92 Comments
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Leon Goossens's avatar

Excellent collaboration, wow! 😍 The final result of your project with this beautiful booklet and photo prints is wonderful.

Grace's avatar

Both of you have an amazing eye for photography! Those photos are amazing! Such a lovely idea of things that are opposites but not opposed to each other if that makes sense. Very thought provoking!

Susanne Helmert's avatar

Thanks a lot for your comment, Grace. It makes total sense and I like the way you described it: “opposites but not opposed.”

Juliette Mansour's avatar

Thank you for the kind words, Grace! I’m happy to know the photos spoke to you.

Paolo Baratta's avatar

My be yng and yang are opposite parts of a unity

Susanne Helmert's avatar

They sure are.

Amy Sadler's avatar

This is what I love about Substack. What a wonderful and inspiring project! Kudos to you both for blowing “interesting and new” out of the water.

This was a joy to read and the images are stunning. I’m especially wow’d by the candle and the wave shots.

I am taken by a tick in my brain that made me want to keep scrolling after starting the video…not because I wasn’t interested, but because the pace was slow and gentle. However, the images drew me in and kept me from giving in my short attention span. Having the semi-dark realization that my attention span is worse than I thought while so thoroughly enjoying the zine that made me have this realization in the first place feels very apropos for yin yang.

Susanne Helmert's avatar

Thank you for your kind feedback, Amy!

And, yes - I can definitely relate to that. I am glad, though, that our images made you keep watching.

Juliette Mansour's avatar

Thank you so much, Amy. And thanks for sharing that with us. I know we can all relate to it, but especially cool that it lines up with yin and yang!

Luis Andrade ⇛ 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐰𝐤 ℭ ℑ's avatar

Beautiful project! This reminded me of one of my favorite books in my collection: "Images in the Heavens, Patterns on the Earth, The I Ching", 2004, by Janet Russek and David Scheinbaum, with an introduction by Jonathan Porter, and published by The Museum of New Mexico Press. All the I Ching hexagrams have a dedicated B&W photograph. We need more projects like this one!

In case you are curious, I posted a few images of it in my page.

https://substack.com/profile/30860470-luis-andrade/note/c-231120549?r=idg3a&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web

Susanne Helmert's avatar

Thank you for your comment, Luis! I will go and check out your post.

Erica A. Wheadon's avatar

"Balance is not created through sameness, but through interaction and transformation." - Yes! I love the physical pairing of images here too, the way that the images don't simply sit side by side but interact with each other (which is what a good diptych does anyway). By doing it within this container, with each pairing not just interacting but transforming, each coupling creates entirely new associations. Absolutely beautiful. x

Susanne Helmert's avatar

Thank you, dear! So true about the diptychs. I am glad the concept speaks to you!

Juliette Mansour's avatar

Thank you Erica! I do love how Susanne and I spoke to one another in this exchange. I feel like the pacing in delivering our images to each other was also really nicely done because we both sat with them for a while. I appreciate you!

Jill Bahm's avatar

Love this so much!! Well done both of you - and extra kudos for the booklet and video! 😍

Susanne Helmert's avatar

Thank you very much, Jill!

Mark White's avatar

I love the booklet? candles and fire are my favorite. Well dune!

Susanne Helmert's avatar

Thanks a lot, Mark! I am glad you enjoyed it.

Mark Foard's avatar

Excellent collaboration and I love the little “booklet”. The pockets for the photos is a great idea. Love the video too. Well done to both of you.

Susanne Helmert's avatar

Thank you for your feedback, Mark! It is good to read the concept and design of the booklet speak to you.

KewtieBird’s Photo Journey's avatar

What a creative collab! The zine is beautiful and unique as well. Looking forward to seeing the other five pairings.

Ibarionex  - The Candid Frame's avatar

The booklet idea is a wonderful idea for elevating the project and the work. It also introduces a wonderful way for the viewer to interact with the work. Lovely.

Juliette Mansour's avatar

I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you.

Crina Prida's avatar

Great collaboration, I like both of your styles, and this experiment brings them together beautifully! Very very well done.

Susanne Helmert's avatar

Thank you ever so much, Crina! This is such a kind feedback! I appreciate you taking the time to read!

Todd Haughton's avatar

Wow! This is such a fantastic project on so many levels. I absolutely love the yin yang concept, and how you both discovered the duality everything along the way. It’s a beautiful concept perfectly visualized in both of your lovely images. I also love Susanne’s choice for presenting it as a booklet of individually printed images - really wonderful. Congratulations to you both on a truly original Substack collaboration! 😍

Todd Haughton's avatar

Combining ideas of two creative people is what makes collaborations like this so special (1+1=3)!

Susanne Helmert's avatar

Thanks so much, Todd! There is so much power in collaborative creativity!

Juliette Mansour's avatar

Very true! Thank you so much Todd!

Susanne Helmert's avatar

Thank you, Thank you! It is so wonderful to read that this speaks to you, Todd! If it wasn‘t for Juliette who wanted something unique, I am not sure if we would have come up with the idea using the philosophy of yin and yang for this collaboration. It really is an interesting subject for photography.

Shital Morjaria (she/her)'s avatar

Congratulations both of you!! This is fantastic what both of you have put out. Love it.

Susanne Helmert's avatar

Thanks a lot, Shital! This collaboration was as challenging as it was fun. Thinking outside the box helps to create something unique.

Tom Schroder's avatar

Susanne and Juliette, this is such great work: the topic, the photos and how you both shared the story of this collaboration is so great. Thank you both for this.

Susanne Helmert's avatar

Thank you for your feedback, Tom! We didn‘t know what the other had written about this collaboration until it was published and I, too, thought both text complement each other perfectly.

Juliette Mansour's avatar

Thank you Tom, really appreciate the kind comments!

Manuela Thames's avatar

I love these so much you two! Wonderful and sensitive work!!

Susanne Helmert's avatar

Thanks so much. So glad you do!

Juliette Mansour's avatar

Thank you Manuela!!