Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Photo by Jesus Cabrera 2006

Mi Amiga, Dana Fotera

Durante una nochebuena silenciosa y mojada de Vancouver en el 2003 me encontraba explorando páginas españolas sobre la fotografía en el Internet. Dirigí mi atención a una muy buena nota en la cual una modelo (Dana Fotera) daba consejos en como tratarse con un fotógrafo antes de una sesión y en especial antes de una sesión al desnudo.


Le escribí y nos hicimos amigos. Compartimos ideas, intercambiamos nuestro trabajo. Lo que más me encantaba de Dana era su entusiasmo, casi una obsesión en posar el desnudo. ¡Y, esas millares de pecas!

Tenemos nuestras diferencias. Muchos de los fotógrafos aún no han aprendido ciertas reglas (quizá reglas inventadas por este viejo) y muestran arrugas del cuello y otras arrugas naturales del cuerpo cuando la pose es un poco forzada. Las arrugas del cuello son un detalle crucial en una modelo tan esbelta como Dana.

Dana parece estar en una constante sesión fotográfica y inmediatamente pone las fotos en su Factbook. No pasa un día en la cual no encuentre alguna nueva foto de mi pecosa favorita.

Una vez se me ocurrió criticar una foto tomada de Dana por un fotógrafo (no todos pueden ser buenos). Y para colmo sugerí que el fotógrafo quizá se dedicara a otra profesión como la plomería.

Obviamente en facebook todo es bueno y la crítica no existe. ¡Aprendí mi lección con el enfade de Dana y varios de sus amigos fotógrafos!

Otro punto de vista en el cual diferimos es mi preferencia por lo que llamo el retrato al desnudo y la preferencia de Dana por la fotografía del cuerpo humano desnudo en un paisaje. Tomando en cuenta la variedad del paisaje no lejos del Madrid de Dana casi entiendo su preferencia.

Pero tengo la ambición de algún día fotografiar a Dana en retrato al desnudo en el cual le pondría especial esmero en mostrar sus pecas, de que es una senda mujer y de alguna manera llegar a la fuente de esa mirada que parece penetrar a las entrañas de mi ser.


My Friend Dana Fotera

A quiet day before Christmas 2003 I was exploring the Spanish (in Spain) photographic sites and I was suddenly aware of an article by a young Spanish model (with thousands of freckles) in which she gave advice on how to discuss with a photographer a future nude session. She gave good practical advice. I was charmed. I contacted her and we became fast internet friends. We exchanged examples of our work but I was especially conscious of her self portraits that had a delightful approach.


We have some differences. Many of the many photographers who photograph her have not learned the ropes yet and they tend to photograph her in a cutesy fashiony way and they seem to not know the rule (is it only my own?) that neck folds should never show. This is especially crucial if a model has little body fat like Dana who is extremely fit.

Dana is constantly having sesiones (sessions) and she is quick to publish them (as if there were a no regret future in the works) on facebook. At first I tried to point out those neck folds and even went as far as telling her that a particular photographer should try a plan B like plumbing. I broke the rule of facebook in which we are all to point out the beauty of everything and how the world is rosy and even rosier to come. She was quite firm in that I should mind my own business and not be so critical. After all who did I think I was? I took the advice but decided on another tack. This was to point out the nice photos, and there are many, where a photographer and she have combined for excellent results.

Dana and I are at opposite ends in an important difference. It is a difference that is still manifest is my fondness for what I call the nude portrait as opposed to her particular preference for the landscape nude, the nude in a landscape. She may be right in this approach as Spain provides her with a multitude of exotic locations just a few hours or at the most a day on a train.

But without too urging she sent me the above essay on how she poses nude. I have yet to find out from anybody the definitive reason why anybody would delight in posing nude. I suspect it is the other side of the coin in my pocket that makes me want to photograph the nude. Where possible I shall keep exploring this medium and I will ask others to see if some day I may have the answer to my question, “Why do you pose in the nude?

I love her huge eyes and that she almost never smiles. I have even more fondness for all her freckles. My ambition (if I ever get to Madrid) is to one day photograph her nude but as a portrait nude where I would emphasize her poise and those direct eyes that go directly to my soul when I look at her pictures.

Dana in a tub, Dana en la tina
Alexandra Norris
She Wrote
Dana and Graham Greene