Sunday, January 29, 2017

Print: Maw


First off, I'm sorry if this photo offends or disturbs you. I'm not one for making horrifyingly morbid images, but today I made an exception because of the impact this subject made on me. This impact isn't easy to articulate into words, but here it goes.

Most importantly, I love animals. Nothing makes me more upset than seeing an animal in pain. My cat died nearly a year ago, and I still get tears in my eyes when I remember holding him in my arms while he died of heart failure. I didn't make this photo to exploit this animal because it looks like a monster. I made this photo because to me, it perfectly captures the fragility of life. The eyes of the animal, though dead, are still quite expressive. You can tell he (or she) was once a living, breathing being. If you only look at the top 1/3rd of the photograph, he even looks alive. Look slightly downward, however, and his maw is nothing but a twisted mess of flesh. This abrupt transition represents to me how suddenly death can consume us, and how quickly we can turn from thinking, feeling people into nothing but meat.

Sorry to sound so depressing, I just really wanted to share this photo and truthfully tell how it makes me feel. Made with my Nikon Df and 50mm f/1.4D lens.