go for the OUTRAGEOUS

That phrase has stuck with me ever since a seminar professor explained that it was the thing to do. You should always strive for the OUTRAGEOUS when shooting.

Sure, one could argue that that means going for what is sensational -- and that, of course, could mean a slam to integrity, a slight to your audience, some selling out or some cheap formula. It could mean you've bypassed art for the sake of shock value or sales and its lowest common denominator stats.

BUT, I'm happy to report that that is not what the professor meant at all. Going for the outrageous is to say, PUSH IT. Don't hold back, don't settle, but more so, once you think you have it, GO FURTHER. You may think you snagged a nice shot of your sexy girlfriend peeling a banana, but you'll have to do better than that ................ you'll have to light a fire and do some flambé.

Point is, you owe it to yourself to push limits and explore the scenario.

anthropology

Just as genes are not jeans, so too was Claude Lévi-Strauss of no relation to Levi Strauss. The Associated Press just reported that Claude Lévi-Strauss died at age 100. Age 100 seems somehow fitting and symbolic.

In reading about his contributions to anthropology, I am reminded of Edward Steichen's Family of Man exhibition.

And that, in turn, brings me to reflect on the 2008 competition of Fresh M.I.L.K. Photography which celebrates "friendship, family, love & laughter". You could say I'm employing a sort of "structure of kinship" in that Fresh M.I.L.K. is a sort of modern day version, albeit a distant relation, of Family of Man. Both themes depict the human condition, development and relationships, living and dying, social structures and anti-social behaviors.

And like Steichen as curator of Family of Man, the grand prize winning photograph for M.I.L.K. was selected by one of the greats, Magnum photographer, Elliott Erwitt.

Wow, I think this post indicates that I'm link happy today.

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© Victoria Vaisvilaite Skirutiene
Fresh M.I.L.K. Grand Prize Winner