Every image and every word attached to your call for collaboration is/are beautiful and inspiring. I'm moved by the words of perfectlight, I am touched by the poetry of Lin Gregory's image, the understated power from Juliette Mansour, and by the frank response from George Slade (very very strong response). I apologize for sending my image without a curated text, but my life is in a big dynamic workwise mostly, so thank you for accepting it just as is. You keep inspiring us, thank you for that as well.
Please don't apologize for not providing a text - it wasn't necessary. Some people did, some didn't, and that is absolutely okay. Your photo speaks for itself. Thank you for participating, looking at all responses, and for your kind words. ❤️
Thank you! I sent it on a spontaneous impulse, while talking on messenger with Susanne about an entirely different thing. It's funny how serendipity plays a role in these things. (It's Crina, by the way :) )
Wow, truly fascinating result, Susanne. Love to see every photo, reasoning and your comment. This was a fun experiment. Thanks for bringing this community even closer together. Keep it up!
Thank you, Marcel! This community is truly inspiring, and I am grateful that so many responded to my call. It was so much more for me than just putting together a bunch of diptychs.
Thanks so much for your contribution. I sat with your photo for quite some time and studied it.
This has been an amazing collaboration Susanne…I’ve really enjoyed reading the results. It's wonderful to see everyone's different interpretations and responses, whether they be word or image - each has its own individual emotion attached and there is beauty in every diptych. By adding your own reflections you've added another layer to each pair.
On that subject, you have such a natural eye for reading a pairing with such a diverse range of images - they all work and I like the change in ways that you've aligned some, strengthening their connection. All in all, I’d say this has been a really successful project and I enjoyed being part of it, so thank you for setting the challenge and encouraging more community participation.
I agree, it is an amazing collaboration. I am so grateful you stepped outside your comfort zone and tried something new. I love the photograph you've sent.
Also, thank you for your feedback on the presentation. I wasn't sure how much text to add to the diptychs. But I wanted to honour the efforts and share how I responded to every single one. This was so much fun. Maybe I will do it again...
It’s really great to see everyone’s photos paired with yours - each one was works incredibly well in their unique ways. I also appreciate reading your thoughts on each image/pairing. Thank you for making this fun project possible, Susanne!
Thank you, Todd! Not only for participating, but also for giving me feedback on the way I presented them. It is a rather long newsletter this week, but just dropping the pairings without any words from my side felt somehow wrong.
I think all contributions have their own particular merits, both in what impacted Susanne and each individual viewers impression. Yours, Todd, seemed to me more of a literal fit that turned it positive and playful, great combo!
This was a brilliant way to collaborate with fellow artists, the engagement with words and pictures shows how we can respond to images by others and in turn reflect on connections with our own photographs. Thank you for setting this up and following through with the responses.
Thank you for your feedback. I am glad to hear you liked the format. I really enjoyed putting it together. Writing about the responses made me sit longer with the images and really engage with them on a deeper level.
Wow, so fascinating to see the variety of juxtapositions and how each artist found something different in the original photo to tie back to theirs. I really loved this post!
It is good to hear you enjoyed this. I loved putting this together. The different results show how different we all see and experience the world. It was quite interesting to receive all the different responses to my photograph.
Heavy post this one. Sorry about that. I’m not a light minded person but to read this and see the photographs attached just left me in a state of grey and black mood with a couple of whites very, very fainted. When Susanne posted this photograph I commented that it was an image that transmitted darkness. I didn’t like it, actually and I hope Susanne doesn’t mind me saying this. I’m just being honest and people don’t need to like everything.
Apart from the photos from Sarah and Søren that brought some ‘lovely’ light and colour, the most part of the contributions followed the flow of the main source. A state of sadness and darkness. I wonder what does this say about us, people.
Dear Luz, I appreciate your honest feedback. Yes, this was a heavy one. Mainly because of the photo I chose. The way you've read the photo (that its transmitting darkness) is obviously a reaction many others had too.
You asked / wondered what it says about us/people that most of the contributions mirrored that darkness that can be found in my photo. The first thing that comes to my mind is empathy. The visual responses that seem to have the same dark vibe did say to me "I see you and how you feel". The ones lighter in mood and tone came as a different message, but still empathic - to me, they were like messages that meant to somehow cheer me up and lighten my mood or the heaviness of my photograph.
That, at least, is how I interpret these responses.
Thanks for not taking too hard my comment and taking into account my opinion. I like this. To be open and respecting positive and negative reactions is something that is almost ‘impossible’ to do nowadays.
Yes, empathy could be one of the reasons. The other could be, ‘you’re not alone. I’ve been through it too’. After all, dark times strike all of us one way or another, sooner or later. One person deals better with it than another and if one can express it through an image, a text or whatever, it can help.
My reaction has definitely to do with my nature. Meaning that I can’t (unfortunately) exteriorise my somber moments. I’d rather deal with them internally. Everybody is different.
Luz, I agree. Honesty seems to be rare these days. But I appreciate it - as long as it is respective. Yours was. So never hesitate To speak your mind when talking to me! ☺️
We are all different. And at difficult times we can even more vulnerable to the things that are thrown at us. I usually am a person who carries everything inside, too, and tries to cope with it alone. Photography (and sometimes writing) for me is a tool to overcome this internal struggle. If you know what I mean.
I think the reactions to my photos weren’t just black (sad) or white (invigorating ) as they might appear. There were many greys between. At least that is how I felt about them.
I not only think this was a really cool idea but was totally absorbed in seeing each response. Not only that, Susanne, but your interpretation of how each photo echoed something in yours made it very interesting. I also love the text responses. More please! :)
Thank you, Juliette! Not only for your kind words, but also for participating. I hope you didn't mind that I didn't include your other response, but I figured this newsletter was already way too long.
I love all of these and now I kind of regret that I didn't participate. (I did think about it but I just didn't get around to doing it.) It's such a fun and light project, but at the same time it's incredibly deep, and as a viewer it's so inspirational and super interesting to see the different responses. Maybe there will be a next time!
Every image and every word attached to your call for collaboration is/are beautiful and inspiring. I'm moved by the words of perfectlight, I am touched by the poetry of Lin Gregory's image, the understated power from Juliette Mansour, and by the frank response from George Slade (very very strong response). I apologize for sending my image without a curated text, but my life is in a big dynamic workwise mostly, so thank you for accepting it just as is. You keep inspiring us, thank you for that as well.
Please don't apologize for not providing a text - it wasn't necessary. Some people did, some didn't, and that is absolutely okay. Your photo speaks for itself. Thank you for participating, looking at all responses, and for your kind words. ❤️
Carina, yours is my favorite pairing. I think you captured the mood perfectly.
Thank you! I sent it on a spontaneous impulse, while talking on messenger with Susanne about an entirely different thing. It's funny how serendipity plays a role in these things. (It's Crina, by the way :) )
Oops, sorry Crina, I know your name! Not sure where the extra "a" came from, and I can't even blame it on autocorrect.
no worries, it's a common mistake, autocorrect needs to up its game on Latin names.
Wow, truly fascinating result, Susanne. Love to see every photo, reasoning and your comment. This was a fun experiment. Thanks for bringing this community even closer together. Keep it up!
Thank you, Marcel! This community is truly inspiring, and I am grateful that so many responded to my call. It was so much more for me than just putting together a bunch of diptychs.
Thanks so much for your contribution. I sat with your photo for quite some time and studied it.
This has been an amazing collaboration Susanne…I’ve really enjoyed reading the results. It's wonderful to see everyone's different interpretations and responses, whether they be word or image - each has its own individual emotion attached and there is beauty in every diptych. By adding your own reflections you've added another layer to each pair.
On that subject, you have such a natural eye for reading a pairing with such a diverse range of images - they all work and I like the change in ways that you've aligned some, strengthening their connection. All in all, I’d say this has been a really successful project and I enjoyed being part of it, so thank you for setting the challenge and encouraging more community participation.
I agree, it is an amazing collaboration. I am so grateful you stepped outside your comfort zone and tried something new. I love the photograph you've sent.
Also, thank you for your feedback on the presentation. I wasn't sure how much text to add to the diptychs. But I wanted to honour the efforts and share how I responded to every single one. This was so much fun. Maybe I will do it again...
I'll look forward to that!😊
It’s really great to see everyone’s photos paired with yours - each one was works incredibly well in their unique ways. I also appreciate reading your thoughts on each image/pairing. Thank you for making this fun project possible, Susanne!
Thank you, Todd! Not only for participating, but also for giving me feedback on the way I presented them. It is a rather long newsletter this week, but just dropping the pairings without any words from my side felt somehow wrong.
I think all contributions have their own particular merits, both in what impacted Susanne and each individual viewers impression. Yours, Todd, seemed to me more of a literal fit that turned it positive and playful, great combo!
This was a brilliant way to collaborate with fellow artists, the engagement with words and pictures shows how we can respond to images by others and in turn reflect on connections with our own photographs. Thank you for setting this up and following through with the responses.
Thank you for your feedback. I am glad to hear you liked the format. I really enjoyed putting it together. Writing about the responses made me sit longer with the images and really engage with them on a deeper level.
Wow, so fascinating to see the variety of juxtapositions and how each artist found something different in the original photo to tie back to theirs. I really loved this post!
It is good to hear you enjoyed this. I loved putting this together. The different results show how different we all see and experience the world. It was quite interesting to receive all the different responses to my photograph.
I love them all!
So glad you do, because they are all excellent!
Great project and some fascinating responses.
Thank you, Paul! I agree.
Your experiment bathes me in the richness of the creativity in the Substack experience.
So good to hear. And yes, it wouldn’t have been possible to do this without these amazing people here.
Heavy post this one. Sorry about that. I’m not a light minded person but to read this and see the photographs attached just left me in a state of grey and black mood with a couple of whites very, very fainted. When Susanne posted this photograph I commented that it was an image that transmitted darkness. I didn’t like it, actually and I hope Susanne doesn’t mind me saying this. I’m just being honest and people don’t need to like everything.
Apart from the photos from Sarah and Søren that brought some ‘lovely’ light and colour, the most part of the contributions followed the flow of the main source. A state of sadness and darkness. I wonder what does this say about us, people.
@perfectlight: beautiful text!
Dear Luz, I appreciate your honest feedback. Yes, this was a heavy one. Mainly because of the photo I chose. The way you've read the photo (that its transmitting darkness) is obviously a reaction many others had too.
You asked / wondered what it says about us/people that most of the contributions mirrored that darkness that can be found in my photo. The first thing that comes to my mind is empathy. The visual responses that seem to have the same dark vibe did say to me "I see you and how you feel". The ones lighter in mood and tone came as a different message, but still empathic - to me, they were like messages that meant to somehow cheer me up and lighten my mood or the heaviness of my photograph.
That, at least, is how I interpret these responses.
Dear Susanne,
Thanks for not taking too hard my comment and taking into account my opinion. I like this. To be open and respecting positive and negative reactions is something that is almost ‘impossible’ to do nowadays.
Yes, empathy could be one of the reasons. The other could be, ‘you’re not alone. I’ve been through it too’. After all, dark times strike all of us one way or another, sooner or later. One person deals better with it than another and if one can express it through an image, a text or whatever, it can help.
My reaction has definitely to do with my nature. Meaning that I can’t (unfortunately) exteriorise my somber moments. I’d rather deal with them internally. Everybody is different.
Luz, I agree. Honesty seems to be rare these days. But I appreciate it - as long as it is respective. Yours was. So never hesitate To speak your mind when talking to me! ☺️
We are all different. And at difficult times we can even more vulnerable to the things that are thrown at us. I usually am a person who carries everything inside, too, and tries to cope with it alone. Photography (and sometimes writing) for me is a tool to overcome this internal struggle. If you know what I mean.
I think the reactions to my photos weren’t just black (sad) or white (invigorating ) as they might appear. There were many greys between. At least that is how I felt about them.
Definitely, Susanne. There were many greys. That’s what black and white make together. Have a wonderful Sunday!
I not only think this was a really cool idea but was totally absorbed in seeing each response. Not only that, Susanne, but your interpretation of how each photo echoed something in yours made it very interesting. I also love the text responses. More please! :)
Thank you, Juliette! Not only for your kind words, but also for participating. I hope you didn't mind that I didn't include your other response, but I figured this newsletter was already way too long.
I think it was better with just that one!
WOW !!
The credit goes to my collaborators! =)
I love all of these and now I kind of regret that I didn't participate. (I did think about it but I just didn't get around to doing it.) It's such a fun and light project, but at the same time it's incredibly deep, and as a viewer it's so inspirational and super interesting to see the different responses. Maybe there will be a next time!
Thank you, Birgitte. It was an interesting collaboration for me to see in what form people would respond, and some really surprised me.
What a lovely idea Susanne. The responses in both words and images are both uplifting and sad.
Thanks, Jon! They sure are. The sad part is mostly my fault! 🫣
What a beautiful idea!
Thank you!
Oooo, this was a very interesting post to go through! What a great exercise. Thanks for taking the time and effort, you and your collaborators!
Thank you for taking the time to look and read. I know it was a long one, but I wanted to give every single contribution its own little stage.