power of feedback, and here are the latest shots shared in the pool:

The Shark Tank is a great place to learn and to discuss, but please read the instructions in order to get a good experience. Share your comments, opinions, and doubts on any or all of the images above. We also would be delighted to see some of your own images. Remember all comments are given to the photographs; not the photographers.

Also, don't forget to participate in our current challenge on “Transient Light: The Urban Landscape“!