Saturday, April 19, 2008



I have written about feet here, here and here. And Max Wyman wrote about feet here.

I will still not admit that I find feet in any way attractive. It all happened some years ago when a very pleasant female photographer told me, "Why don't you photograph feet?"



Immediately, I replied that I found feet the ugliest part of the body and that I also did not want to fragment the human body into body parts. I remember sharing a photographic shoow with another photographer some years ago. Both of us had nudes on the wall. In those years of femenist awareness I will never forget the woman who left a statement in the gallery guest book, "Waterhouse-Hayward, thank you for showing us the faces." Since then I have tried not to depersonalize the human form by stressing the parts.



At Focal Point I teach a somwhat popular class that I have purposely called The Contemporary Portrait Nude. I tell my students that even when they are taking pictures of our model's hands or feet they must not lose sight of the model's humanity and individuality. I stress calling the model the subject as the latter word does not include the idea of models with all our prejudices that we may direct at the meaning of that word.



And so against my inner desires to not photograph feet I have done so for some years. My favourite place has been Lynn Canyon in North Vancouver. The rushing cold water seems to add excitement. Some of the best and most erotic pictures I have ever taken were of the jewelry designer Susan Fiedler.





Susan Fiedler - A Face